Glossop North End 7 Flixton 1

Glossop North End romped to victory in an enthralling game after coming from behind to beat Flixton 7-1 at Surrey Street on Wednesday night.

Six second-half goals, including a brace from centre-back Josh Hill, helped the Hillmen send shockwaves across the league and leap-frog their opponents into joint second place.

It was the visitors who opened the scoring with their only goal of the night. Andrew Keogh lashed home a half-volley from outside the box and the effort left Joe Boyle rooted to the spot.

North End were not disheartened however, immediately going on the offensive, and Alex Elliot saw his headed effort easily saved. The equaliser came courtesy of Steve Heaton from right wing. An Adam Oakes scuffed shot couldn’t be held by James Jowsie and Heaton cut inside and side-footed the ball home.

Hill must have had an extra orange at half time as the start of the second half turned into ‘the Josh Hill show’.  The defender rose above the Flixton defence to head home a superb Heaton cross.

Hill then found himself on defence duty shortly after the restart, clearing a ball off the line that had already beaten Boyle in the Glossop goal.

The centre-back hadn’t finished there as a carbon copy of the 2^nd goal led to the Hillmen’s 3^rd, this time clipping the underside of the bar.

Another excellent set-piece from Heaton exploited the Flixton defence and led to the 4^th which effectively finished the game. Heaton’s cross this time met by a glancing header from captain Jay Gorton.

The Flixton defence were now in pieces and North End were finding time and space in the box. Sam Hind did well to poke past Jowsie and win a penalty which was expertly converted by Oakes.

Things went from bad to worse for the away side as last man Daniel McDonnell was sent off for bringing down an energetic Rob Hartshorne who was much too quick for the defender. The resulting free-kick saw substitute Lee Knowles nod the ball in after Jowsie couldn’t handle Oakes’ effort.

With the Flixton defence in tatters, Elliot saw his opportunity to get his name on the score sheet and slotted the ball into an empty net after rounding Jowsie in the Flixton goal.

Chants of ‘Are you Arsenal in disguise’ came from the Surrey Street faithful to rub salt in the wounds of an already battered Flixton team.

The Hillmen will now take great confidence into their next game which is away to Bacup Borough at the Brian Boys West View Stadium on Saturday.

Team: Boyle, McGregor, Allen, Hill, Lugsden, Gorton, Heaton (Hamilton), Oakes, Hind (Knowles), Hartshorne (Bailey), Elliot
Subs not used: Rothwell, Jones

Josh Hill of Glossop North End is congratulated by Alex Elliott after scoring his second goal of the night to make the score 3-1. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Glossop North End 0 Padiham 0

The Hillmen hit a stumbling block in their attempts to ascend the North West Counties Football League as they were unable to break down a resilient Padiham side on Saturday.

North End could only take a point from a game of few chances and the score finished 0-0 at rain soaked Surrey Street.

Shots on goal were few and far between in the first half.  Alex Elliot came close with a header before the most clear cut chance of the afternoon which fell to Adam Oakes. Rob Hartshorne squared the ball to Oakes on the edge of the 6 yard box but the experienced midfielder could only find the outstretched palm of Sean Davis in the Padiham goal, his save being  by far the best moment of the match.

 Joe Boyle was also showing his agility, saving well from Jordan Hulme on numerous occasions, including a low hard shot from outside the box.  Hulme also came close with a deflected shot that went just past the post.

The tempo of the game was much improved in the second half but the nets at both ends remained empty.   Boyle tipping one onto the bar and Lee MGregor clearing an effort off the line were the only highlights for a drenched Surrey Street crowd.

Both sides pushed for a late winner as the rain bounced off the turf but neither side could find the final ball to break down the opposition defence and the game finished goalless.

Glossop now lie 6^th in the table with 10 points from a possible 15 and will be looking to improve their tally when they take on Flixton at Surrey Street on Wednesday night.

