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VIEW MATCH REPORT
Saturday 11 Feb 2006
Salford 2 Congleton Town 0
BEARS UNABLE TO HOLD OUT

Division One – Sat 4th Feb 2006
The Bears never really looked convincing at third placed Salford City but gamely fought and held out until a quarter hour from the end and then two errors were their undoing. They should not have been in the game at that stage but some resolute defending, a bit of good fortune and some poor finishing by Salford had seen the home side fail to score and they looked as though they were resigning themselves to having one of those days.

The pattern of play was set early on as Salford started confidently. Baguley tried to return McCormick’s weak clearance with a 35-yard shot that had it been on target would have given his side a perfect start. Signs of things to come came on 6 minutes when the first of many dangerous set pieces saw an unmarked Snelgrove head wide from Baguley’s swerving free kick. John Robinson broke down the right but had his cut back put behind for a corner. McCormick, under challenge, was unable to hold the ball and it fell to john Robinson but he could only stab the ball gently at McCormick who had done well to recover. John Robinson then hit a cross shot that went close as it passed the left hand post. All this action was compressed into the first 10 minutes.

The Bears did come close to scoring on 12 minutes, some believe they did after Krupa met a left wing corner with a firm guided header that forced ‘keeper Ogden into a finger tip save on to the cross bar. The all dropped, some claim behind the line, before being squeezed clear. The pressure then resumed. The next corner saw McCormick flick on the cross but only to the head of Burke, who headed downwards but again at McCormick who gathered the ball safely. Krupa released Williams but following his sprint up the left wing he had nobody to feed of the cut back cross. Kenny was slow in clearing the ball and was caught in possession by the lively Bancroft. He interchanged passes with Baguley before striking a rising shot from 18 yards straight at McCormick. At the other end McAllister laid the ball out to MacDiarmid who put over a cross that Williams flung himself at but was unable to make contact with his head.

In a promising spell, the Bears created their best chance of the half. A throw on the left was headed on by Williams. McAllister chested the ball down, turned and shot low from 8 yards but Ogden managed to get down to hold on to the shot. Salford pushed forward again with Snelgrove glancing a header over the bar and another sortie down the right ended with Alston turning the cross behind. The Bears had kept their goal intact after a first half which had been dominated but Salford and they had tested the Bears defence with a variety of attacks without really forcing McCormick into any dramatic action.

The second half started following a similar pattern. A free kick from the left ended with a headed ‘pin-ball’ between forwards and defenders before the ball went inches past the right hand post for a goal kick. A throw on the left was dropped at Glover’s feet and his cross was met by MacDiarmid’s first time effort put wide from 18 yards. The Bears had a narrow escape on 55 minutes. Alston ducked under a through ball, reading it as having the pace to go through to McCormick. John Robinson thought otherwise and latched on to the pass. McCormick raced out and was lobbed by the Salford striker. The ball dropped agonisingly close to goal but Murcott had chased back and shepherded it go narrowly wide. Jones replaced an out-of-sorts Quirk with half hour remaining.

On 71 minutes yet another free kick was glanced inches wide by John Robinson and Murcott seemed harshly cautioned when the same player fell as he turned to pass the Bears defender. Baker delivered a cross from the right that Jones went for with Ogden and the ball ran loose but was cleared hastily by the Salford defence. The Bears were looking more confident as the game entered the last quarter and they created a couple of good half chances. Jones set up Williams for the first and a left foot drive thumped into a defender who knew little about it but the ball deflected wide. Then Glover cut in from the left and crossed with his right. The ball cleared all the defenders to be met by Krupa running in from the back but his left foot prod at the ball a Ogden advanced could only turn the ball wide.

A minute later, the Bears were severely punished for a defensive mistake. Last man Glover, looking desperately for a pass, was closed down quickly and elected to try and beat his opponent. He slipped slightly and allowed John Robinson to nip in and steal the ball. He bore down on goal as McCormick advanced and rounded the Bears ‘keeper before slotting home. Glover looked a little shaken by the experience and four minutes later tried to let a ball run out of play for a throw in but Nick Robinson was having none of it and kept the ball in play. He headed towards goal but instead of laying the ball inside, tried a shot that McCormick and Murcott blocked between them.

Krupa put over a right wing cross that Murcott headed on over the Salford back line. McAllister ran through but allowed Ogden to put him off and failed to make firm contact with the ball drifting wide. Ben Alston replaced Baker with just under 10 minutes left. Nick Robinson found plenty of time and space down the right and measured a low cross to Thornley who casually blazed over the bar from 10 yards. Phelan replaced Glover for the closing few minutes. Salford made the game safe shortly after. McCormick came out to try to halt John Robinson’s free run on goal down the inside right channel but only succeeded in forcing him wide. An attempt on the unguarded goal was going wide of the left hand post but help was racing in as Andy Alston tried to intercept. He only succeeded in turning the ball into his own net as the ball looped up and dropped just inside the post.

Ben Alston fired in a powerful volley from the right that dipped just too late as it cleared the crossbar but there was no more threat to the league’s third placed side. The Bears would have been far from satisfied with their efforts, albeit against a confident Salford side. They had almost completed their objective until two errors led to goals whereas all the home side’s other build up had looked neat and tidy but they were unable to undo the Bears in the final third. A fair result maybe, but he Bears will be thinking how close they had come to getting something from the game.

Team: McCormick, Kenny, Glover, Murcott, Alston A, Baker, Quirk, MacDiarmid, McAllister, Krupa, Williams Subs: Jones, Phelan, Alston B

 Source of info is: Internet

Posted by Beartown,Saturday 11 Feb 2006
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