BLUES’ UNDEFEATED RUN ENDS WITH TROPHY EXIT, OLD BOYS LOSE REPLAY
LEEK Town battled hard but went down 1-0 at National League side Chorley in the FA Trophy to end their 16game unbeaten run.
Chorley almost took an early lead when Connor Hall thumped a shot against the bar from a pass by Callum Schorah.
Hall went close again when he had an effort cleared off the line from a Will Tomlinson corner.
The home side took the lead on the stroke of half time. Justin Johnson ran from the half way line and had a shot that was parried by Dan Roberts only for Jack Sampson to score from the rebound at close range.
The Blues were better in the second half and Dan Trickett-smith had a free kick well saved by Matt Urwin.
Urwin also denied Lucas Baker but Chorley were able to hang for the victory. Leek were just left with £1,000 in losers’ prize money.
In the FA Vase, STONE OLD ALLEYNIANS went out of the competition by losing 2-0 at Atherstone Town in a tie that was replayed after being abandoned due to a floodlight failure last week in the 62nd minute when Stone led 1-0.
Jack Bowater had the ball in the net for the Old Boys in the 15th minute only for the linesman’s flag to deny them.
Luke Askey was just wide with an overhead kick before Atherstone hit back with an effort against the crossbar.
The deadlock was broken in a tight game on the hour in favour of the home side. Brady Middleton played a through ball to Joe Obi and he raced forward and lobbed it over Rhys Parry and into the net.
Askey headed just wide as Stone hit back but Atherstone doubled their lead in the 79th minute. Mitch Piggon sent over a cross and Callum Carsley headed home to make certain of the victory.
Both sides hit the bar in the last few minutes but Stone were just left with the losers’ prize money of £275.
In the Northern Premier League, STAFFORD
RANGERS slipped to 12th in the table following a 2-0 defeat at third-placed South Shields.
Shields had the first chance of note in the 17th minute when Dylan Mottley-henry fired a shot just over the bar.
At the other end, a loose pass led to Ethan Morgan shooting from the edge of the box but Myles Boney did well to smother the effort.
Gary Liddle had the ball in the net for Shields but it was deemed to be after the referee had blown for half time.
Louis Morrison brought a superb save out of Boney early in the second half but it was the home side who took a 62nd-minute lead. Martin Smith picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and sent a swerving shot into the top corner past Cameron Belford.
They doubled their lead 10 minutes from time. Mackenzie Heaney and Darius Osei both had shots blocked before Osei struck a shot into the roof of the net.
NANTWICH TOWN scored a last-minute winner to triumph 2-1 at Radcliffe to pull out of the relegation zone.
Byron Harrison had a goal disallowed for offside for the Dabbers before they were awarded a penalty in the 42nd minute.
Ivan Urvantev was tripped and Harrison made no mistake with the spot kick. After the interval Radcliffe applied pressure and Nicky Adams had an effort cleared off the line by Perry Bircumshaw and they also had a goal disallowed for a foul.
Radcliffe were awarded a penalty of their own in the 73rd minute when former Stafford Rangers striker Luca Navarro was brought down in the box and he got up to score the spot kick.
As the game wore on it was Nantwich who looked the more threatening and in the 83rd minute Curtis Morrison looped a shot over ‘keeper Tom Stewart that struck the bar and bounced down on the line before being cleared.
They got their reward in the second minute of time added on though when Caspar Hughes sent over a cross that Troy Bourne drilled into the net to clinch their third win in four games.
In Northern Premier League West, KIDSGROVE
ATHLETIC moved to within a point of the play-off places with a 2-1 home win over Clitheroe, their fourth victory in five games.
Grove took the lead from a 22nd-minute penalty. Aaron Bott was brought down and Lewis Bergin powered the spot kick past Chris Thompson.
They doubled their advantage on the stroke of half time. An outswinging corner was headed in off the post by Josh Thorpe.
Clitheroe pulled a goal back in the 53rd minute. Skipper Richie Baker dinked a free-kick into the box and Cameron Lancaster glanced a header past former Crewe and Leek Town ‘keeper Sam Booth, who was making his debut for the Grove.
Grove were forced to play the last 15 minutes with 10 men after Thorpe limped off after they had used all of their substitutes.
They held on though although Booth needed to make a superb save to deny Sefton Gonzales in the last minute.
NEWCASTLE TOWN went down 2-0 at home to Ramsbottom United, their second home defeat in four days.
