St Helens Town 1 Glossop North End 1

A strong second half showing earned the Hillmen a deserved replay on Wednesday night in a scrappy and at times bad tempered game in which the referee took centre stage for much of it.

The home side had the benefit of a strong wind in the first half, and started brightly as they looked to take advantage. Fargher shot wide and Lugsden had to clear his lines sharply from a dangerous knock down by Woods, so there was perhaps an inevitability to the opening goal.

The Saints had a corner on the left that was allowed to drop on the 6 yard line. GNE reacted slowly, and centre half Garnell poked the ball goal wards. Although there was minimal power, the show was just out of reach of Hussain’s attempts to stop.

The referee took centre stage on 27 minutes when St Helens full back Mark Evans was late and high on Darren Hamilton. It was a definite yellow card, and in catching Hamilton high on the shin he had left it to referee’s interpretation...and that was a straight red card.

Most thought it was tough in Evans, including it seemed the referee, because he then appeared to seek to even things up. Hussain was booked for an innocuous foul, claiming it was the latest in a long succession, and then just 4 minutes later he was off too. He and Faulkener simply collided, but the latter came of worse, holding his face. The referee showed a second yellow card and dismissed Hussain, to his dismay.

North End had created very little thus far, but were starting to find their feet, and Kharas might have done better with a header before half time, heading across the goal. But it was an indication of what might come, and, having made three half time substitutions, Glossop dominated possession in the second half.
That said, for all the ball they had, very little was created, and Woods had the best chance in the opening period of the half when charging down a Lugsden pass. He thought he had a clear run on goal, but Lugsden, who had a superb afternoon, caught and tackled the Town winger.

Glossop tried to press and Lomax headed wide, whilst Barker was crowded out when it looked like he may be behind the defence. The chance to level came on 74 minutes when right at the edge of the area, Faulkner went through the back of Hamilton. The referee saw it as in the box – and on the line counts as in – and Morris netted coolly.

From there it was whether North End could find a winner, and had Hamilton looked up and spotted Morris’ run as he burst into the box, they might have got it. However, the closest they got was Pearson’s long shot from 35 yards that clipped the top of the bar and went over.

So both teams must replay at Surrey Street on Wednesday evening, with Glossop hopefully back to full strength after the enforced early kick off led to a few players missing out due to work.

Team – McIlwaine, Cross, Kay (Pearson), Lugsden, Lomax, Trucca (Gorton), Hussain, Barker, Kharas, Hamilton, Oakes (Morris)

David Morris of Glossop North End scores from the penalty spot past Dale Newbrook of St Helens Town to make the score 1-1. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Glossop North End 2 Stone Dominoes 2

Glynn Barker of Glossop North End's goalbound header is cleared off the line by a Stone Dominoes defender. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Rossendale United 2 Glossop North End 0

North End’s stuttering start to the season continued on Saturday with a second defeat of the campaign in Lancashire’s ‘dark satanic mills’ region, this time at Rossendale. But like that opening day defeat at Padiham, whilst on the day it felt incredibly disappointing, in cold analysis things look better, especially when you take into account that the Hillmen scored their hosts’ second goal for them, and followed that trick by missing a penalty.

The home side, looking for their first Vodkat win in 10 years after relegation, started brightly, but gradually North End got a foothold in the match, and Brackenridge shot over the bar. The best chance fell to Oakes, but his snapshot was saved superbly by the diving keeper, whilst Lugsden also shot wide.

Most of the pressure was GNE’s, but Rossendale pinched the opener on 33 minutes when a seeming harmless ball into the channel was picked up by Hart. Lomax shepherded him as Hart jinked and turned, waiting for his midfield to catch him. But suddenly he moved the ball to his left, took a step inside and from the edge of the box placed a shot into the near corner of the goal. To make matters worse, goalkeeper Ashley Woodhouse injured himself whilst making the save, and had to be replaced by Stuart Williams.

North End were temporarily rocking, and Walden got behind the defence only to be muscled out by Lugsden, recovering. United claimed a penalty, and the challenge looked of the ilk that ‘you’ve seen given’, but Walden staying on his feet was probably the crucial factor in the referee’s decision to play on.

After an early scare in the second half, where Williams had to recover well when missing out on a header at the edge of the area, Glossop again tried to create. But at the moment they are lacking a spark to really get them going and too often the final ball lets them down after near midfield play has provided an opportunity to hurt the defence.

Then, on 65 minutes, it all went pear-shaped when a goalies big kick was allowed to bounce. Williams came to meet it, Gorton shaped to head back to Williams…you can guess the rest. It was a classic own goal, straight from the Christmas DVD.

GNE did not give up and from Elliott’s cross, Barker forced a magnificent save from the diving keeper. From the corner, Barker again met the ball only to see it crash against the bar. Fortunately the ball bounced down at pace and hit Walden’s arm and the referee (harshly) saw this as deliberate and awarded a spot kick. However, Kharas blasted the gilt edged opportunity to get back into the game over the bar.

Glossop huffed and puffed, but Rossendale defended stoutly, getting a body in front of the ball whenever there was a threat. A time ticked on, Glossop’s superb support unfairly called for players not selected, but Steve Young will believe his team is not far away from sparking to life. He is probably right. Own goals and missed penalties suggest a hesitance brought on by a lack of confidence. Young just has to figure out how to instil it.

Team – Woodhouse (Williams), Lugsden, Kay (Trucca), Gorton, Lomax, Morris, Elliott, Brackenridge, Kharas, Barker, Oakes (Trennery).
Subs not used – Jones, Allen

Garry Kharas of Glossop North End battles for the ball with Kieran Mooney and Keith Wedge of Rossendale United. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Wigan Robin Park 0 Glossop North End 1

It was gritty rather than free flowing, but Glossop North End booked a place in the next round of the FA Cup with this battling performance in Wigan on Tuesday, Danny Jones’ first half goal the difference between the two sides. Unfortunately for Jones, his game would finish with a red card for time wasting as the referee added on an extraordinary 6 minutes.

Steve Young made two changes to Saturday’s starting line up, bringing in goalscorer Tom Butorins and new keeper Ashley Woodhouse for Brackenridge and Williams, with Butorins providing an out and out strike partner for Kharas, who had been considered isolated in the three games so far. Unfortunately for Butorins, he picked up and injury in the first 15 minutes, and Jones replaced him in the same role.

Kharas should have given Glossop the lead on 19 minutes when a ball across the field eluded the defence and fell to his feet at a slight angle. With a goal looking likely, Kharas sliced his shot wide. However, within 5 minutes Jones did secure the lead when he took advantage of a hesitant defence, picking up on a Kharas knock down and volleying in.

Wigan tried to counter and exerted some pressure. Whittle should have done better when behind the defence on an angle, but he blasted over. There was another escape when McNally met a corner at the near post but saw it hit the bar. Meanwhile, as the break loomed, Elliott did well to beat the keeper, but he was almost on the goal-line, and the keeper was able to recover and crowd Elliott out, forcing a corner.

The second half was poor as entertainment, with the game becoming bogged down in midfield and not offering much by way of chances at either end. In one frantic minute, a Wigan header was cleared off the line and the Hillmen broke at pace, but Hussain’s shot was weak at the end of a fluid counter.

Wigan had a number of set pieces, pumping the ball into the box, but the Glossop back line stood firm. Glossop dropped deeper, and didn’t help themselves by failing to keep the ball. And it was after one such set piece that the games controversial moment happened.

Jones had already been booked when he chased a clearance with the Wigan keeper mid-way in the home sides half. The keeper beat him to it by a fraction of a second and tried to blast clear, hitting Jones and seeing the ball bounce behind him. Even if the ball had hit Jones’ arm (and he says it didn’t) his proximity to the keeper meant that there was no way any contact could have been deliberate and Jones thought he had a clear run on goal.

However, he did kick the ball away after the whistle, and under the laws, the ref had little choice. Whether he should have blown the whistle, being some 25 yards behind the incident and with Jones’ back facing him, and his better placed assistant not have indicated a infraction, is the point...it was a mistake.

Nevertheless, Glossop held firm in the extended injury time, although the management could barely contain their anger on full time. They now travel to St Helens in the next round on 28th August.

Team – Woodhouse, Lugsden, Kay, Gorton, Lomax, Trucca (Morris), Elliott, Hussain, Kharas, Butorins (Jones), Oakes.
Subs not used – Brackenridge, Trennery, Allen, Williams

Danny Jones of Glossop North End turns to celebrate after scoring the only goal of the game. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Glossop North End 2 Wigan Robin Park 2

Possession stats aren’t available at Vodkat League level, but if they were, no-one would be surprised if they showed that North End had 80% of the possession in this game. However, it’s what you do with it that counts, and for the most part the Hillmen were lacking that spark of inspiration to break down their stubborn opponents, and in the end it took a late equaliser from Adam Trennery to ensure a replay in this FA Cup tie.

For the most part, the first half was spent with the two teams settling into the game and trying to deal with a difficult wind. Jamie Kay and Steve Brackenridge had shot from outside the box that were just over the bar and saved. The best chance fell to Adam Oakes though, who benefitted from Kharas’ dummy to shoot from the edge of the area, only for ‘keeper Foulds to save diving to his left.

Then on half time came the sucker punch. Antony Trucca gave the ball away trying to pass through a crowd of players and Whittaker picked it up on the left, some 35 yards out. He played a 1-2 with Taylor and advanced into the box at the left edge. His low shot should have been stopped, but somehow squeezed between the near post and Stuart Williams, to secure the lead at the break.

There was no surprise when North End upped their tempo as the second half began, Elliott volleying wide early on. Then on 51 minutes, they got the leveller. A cross was headed down into Elliott’s path but his shot was blocked. It fell back to Elliott and whilst his second effort didn’t have the power of the first, it took a touch of sub Artjoms Butorins, and he wheeled away celebrating his first North End goal.

