No away respite for United in Yorkshire

EVO-STIK NPL DIVISION ONE NORTH GOOLE AFC ...................... 4 RAMSBOTTOM ................ 2 JON HASLAM THE Rams made the journey over the M62 to take on relegationthreatened Goole in their penultimate away match of the season.

With newly appointed assistant manager Graham Lancashire taking his place in the dugout there was hope among supporters that the eight-game winless run could come to an end in the East Riding.

There were two changes from the previous week’s defeat at home to Ossett Town with Alaster Redmayne and Jamie Rother coming into the side at the expense of the absent Damian Green and Ryan Salmon, who dropped to the bench.

Goole took the lead on the quarter hour mark with a crisp strike from Billy Law that beat Dean Hardy to give the hosts the advantage in an opening period that was lacking in fluent football in no small part to the windy conditions and poor playing surface.

Ramsbottom slipped further behind on 33 minutes when a left footed corner from Goole’s full back Steven Jeff swirled in the wind and somehow found its way into the net directly from the flag kick.

With half-time approaching the Rams were given a way back into the game when Alaster Redmayne was fouled in the box when home stopper Max Dearnley dropped a ball into the box, made contact with young midfielder and the referee pointed to the spot. Inevitably up stepped Lee Gaskell to send the keeper the wrong way and get the visitors back into the game with the strikers 7th goal of the season and his 120th for the club.

The hosts held a 2-1 lead going into the break.

The second half began positively with a Grant Spencer corner that Gaskell flicked a header the wrong side of the post and into the side netting.

Almost immediately Goole went up the other end and the referee evened up the penalty count by penalising Dean Stott for a foul and from the spot home striker Bobby Johnson sent Dean Hardy the wrong way to restore the hosts 2 goal lead again.

The Rams team decided to make a couple of changes around the hour mark with Max Hazeldine replacing Rother and Salmon replacing Gareth Seddon.

With the changes came probably the Rams’ best period of the game in regards to creating chances, Lee Gaskell again had the ball in the Goole net only to be flagged offside. Sadly the game was put out of the reach of the Rams when Goole’s Danny Chambers hit a low shot from the left hand side of the box beating Dean Hardy to make the score 4-1.

Ramsbottom did create some chances towards the end of the match, one of which resulted in Ryan Salmon scoring his 14th goal of the season on 84 minutes converting a Max Hazeldine through ball before drilling the ball past the keeper to reduce the arrears.