Ramsbottom had the ball in the net in the eighth minute from a corner but the goal was disallowed for a foul on ‘keeper Joe Slinn.
Castle went close in the 31st minute when Nathan Morley rounded Harry Turner but his shot was cleared off the line by Jamie Rother.
Ramsbottom broke the deadlock in the 44th minute. Ben Halfacre had a shot parried by Slinn and he slid the rebound to Anthony Donaldson to net from close range.
They added a second in the 52nd minute. A defensive error saw the ball fall to debutant Henri Ogunby and he poked it past Slinn.
Castle had chances, particularly from Ethan Vale and Jake Lovatt, but they were unable to find a breakthrough.
HANLEY TOWN’S home woes continued, a 1-0 defeat by Prescot Cables meaning that remarkably they still haven’t picked up a point this season at Potteries Park from seven attempts.
Hanley began the game on the front foot and Jake Twyford had a shot blocked before James Lawrie had a shot saved by Mitchell Allen.
Kieran Harrison made a couple of good saves to deny Prescot but Hanley almost snatched the lead on the stroke of half time when Joel Stair headed a Lawrie corner just wide.
Louis Dodds had a shot saved on the resumption, but it was Prescot who took a 71st-minute lead.
Declan Daniels sent over a teasing cross and John Murphy headed the ball home.
In Midland League Premier Division, UTTOXETER
TOWN slipped into the relegation zone following a 2-0 defeat at Darlaston Town, their sixth defeat on the spin.
Darlaston took the lead a minute after half time when Ben Podmore found the net.
Substitute Josh Jones made it 2-0 in the 74th minute, seven minutes after coming on.
In North West Counties South, SANDBACH
UNITED were beaten 3-1 at third-placed Ellesmere Rangers with all of the goals coming in the first half.
Ellesmere were awarded a penalty in the tenth minute following a trip in the box and Callum Graybrook drove it past Eric Merner.
They doubled their advantage in the 25th minute. Karl Bailey intercepted a misplaced pass and was left with a one on one with Merner and he easily slotted the ball past him.
Ellesmere made it 3-0 in the 32nd minute. A shot was parried by Merner and Bailey was on hand to net from a yard.
Sandbach fought back and got onto the scoresheet themselves seven minutes before the break. A cross came over and Josh Oultram jumped the highest to head home.
Sandbach had most of the play and came very close to making it 3-2 in the 65th minute. George West had a shot deflected on to the post by ‘keeper Jack Boswell’s foot with the rebound being cleared off the line.
Harry Cain flicked an effort just wide but Sandbach couldn’t get another goal.
CONGLETON TOWN made it six successive wins with a 2-1 victory at BROCTON to reach the Third Round of the Macron Cup.
The Bears went in front in the 15th minute. Pete Williams swung over a corner to the far post and Darren Chadwick powerfully headed home past Brocton’s U18s debutant goalkeeper, Jonty Kearns.
Both sides had chances to score before the Badgers were awarded a penalty in the 61st minute. Connor Haddaway was brought down and got up to score the spot kick himself, sending Craig Ellison the wrong way.
Congleton regained the lead a minute later. Mackenzie Faulkner sent over a cross that Tom Pope knocked down and player manager Richard Duffy drove the ball into the net from the edge of the box with his sixth goal of the season.
Brocton went close to an equaliser in the 74th minute when Regan Smith seized on a loose ball 35 yards out, and with Ellison out of position his lob went just wide. Congleton then hit the post three times in five minutes through George Sankey, Abiola Sanusi and Pope.
In the next round Congleton will be at home to Lower Breck.
ABBEY HULTON UNITED defeated ECCLESHALL 3-0 at Drayton Beaumont Park to stretch their unbeaten home record to 11 games.
Abbey’s Liam Robinson was denied twice by Aaron Woolrich before firing the ball into the bottom corner to put his side ahead in the 25th minute.
Eccleshall were reduced to 10 men in the 62nd minute when Luke Lewis was sent off for a rash challenge.
Abbey took advantage of the extra man and doubled their lead when goal machine Robinson scored his eleventh goal in seven games in the 67th minute.
Three minutes later it was 3-0 when Woolrich parried a shot and Matt Ward steered the rebound home.
Jordan Flatley had a shot tipped round the post by Zak Hill as the Eagles tried in vain to get on the scoresheet. Abbey will be away to South Liverpool in the third round.