Team: Boyle, McGregor, Allen, Hill, Lugsden, Gorton, Bradburn (Knowles), Oakes, Bailey (Rothwell), Hartshorne (Hind), Elliot
Subs not used: Heaton, Jones

Sam Hind of Glossop North End battles through the rain to get to the ball ahead of Shaun Carey of Padiham during the 0-0 draw at Surrey Street.
Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Glossop North End 2 Boston Town 4

Boston Town made the long journey from Lincolnshire to Surrey Street on Saturday for this match in the Extra Preliminary Round of the FA Cup and went away by far the happier of the two teams.

North End started positively and were rewarded in the 9^th minute when a corner from the right hand side was met by Josh Hill who headed the ball powerfully into the net past Chris Wright in the Boston Town goal.

The visitors responded positively to this early set back but the storm was weathered by the GNE defence and the game became something of a midfield battle. However on 26 minutes the impressive Tom James took advantage of some indecision in the Hillmen’s defence and beat debutant goalkeeper Ashley Frith with a shot from just inside the penalty area.

The Glossop defence continued to allow the Boston forwards too much space and, in the 30^th minute, Danny Matson was unlucky to see a fine shot from the edge of the penalty area come back off the woodwork with Frith well beaten.

As the first half came to a close there were a number of bad tempered incidents not least the one on 43 minutes where many if not all of the GNE supporters thought that Matson should have been ordered off for what looked like a swinging arm into the face of a GNE player following a tackle. After consulting with the linesman, the referee re-started the match with Matson lucky to have only a caution against his name.

This was not the end of the first half action as there was just time for winger Lorand Borbelly to escape the Glossop defence before putting in a measured cross which found Alex Beck unmarked in the penalty area with the easiest of tasks to tap into an empty net.

 The second half started quietly with a few half chances going the way of Glossop but Wright was not really tested. Manager Paul Colgan brought fresh legs into the action in the 66^th minute with Bradburn and Rothwell replacing Heaton and Hind. The match was beginning to get somewhat tetchy with Matson drawing numerous fouls from the GNE defenders leading to a flurry of yellow cards from the referee who was certainly attracting the attention of the Glossop faithful in the crowd. From one of the resulting free kicks, Boston substitute Gary Bull curled a powerful shot around the wall and into the net via Frith’s left hand post to make the score 3-1 in favour of the visitors.

Soon afterwards, the match was effectively killed off as Tom James notched his second goal of the game converting easily from the right hand side of the penalty area after more indecision in the Glossop defence. The yellow cards continued for GNE with defender Lee McGregor attracting his second so ending his involvement in the action for the afternoon. With just 5 minutes remaining, Hillmen captain Jason Gorton latched on to a poor back pass and rounded Wright to roll the ball into an empty net to give Glossop just a glimmer of hope. But it was all too late and GNE’s interest in the FA Cup is over for another season.

Team: Frith, McGregor, Jones, Hill, Lugsden, Gorton, Heaton (Bradburn), Oakes, Hind (Rothwell), Hamilton (Hartshorne), Elliott.
Subs not used: Pearson, Boyle, Knowles, Bailey

GOAL : Josh Hill of Glossop North End heads home past Chris Wright of Boston Town to make the score 1-0. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Gary Brindle, representing match sponsor Rigby Taylor presents Jason Gorton of Glossop North End with the man of the match award.
Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Glossop North End 1 Winsford United 0

Paul Colgan and his men continued their fantastic start to the season by beating a previously undefeated Winsford United 1-0 at Surrey Street on Wednesday night.

A goal in the opening stages from Alex Elliot was enough to give North End all three points in a close encounter.

The Hillmen now join Winsford on nine points and are just a point behind current leaders St Helens Town at the top of the table.

The game was a chance for Glossop to prove their possible promotion credentials against a team that had won their opening three games of the season.

North End got off to a flying start, opening the scoring within seven minutes. Adam Oakes whipped a corner into the six yard box and Elliot was on hand to head the ball home although he knew very little about it as it seemed to hit him and find the back of the net.

