Matty’s perfect finish for Shelley
SHELLEY’S Matty Waller was presented with the North West Counties League’s First Division North Player of the Month award for November – and celebrated by scoring a hat-trick.
The tricky winger’s treble helped the Huddersfield side seal a deserved 5-3 win over Nelson at the Stafflex Arena.
It was a second successive victory after the 3-2 Macron League Cup third round success at home to Abbey Hey, but a first in eight in the First Division North.
And the welcome three-point haul hoisted Shelley up to 12th, with games in hand on most of the teams above, starting with a trip to sixth-placed Ashton Town tonight.
Nelson, who are seventh, arrived on the back of consecutive wins, and took a first-minute lead with a sweetly-struck shot by Harvey Macadam.
But Shelley soon found their feet, and responded with four goals between the fourth and 37th minutes, with Dan Keane and Danny Taylor both notching for the second match running between busy Waller’s first and second.
Had it not been for wayward finishing, the home side could have had seven by the break, and Waller completed his hattrick with a neat flick 10 minutes into the second half.
He now has six goals since his return in October for a second spell in Shelley colours.
Nelson, to their credit, kept plugging away, and grabbed goals through Jack Foster (65 minutes) and Sam Dickinson (83), but the home win was never really in doubt.
Now the challenge is to build on it with the trip to Ashton-in-Makerfield followed by a home meeting with Cumbrian side Holker Old Boys on Saturday.
Emley’s home clash with Ashton Town on Saturday was postponed. They are now due to travel to Prestwich Heys tonight.
Golcar United returned to action for the first time since November 23 with a 2-0 away win over St Helens Town.
United, who had seen their previous three matches postponed, took the points thanks to goals from Michael Fish in the seventh minute and Ben Burnett in the 11th. They now host Pilkington on Saturday.