In response, Wigan had a bright spell, and Williams made up for his first half error with a terrific save from McNally. The Robin Park man had been put through by Mason and Williams was quickly off his line to save the attempted dink over his body.

As time wore on, Glossop took over, but could not find the final touch. Elliott had a penalty claim denied whilst crosses just eluded Kharas and the one he could meet was well saved by Foulds. Then, with 4 minutes remaining came the moment fans had dreaded as they saw chances being missed. A loose ball dropped at the edge of the Glossop area, and Wigan’s Williams took a snapshot from 25 yards that dropped over his namesake into the North End net.

Fair play to the Hillmen though, as they responded strongly, and when Elliott’s shot from an angle was pushed away by Foulds, Trennery didn’t give up as the ball looked to be rolling for a corner, and he slid in at the far post to turn it goalwards from a tight angle. Foulds pushed the ball away despairingly, but the ball had clearly crossed the line. Credit to North End for their response to the goals, they will need to replicate that urgency in the replay on Tuesday – perhaps without going behind first.

Team – Williams, Lugsden, Kay, Gorton, Lomax, Trucca, Elliott, Brackenridge (Morris), Kharas, Hussain (Butorins), Oakes (Trennery).
Subs not used – Jones, Magida, Woodhouse, Haggart

Adam Trennery of Glossop North End is congratulated by Garry Kharas after scoring to make it 2-2. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Glossop North End 5 Flixton 1

Garry Kharas of Glossop North End celebrates after scoring his second and Glossop's fifth goal against Flixton. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Padiham 3 Glossop North End 0

The Hillmen’s season got off to a disappointing start with a resounding defeat at a ground they had won comfortably just 3 months earlier. Glossop never recovered from a crucial blow suffered in first half injury time that followed a good spell for them, which turned a potentially positive attitude at half time into arguments between themselves in the second half.

Very early in the game Padiham revealed how they hoped to break through the Glossop defence, with a ball behind the back line hoping to utilise the considerable pace of their forward men Fildes and Morris. Fildes in particular was lively, and he had to be crowded out early on when the ball was at his feet at the edge of the box. He shuffled and turned for ages trying to find a shooting opportunity before North End finally pinched the ball from him.

However, Fildes made no mistake from a clearer opportunity on 13 minutes. Full back Ashley Smallwood gave the ball away cheaply in midfield and a pass was immediately clipped into the space he had vacated where Fildes outpaced the defence to get a clear run at Williams. The angle was slightly tight, so a cool finish was still required, and Fildes applied it, slipping the ball under the keeper.

Glossop reacted well, Alex Elliott having a run and shot deflected over the bar, although Morris also had a shot deflected wide for the home team as North End looked to settle their back line. Gradually though, North End improved, Elliott standing out in particular, and began to look the better side. Late on Pearson had a shot knocked wide whilst Trucca’s looping header dropped just over. Brackenridge went oh so close with a flicked header that just dropped the wrong side of the post.

Then, in injury time, Lugsden mis-controlled the ball and fouled Morris 25 yard out as he pinched it off his toes. Bradley looked to curl one but this the wall. However, the ball dropped at his feet and Bradley simply leathered it. His speculative dipping efforts squeezed into the only place Williams didn’t have covered – the top corner.

In an instant the half time team talk changed, and Nick Allen was withdrawn for Darren Hamilton, with Elliott, who had impressed in the first half, switched to the right side.

Early on, Pearson nearly netted from a corner, but when the ball dropped to him he was facing the wrong way and he couldn’t turn it in, then shortly afterwards Hamilton needed a touch to control Kharas’ knockdown giving Parkes the opportunity to pinch it off his toes.

Oakes was withdrawn for Magida as North End switched to three at the back, but the message failed to get through to everyone, and someone wasn’t doing their job as a deep cross that cleared Williams was turned in by the completely unmarked Telfor at the far post. This was the cue for more recriminations in the Glossop line up.

It wasn’t until the last 10 minutes, and after Williams had tipped over brilliantly from Morrison, that North End finally created chances of note but Kharas couldn’t turn in Brackenridge’s clever quick free kick when behind the back line, and shortly afterwards he put a free header against the post, when he really should have scored. It left Steve Young and Terry Hincks with much thinking to do before Wednesday’s home opener with Flixton.

Team – Williams, Smallwood, Pearson, Lugsden, Lomax (Gorton), Trucca, Allen (Hamilton), Brackenridge, Kharas, Elliott, Oakes (Magida).
Subs not used – Kay, Hussain

Players from both sides look on anxiously as Steve Brackenridge of Glossop North End's flicked header goes wide. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood

Buxton 5 Glossop North End 0

Luke Pearson of Glossop North End tussles with a Buxton defender. Photo - GNE/Jim Lockwood