Elliot was buoyant after scoring and was willing to strike the ball from any distance. The winger saw his effort from 25 yards crash back off the bar while Matthew Conkie was rooted to the spot in the Winsford goal.

It was a case of not quite for the Hillmen in attack but the defence were sharp and quick-minded. Joe Boyle produced a superb save and clearance on the rare occasions United broke clear of the North End back-line.

The second half couldn’t live up to the pace and electricity that was apparent in the first half and this suited Glossop.  Boyle was rarely called upon after the interval and the Hillmen hung on to take the spoils.

Team: Boyle. McGregor, Jones, Hill, Lugsden, Gorton, Bradburn (Pearson), Oakes, Hind, Hamilton (Bailey), Elliot
Subs not used: Gresty, Winstanley, Rothwell

Alex Elliott of Glossop North End gets to the ball ahead of Winsford goalkeeper Matthew Conkie to score the only goal of the game.
Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

AFC Liverpool 0 Glossop North End 1

Glossop North End has taken 6 points from a possible 9 after beating a resilient AFC Liverpool 1-0 at Valerie Park on Saturday.

The Hillmen ground out a result against a Liverpool side that were denied a goal from an outstanding Joe Boyle in the Glossop net.

The first half saw both teams failing to get the ball down and lacking composure to keep possession. North End rarely threatened the Liverpool goal. The only notable chance was a Josh Hills’ header creeping over the bar for the away side.

It looked much more promising after the interval for Glossop. Rob Hartshorne replaced Sam Hind and the Hillmen kept the ball and looked threatening in possession. But it was the home side that came close to breaking the deadlock as substitute Francis Barry was denied by an agile Boyle when the striker beat the North End defence.

The commanding goalkeeper wasn’t finished there.  Hills misjudged a header and the ball once again fell to Barry inside the box. The striker only had the keeper to beat but Boyle spread his body wide and tipped the ball around the post.

Glossop took confidence from Boyle’s impressive keeping and pushed for the opening goal. The deadlock was eventually broken by captain Jay Gorton from a set piece.  A well crafted short corner and cross from Adam Oakes via Steve Heaton found Gorton at the back post who generated power to rifle his header past Michael Christopher.

The game finished with a whimper with the Hillmen keeping possession to ensure that all three points came back to Surrey Street.

North End will now be looking for a win on Wednesday night at Surrey Street when they take on Winsford United, a team that boasts a 100% record in the opening three games.

Team: Boyle, McGregor, Jones, Hill, Lugsden, Gorton, Heaton(Bradburn), Oakes, Hind(Hartshorne), Hamilton(Rothwell), Elliot
Subs not used: Gresty, Pearson

GOAL : Jason Gorton of Glossop North End dives to head home from close range past Michael Christopher of AFC Liverpool to make it 1-0.
Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Ramsbottom United 3 Glossop North End 1

Glossop North End surrendered a first half lead to lose their first away game of the season 3-1 to Ramsbottom United.

The Hillmen capitulated in the second half after Sam Hind gave the away side a superb opener at a midge ridden Riverside Stadium.

The opening goal was something for the crowd to savour.  A through ball by Lee McGregor was latched on to by Darren Hamilton. Hamilton beat his man and set Hind on the edge of the area who smashed the ball first time past Grant Shenton in the Ramsbottom goal.

Shenton was keeping the home side within touching distance in an end to end first half, saving well from Hamilton on numerous occasions.

The game could have turned on an incident before the interval when Bernard Morley for Ramsbottom seemingly scythed down Hind just before the break.  He was very lucky to escape with a booking.  Rammy could have been down to ten men.

North End lost concentration when the second half began and conceded in the opening stages. Lee Pugh found a pocket of space in Glossop’s half and rifled past Joe Boyle who was clearly caught unaware.

The Hillmen were once again caught napping for the home side’s second goal. Jon Robinson found himself unmarked in the 6-yard box and the striker had a simple header past Boyle.

