LAST-GASP GLEN SEES OFF BLUES
Moors feeling merrier now
GLEN Taylor’s lastminute winner gave Spennymoor their first win of the season on a drama-filled afternoon.
Moors endured a nightmare start when the red-hot Akwasi Asante rounded Matt Gould and tapped into an empty net after just seven minutes.
That Chester goal did little to dampen Spennymoor’s enthusiasm and they began to create a host of good chances.
First, Mark Anderson collected a ball over the top and rounded Russ Griffiths, but his goal-bound shot from a tight angle was cleared off the line by Danny Livesey.
Livesey came to Chester’s aid once again seconds later when he blocked Nathan Buddle’s shot from the resulting corner away.
But Moors were almost made to pay for passing up those chances when Simon Grand, who was inexplicably unmarked in the sixyard box, headed over the bar from Joel Taylor’s delayed free-kick.
As the half meandered towards its conclusion, Moors were handed a lifeline when the away side were reduced to ten men in confusing and bewildering circumstances.
Livesey had just been shown a yellow card for dissent after being told to go off and receive treatment for a head wound, and upon returning to the field, referee Hulme branded a second booking and sent off the Chester defender.
Spennymoor, now with a man advantage and playing into a strong wind, made the most of their newly found lease of life and equalised seven minutes after the interval.
It was an equaliser which Blues goalkeeper Russ Griffiths will not want to see again, as Andrew Johnson’s long-range curler squirmed through his legs and over the line.
That huge error left Griffiths temporarily uneasy and he was tested again when Taylor fired from the edge of the area, but the keeper palmed it away from danger.
The goal proved a springboard for Spennymoor and they were denied another goal after the linesman adjudged Taylor to be an offside position following a smart finish from the striker.
However, Chester continued to remain a threat and came within inches of retaking the lead when Anthony Dudley turned Asante’s low cross against the post.
As the game hurtled towards its conclusion, Adam Boyes pounced on another Griffiths error. Taylor was in the right place at the right time to tap into an empty net and send the Moors crowd into raptures.