Clitheroe 1 Trafford 2
Att. 359

Clitheroe conceded a 90th minute goal for the second time in four days and this time it meant a home defeat at the hands of mid table Trafford.

The first half was certainly one to forget as Clitheroe struggled to put combinations of passes together and they came up against a Trafford side which used the flanks to their advantage and were a constant threat. Jamie Edwards on the right was the key outlet for the Blues and he forced a number of half chances in the first 15 minutes.
However, it was Trafford who took the lead on 17 minutes when the Blues gave away possession and a through ball saw the Trafford left winger released behind the defence and he finished with some skill across Chris Thompson. The expected reaction from the home side did not come instantly although on 32 minutes the Blues exerted real pressure and with five players waiting to spring the Trafford offside trap it was Reece Webb-Foster who was first to the ball and his snap shot was well saved.

Minutes later, Edwards twisted and turned and was dropped on the edge of the box, but the free kick was aimed tamely at the keeper. On 39 minutes, Webb-Foster had a shot and from the resultant save, Edwards at the back of the box could only set the ball up for Richie Baker to blast over. One minute later, the game nearly took a turn for the worse as a Trafford burst down the right saw Thompson parry the cross, with defenders throwing themselves at the ball to block the resultant shot.

The second half saw the Blues get closer to their best, with Darren Holden on his debut showing a real appetite to get forward on the left. However, Trafford were still dangerous on the break. On 53 minutes, the complexion of the game changed when Webb-Foster bustled to the bye line and crossed low for Ross Dent to bundle home. Progressively, the Clitheroe pressure built and on 75 minutes, the Blues had the ball in the net after a fine overlapping move only for it to be ruled offside.

Three minutes later the visiting keeper made a superb save from a back post header from a corner by Max Cane before he shortly after pulled off another point blank save. Still the Trafford left winger was asking questions of the home defence, but Jack Burrows went close on 87 minutes as he jinked into the box and his shot was smothered.
As the game entered injury time, Holden teed up Webb-Foster with a great cross, but the keeper pulled off another excellent save. However, as the Blues dreamt of a winner, the ball was lost and a huge punt forward saw the Blues outnumbered by onrushing forwards. The finish was a foregone conclusion and one minute later the whistle blew, with the Blues ruing a collective rush of blood to the head.

Team : Chris Thompson, Jack Burrows, Darren Holden, Richard Baker (Callum Leigh), Cameron Lancaster, Lee Pugh, Max Cane, Danny Wilkins, Jamie Edwards (Malick Diakite), Ross Dent (c), Reece Webb-Foster. Subs - Callum Leigh, Malick Diakite. Not used - William Ludlow-Foster, Lewis Brown, George Bristol.