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●● Paul Stannard

ROSSENDALE CHIPPING FC

ROSSENDALE hit six for the second week running as they completed the league double over Chipping FC on Saturday.

The home side opened the scoring within 30 seconds of the game as they attacked the Chipping goal from the kick off, Luke Simpson found himself with the ball around 25 yards out from goal.

At first he shaped to play a ball down the right wing but after realising he wasn’t being closed down he unleashed a spectacular shot that sailed into the top left hand corner of the net.

The almost doubled their lead moments later when a slick passing move down the left was squared into box, Tom Hulme laid off the ball with a cheeky flick but Paul Stannard who connected and struck his shot well, beat the keeper but unfortunately the ball cannoned back off the post and was cleared.

Judging by the opening five minutes of the match you may have thought that this game would be over with before we even got to half time, but after the Stannard attempt on goal Rossendale seemed to drop back into second gear and allowed Chipping to get back into the game.

The away side began to get the ball down and play some decent football at times.

The Rossendale players had seemed to start to take a victory as a foregone conclusion and it lead to Chipping equalising in the 14th minute from a set piece.

Something the Stags have been struggling to defend over the last couple of games.

The equalising goal didn’t really spur on the home side, but when they did get forward they always looked dangerous whereas Chipping didn’t look dangerous uptop, they just competed very well all over the pitch and made life difficult for Rossendale to really get into a flow.

The Stags undeservedly retook the lead on 22 minutes when Stannard got in between the Chipping defender and keeper from a long Matty Richmond goal kick, managed to touch the ball around the keeper and into the bottom right hand corner.

It was 3-1 on 34 minutes, this time Tom Hulme rose superbly from a Stannard corner and headed home beyond the defender on the near post.

Five minutes later and just before half time it was 4-1 this time the other half of the deadly Hulme Wylie partnership got in on the action. It came again from a long goal kick from keeper Matty Richmond, the Chipping defence didn’t deal with it and Wylie nipped in to finish with aplomb.

Into the second half the Stags must have stayed in the changing rooms because from the kick off, Chipping went long into the Rossy half, captain Adam Mcinnes heard a shout to let the ball come through and the Chipping striker capitalised on this and slotted home past a helpless Richmond.

This goal could have galvanised the away side and Rossendale now needed to dig in, it would

●● Luke Simpson celebrates his opening goal for Rossendale

‘The most pleasing thing is the crowds seem to be getting bigger. It really gives our lads a lift’

be tough on this surface, but they just needed to match the Chipping work rate.

The home side did wake up and won a penalty when Will Foster burst through midfield, as he got into the box he was upended for a clear penalty, but Tom Hulme already had the ball in the net.