North End pushed for an equaliser but only found themselves going further behind. Boyle failed to clear a ball over the top of the defence that fell to Kieron Pickup, he lobbed the keeper who could only watch the ball nestle in the back of his net.

The Hillmen now have to recover from defeat and improve performance for the game against AFC Liverpool on Saturday when they will be looking for their first away victory of the season.

Sam Hind of Glossop North End smashes the ball home from 17 yards to give the Hillmen a well deserved lead at Ramsbottom. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Glossop North End 2 Squires Gate 0

Glossop North End got off to a flying start after beating Squires gate 2-0 at Surrey Street to pick up an opening day victory.

Goals from Adam Oakes and Darren Hamilton handed the Hillmen three points and the best possible start to a season full of expectation.

The game began slowly with both teams feeling their way into the new season.  Glossop Keeper Joe Boyle was tested on numerous occasion, midway through the first half saving a low and hard effort from a Russell McKenna free-kick.

North End’s first opportunity fell to Sam Hind who was played through on goal. Hind delayed with his shot and it was easily saved by Neil Beesley in the Squires Gate goal.    

The opening goal came courtesy of midfield maestro Oakes.  Hamilton burst past the defender on the left wing and squared the ball to experienced playmaker Oakes who from just inside the box swept the ball into the top corner of the net.

There was an opportunity for the home side to double their lead on the stroke of half time when Hind found space in the area but the striker lacked composure to keep his header on target.

The Hillmen will have entered the dressing room pondering how they hadn’t opened up a substantial lead over their opponents.

The second half continued in a similar style to the first, with Glossop controlling possession and creating the majority of chances.  Steve Heaton cut inside from the wing and his shot from the edge of the box crashed back off the bar.

A deserved second came for North End after some poor defending from Squires Gate. A ball over the top from Callum Jones couldn’t be dealt with by Squires Gate and Hamilton was on hand to slot past a bemused Beesley.  

The progression of the Hillmen was there for all to see as North End looked a much improved side from the team that drew 2-2 in the final game of last season against Gate.

Paul Colgan and his men will now look to emulate Saturday’s success against Ramsbottom United at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night.

Team: Boyle, McGregor, Jones, Hill, Lugsden, Gorton, Heaton (Pearson), Oakes, Hind (Hartshorne), Ahmed (Hamilton), Elliot
Subs not used: Gresty, Winstanley

GOAL : Darren Hamilton of Glossop North End salutes the GNE supporters after scoring to make it 2-0. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Buxton 3 Glossop North End 1

Glossop North End missed out on the chance of their first silverware of the season after losing 3-1 to Buxton in the High Peak Final on Wednesday night.

The Hillmen, who take on Squires Gate in the first game of the season on Saturday, defeated local rivals New Mills in the semi-final but were unable to overcome an under-strength Buxton side.

North End were once again slack on their defending in the opening stages, Kieran Lugsden taking advantage of the space and smashing past Matthew Ince via a deflection from Tom Dos Santos.

Lugsden’s 2^nd   came after he latched onto a ball over the top of the Glossop and slid the ball past Ince in the Glossop goal.  The Hillmen rarely threatened the Bucks’ goal in the first half, a pair of Dave Morris free-kicks the only thing keeping the hands warm of the Buxton goalkeeper.

The game was all but over when Lugsden claimed his 3^rd of the night and the match ball on the stroke of half-time. The ex-North End player turned two Glossop defenders in the box and lashed the ball across Ince’s goal and into the bottom corner.

There were still positives for the Hillmen to take from the game, Rob Hartshorne, looking to gain full fitness for the start of the season, was given 20 minutes by manager Paul Colgan and looked to be getting close to regaining the fitness needed for the upcoming season.

A consolation did come for Glossop, courtesy of Tom Streets. Streets intercepted a cross-field ball and out-paced the last defender. Streets then had the composure to slide the ball past the Buxton keeper at the near post.

Tom Streets of Glossop North End slots the ball past Joe Simpson of Buxton to score to make it 3-1. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood