CRUCIAL VICTORY IN FIERY CONTEST SEES RANGERS STAY IN THE HUNT
PITCHING IN NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE – PREMIER
Stafford Rangers moved to within five points of the play-off places after a superb 3-2 victory at second placed Matlock Town.
Matlock took the lead after 90 seconds when a corner was only cleared as far as Liam King and he thumped the ball past Luke Pilling.
Pilling then saved well from Liam Hughes before the Boro levelled in the 21st minute when Jake Charles found the net with a shot from the edge of the box.
Matlock regained the lead in the 32nd minute when a cross shot from Alex Byrne looped over Pilling and into the net.
Rangers hit back after the break and Joe Kenton was denied by Ryan Qualter before they equalised for a second time in the 55th minute.
Andrew Burn sent over a cross and leading scorer Tom Tonks slid the ball into the net.
Rangers were awarded a penalty for a push in the back in the 74th minute. Before it could be taken though, Stafford were reduced to ten men when Louis Malandjou was sent off for a clash with Byrne. Alex Fletcher scored the spot kick to put Rangers in front for the first time.
Matlock then poured forward and Reece Kendall was denied by a defensive block.
Ross Hannah headed home a cross with five minutes remaining but was denied by the linesman’s flag, much to the annoyance of the home contingent.
In the last minute, Stafford cleared an effort off the line and in time added on Hughes hit the post in a frantic finish. As the players left the field, Matlock’s Hughes was sent off for remarks to the officials.
Nantwich Town were unable to repeat their FA Trophy heroics and
slipped back into the relegation zone after a 1-0 defeat at Hyde United.
The Dabbers started well and in the second minute David Webb had a header tipped over by Joe Green.
Joe Malkin headed wide from a Sean Cooke free-kick but it was the home side, managed by former Port Vale manager Jim Gannon, who opened the scoring in the 65th minute.
Liam Tongue curled over a corner and Bradley Roscoe headed what proved to be the winner. Jamie Morgan and Malkin both went close to an equaliser, but to no avail.
PITCHING IN NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE – WEST
Leek Town produced an excellent performance to defeat league leaders Marine 3-2 at a bouncing Harrison Park, largely thanks to Tim Grice, who celebrated his 400th appearance for the club with a brace of goals.
Dan Trickett-smith hit the post before the Blues took a 34th minute lead. Billy Reeves sent over a cross that went through to ‘keeper Bayleigh Passant, but he fumbled the ball over the line.
Passant redeemed himself by saving well from Rob Stevenson but couldn’t prevent Leek doubling their lead four minutes into the second half.
Stevenson sent over a cross that saw Grice nip between Mark Howarth and Passant to knock the ball into the net. Marine reduced the arrears in the 62nd minute when Lewis Reilly hit a shot from outside the box that flew past Danny Roberts.
Two minutes later though Leek restored their two-goal margin when a cross was missed by Passant and Grice slotted the ball into an empty net for his 13th goal of the season.
Marine weren’t finished and scored again three minutes from time. James Barrigan sent over a corner which was volleyed into the net by Neil Kengni.
By inflicting Marine’s first league defeat for almost three months, Leek move menacingly into fourth place in the table.
KIDSGROVE ATHLETIC came back with a point from a 2-2 draw at Glossop North End, but it was so close to being three.
After a tight first half, Grove took the lead in the 63rd minute. A ball played over the top found John Johnston and he flicked it over the advancing Harry Allen.
Glossop levelled in the 79th minute when Ekow Coker headed home.
Grove thought they had won the game when they went back in front in the 89th minute. Jake Lovatt had a shot parried by Allen, but was on hand to smash the rebound into the roof of the net.
Glossop conjured up a lastminute equaliser though when a Louis White free-kick was swept into the net by Keaton Mulvey.
NEWCASTLE TOWN were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw with Trafford at the Red Industries Stadium despite leading 2-0 with 25 minutes remaining.
Castle made most of the early running with both Ethan Vale and Jack Van der Laan going close, and they did make the breakthrough in the 28th minute.
Joe Berks had a shot blocked close to the line but Max Chimenes poked the loose ball into the net. A minute later Vale had a free-kick tipped over by Matt Cooper.
Vale had better luck in the 53rd minute by curling a free kick into the net from 25 yards to make it 2-0.
Trafford hit back when substitute Tunde Otulana scored in the 65th minute, just ten minutes after coming off the bench.
Ross Davidson, the former Port Vale midfielder, hit the bar for Trafford and then a Castle scramble saw the ball hacked off the line with the referee waving play on as the home side appealed for a goal.
Trafford equalised in the 87th minute when Alfie Belcher drove the ball past Owen Mooney.
MIDLAND LEAGUE
Hanley Town extended their lead at the top of the table to six points and a game in hand following a 1-0 victory at Uttoxeter Town on Friday night.
Skipper Louis Dodds fired over and Chris Dagnall struck the post as Hanley began to call the tune, but Uttoxeter battled well.
Hanley broke the deadlock t two minutes into the second half.
Dagnall played the ball through to Dodds and he slotted it past Jack Tolley and into the far corner of the net. Dagnall headed over but Uttoxeter, in new manager Paul Snape’s first game in charge, went close to a leveller on more than one occasion.
Stone Old Alleynians made it three home wins out of four with a 2-1 victory over Haughmond.
The Old Boys took a first-minute lead when a cross from the right was turned into the net by Sam Bowater.
The visitors struck back with an equaliser in the 25th minute. Luke Askey was robbed in midfield and the ball was worked to Joe Pratt who slotted it past Adam Alcock.
Alcock then made a good save from Joe Yeboah, pushing the ball against a post.
Stone clinched the points with a 75th-minute winner. Bowater threaded a through-ball to Jack Tomlinson and he flicked it past ‘keeper Sam Jones.
NORTH WEST COUNTIES – PREMIER
Congleton Town made it backto-back wins with a 1-0 victory at Squires Gate. Tom Pope headed over a Gary Roberts cross before the Bears took a 15th minute lead.
The ball fell to Oliver Putnam in the area and he found the bottom corner of the net with a smart finish. Pope had the ball in the net five minutes before half-time, but the goal was disallowed for a foul.
Conditions were difficult in the swirling rain, but Dave Parton saved well from Saad Mekkaouiabouzaid.
Arron Johns headed over as Congleton sought a second goal, but in the end one proved to be enough
NORTH WEST COUNTIES – SOUTH
Sandbach United were held to a 1-1 draw by leaders West Didsbury & Chorlton at the Sandbach Community Centre.
Danny Hamlett produced a top draw save to deny Dontai Gabidon as West Didsbury pressed, but they did take the lead in the 25th minute.
A corner from Liam Delaney was floated over to the far post where Sam Heathcote rose to power home a header.
Sandbach hit back when a scramble was cleared off the line by Heathcote, and they levelled in the 57th minute.
Ollie Pope curled an effort goalwards which ‘keeper Andrew Jones could only palm into the net.
That galvanised Sandbach, and four minutes later Brian Barton seized on to a Robbie Hatton pass only to strike the inside of the post and the ball rolled along the line before being hacked clear.
Hatton himself suffered a similar fate when he hit the post in the 70th minute as Sandbach came so close to handing the visitors their first league defeat of the season.
STAFFORD TOWN came back from 2-0 and 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Cheadle Heath Nomads at Evans Park.
Daniel Mclaughlin opened the scoring for the Nomads when he rifled a shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Declan Arber hit the post for Stafford before Cheadle were awarded a penalty on the half-hour mark. Mclaughlin duly scored his second goal of the game.
Ryan Taylor had the ball in the net for Stafford, only to be flagged offside, but they did get onto the scoresheet in the 72nd minute.
Kyle Ashman hit a rocket shot from 25 yards that flew past Mason Walker and into the net via the crossbar.
Cheadle probably thought they had won it when Mclaughlin completed his hat-trick four minutes later to make it 3-1.
Not so as Stafford pulled another goal back in the 82nd minute. Karen Danilian chipped a ball over the top and Nathan Scott pounced on it to steer it through Walker’s legs.
Stafford equalised two minutes from time when Harry Bowers curled a corner directly into the net.
The local derby between
ECCLESHALL and ROCESTER ended
1-1 at Pershall Park.
Lewis Dunn had a goal chalked off for offside as the Eagles had most of the early play.
They were rewarded with a goal a minute before the interval when Louis Downs struck a shot from 20 yards that flew into Charlie Woods’ top corner.
The Romans were better after the break and they restored parity eight minutes into the second period. Jayden Hunter was the man on target with his fourth goal in five games.
Brocton picked up a good point from a 1-1 draw at Cheadle Town. Brocton’s debutant ‘keeper Alfie Brooks saved well from a Tom Morris drive but it was the visitors who broke the deadlock by taking a 53rd-minute lead.
Player manager Alex Curtis sent over a low cross after beating his man and Jake Thomas turned the ball home from close range.
Cheadle levelled in the 75th minute when Isaac Noble jinked his way into the box and steered the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
The home side almost won it when first Pat Davin hit the post and then Paul Sunderland struck the bar.
ABBEY HULTON UNITED went down 2-1 at home to Stockport Town.
Abbey opened the scoring in the seventh minute when a free-kick led to Tyler Barnes netting.
Stockport equalised when Tom Beckett struck a good shot past Ryan Pickup.
Stockport hit the post before they went in front in the 64th minute. A long throw from Geffry Ebhote led to Keiran Kennedy sending over a cross that Will Calligan thumped into the net.
ALSAGER TOWN suffered a first half blitz at FC Isle of Man, being 4-0 down at the break before eventually losing 4-1.
In just the second minute the Islanders were in front when a corner saw Dimeji Willan parry a shot only for Luke Murray to fire the loose ball home.
Three minutes later it was 2-0 when Murray headed another corner into the net.
The third goal arrived in the 25th minute when a Michael Williams pass was stroked into the net by Stephen Whiteley.
On the stroke of half-time it was 4-0 when Alex Harrison nodded the ball into the net from a corner.
The Bullets restored a bit of pride in the second half, pulling a goal back six minutes from time through Jordan Stafford.
Two minutes later Isle of Man were reduced to ten men when Alex Maitland was sent off for bringing down the last man, and the resulting free-kick was saved by Dean Kearns.