Hanley hand wasteful Linnets rare thrashing
RUNCORN LINNETS ................................. 2 HANLEY TOWN ......................................... 5
LINNETS were left ruing a host of missed chances in the first half of Saturday’s match as Hanley made them pay dearly with five goals after the break to deservedly condemn Runcorn to their first home league defeat since August.
After a solid, dominating and comfortable opening period that yielded everything but a goal for Runcorn and little threat in return from the visitors, you felt that like the previous game at Irlam, a Linnets goal would burst open the floodgates and set them on their way to three points. But it didn’t quite work out like that. Hanley had shown glimpses of being a very decent side in the first half, but it was the home team that took the game by the scruff of the neck and maintained the high standards set at Irlam a week earlier.
Kris Holt had one good and another excellent sight of goal early on, and really should have opened the scoring after being picked out by Stu Wellstead to find himself unmarked six yards from goal.
But two heavy touches allowed Hanley’s goalkeeper Joseph Hemmings a chance to get off his line and smother the loose ball.
Paul Shanley and Mark Houghton both had half-chances but couldn’t convert, before the latter had three opportunities in quick succession that Hemmings somehow kept out.
Houghton let out a show of frustration after his turn and shot from the penalty spot had Hemmings beaten until it deflected straight into his midriff.
And with that chance, the half drew to a close with that uncomfortable feeling that you get when you know you have had enough chances to close a game out, yet find yourself goalless.
The breakthrough finally came for Michael Ellison’s men straight after the interval.
Another superb save by Hemmings ● from a rasping Kyle Hamid strike led to a corner for Linnets. And, with the inswinging ball bouncing around inside the area, Houghton finally managed to convert at the near post.
Full credit must go to the referee’s assistant on the dugout side for flagging to confirm that the ball had just crossed the goalline, despite a good attempted clearance.
Manager Ellison had decided to withdraw central defender Chris Lawton at half-time and replace him with Zac Aley, and this move seemed to have an extremely unsettling effect on Linnets’ usually solid back four.
Within a minute of Runcorn opening the scoring, Hanley were level.
Sean Mountford still had lots to do as he picked up the ball on the left of the Linnets’ penalty area, and with three defenders surrounding him wasted no time in curling a shot across Tom Hunt and into the far corner for a very welltaken equaliser.
Two minutes later, it was 2-1 to the visitors. With Linnets’ defence struggling to clear a loose ball, Oliver Edwards smashed an unstoppable shot across goal to leave Hunt grounded to the spot.
There was a significant moment in the game as Linnets set about finding an equaliser. Captain Hamid fed a through ball into the run of Houghton who got himself in front of the covering defender and was brought down from behind as he tried to shoot.
It was identical to the incident late in last year’s home game against 1874 Northwich when Freddie Potter did win a penalty, but the referee must have seen something to convince him that the ball was won and he waved play on, unsupported by his assistant who had a much better view.
Hanley had little sympathy for Linnets’ sense of injustice and scored a third goal with a lightning counterattack down the right flank.
Hunt might be disappointed to be beaten at his near post from 10 yards out but it was another fiercely-struck shot from Angelo Errico that had whistled past the Runcorn goalkeeper before he could even set himself.
You still felt that Linnets could get back into the game with a quick goal, but when Hunt hastily rolled the ball out to an out-of-position Danny McKenna, all the young full-back could do was foul Hanley star man Theo Stair out on the right wing.
The free-kick was swung into the danger area where substitute Jonathan Higham found himself unmarked six yards out and was able to simply nod the ball into the top corner with Runcorn rearguard static. This ended the game as a contest. The visitors wasted two glorious opportunities to really rub salt into the wounds of a shattered Linnets defence, but it was the home side who scored next. Shanley sent a low cross into the penalty box for Aley to acrobatically finish with an overhead kick that looped in over Hemmings to add some respectability to the scoreline.
However, Hanley still weren’t done and when another counterattack ended with a foul in the Runcorn penalty area, the referee correctly awarded a spot-kick that was converted with aplomb by Mountford.
There was still time for Danny O’Brien to rattle a post from 20 yards and for Hanley to blaze over the bar from just a few yards out, before the final whistle blew on a breathless 45 minutes of football that had produced seven goals but zero points for the Linnets.
This was a frustrating afternoon for the majority inside the Millbank Linnets Stadium. They knew that this game should have been won before half-time. But despite that, you also felt that after eventually taking the lead, Runcorn should have gone on to see the game out.
Yet the withdrawal of Lawton had a huge impact on a defensive unit that seemed almost lost at sea in the second half, and had no answer to Hanley’s attacking threat.
The result and second half performance will certainly leave boss Ellison with much to ponder as he maps out his battle plans for 2017.