Clitheroe 0 Stalybridge Celtic 1

Clitheroe 0 Stalybridge Celtic 1

Clitheroe were left cursing their luck after an enthralling game saw Clitheroe unable to make their second half dominance pay.

Clitheroe took the fight straight to Stalybridge, possibly a little too literally as Ross Dent earned a yellow card within the first few minutes for a firm tackle. Minutes later, Sefton Gonzales received a fine through ball from Alex Henderson but was ruled narrowly offside as he bore down on goal. On 7 minutes, John McGrath was the beneficiary of some great interplay between Gonzales and Domaine Rouse, but his shot was turned away for a corner. One minute later the ball was hooked under the bar from close range by Jacob Hanson from a huge Lee Pugh throw, but it was ruled offside for what was a very marginal call. This event served as a wake up call for Stalybridge and their powerful side, particularly their pacy Number 9, started to turn up the heat. Cam Lancaster was called into action instantly as he expertly shepherded away a dangerous forward looking to shoot. Rouse shot narrowly wide after a Richie Baker free kick and then slalomed three players before forcing a great full length save. And yet it was the visitors who took the lead as they pressured Hanson after an under hit pass, and after advancing down the left flank at pace, the ball was laid across for a superb shot from the edge of the box rattling under the bar. This started a purple spell for the visitors, with dangerous breaks meaning both full backs and the keeper had to be on full alert.

Clitheroe started the second half with a tweaked side and fire in their belly and for 45 minutes dominated the game, except for a handful of sporadic breaks from Stalybridge. McGrath fired over early in the half although Hakan Burton was equally called upon to make a fingertip save shortly afterwards. The introduction of Veron Parny from the bench added a new dimension to Clitheroe’s play and after Pugh had jinked down the left and flashed a shot agonisingly across the face of goal, Veron then cut in from the right and drove his shot inches beyond the far post with the keeper beaten. On 81 minutes, Reece Webb-Foster on the back post could not quite get over a Gonzales flick and at this point the visitors’ challenge became more rustic and frequent. Scott Sephton turned and crossed without looking up, with his shot eluding the massed forwards. For ten minutes, Clitheroe laid siege to the Celtic goal, with a succession of corners and long throws. In extra time, McGrath had the ball in the back of the net with an angled shot, only to see the flag raised again for offside, which left everyone bemused. Still the corners came, before the Celtic keeper pulled off a stupendous point blank save shortly before the final whistle.

Team: Burton, Hanson, Pugh, Baker, Sephton, Lancaster, McGrath, Henderson, Gonzales, Dent, Rouse
Subs (used): Wilkins, Parny, Webb-Foster
Subs (not used): Holden, Kershaw