Colne 1, Glossop North End 4

It wasn’t quite the dream start the new management team might have wanted – Longley’s 78^th minute clean-sheet-denying consolation saw to that – but it was very close to it as The Hillmen ran out easy winners in what had looked a tricky opening fixture.

5 players were making their North End debuts, and it was goalkeeper Steffan Fielding who was the first of them called into action when he made a terrific save after just 45 seconds.  Ryan Radford had dawdled on the ball in the box and had it pinched off his toes by Cunningham, and the Colne man’s shot looked destined for the bottom corner before Fielding’s acrobatic intervention.

For a few minutes North End were rattled, taking a little time to adjust to the Colne obvious tactic given the size of their centre forward Gizon, but once settled they started to assert themselves and should have scored on 7 minutes when Hamilton set up Evans with a seemingly open goal, only for Richardson to stretch out a leg and block the goalbound shot.

Glossop started to assert, with Hamilton’s curler just missing the top corner, Yates unable to direct a free header goalwards from a tight angle, Rick Bailey striking a shot over after terrific work from the impressive Hodges and Lunt seeing a shot just turned around the post.  At the other end Garbutt’s trickiness was causing some problems for the defence, shooting just wide after deceiving Ian Bailey. 

The opener came on 29 minutes after Lunt was fouled on the left edge of the area.  Dave Young, sensing hesitation in the defence, put the ball down and curled a beauty into the far corner.  There were a couple of scares in the minutes following, but Young had secured the half time lead.

In the second half Glossop dominated.  On 57 minutes a free kick was curled in from the right and a mesh of bodies rose to meet it, including keeper Burrows, who had left his net unguarded.  The ball hit someone and went in, with Danny Yates, returning to the North End side after a couple of year’s sabbatical, running back to the half way line claiming the goal.

On 65 minutes Darren Hamilton picked up the ball on the right, cut inside to the edge of the ‘d’ and despatched a arrowed shot past Burrows into the corner of the net to make it 3, and 5 minutes later, after Fielding had made another good save, Lunt outpaced the home defence to latch onto a through ball and slide a shot past Burrows and into the net via the inside of the post.

4-0 up, Glossop visibly relaxed, but will be disappointed by Longley’s goal, which came after a good turn of pace from Garbutt.  His shot was turned away by Fielding, but when the ball was crossed back in Longley had a simple header from 10 yards.

Glossop North End’s reserve team started the season off in a hugely impressive vein too, running out 8-1 winners away to Nelson.  Videl Spaine scored 4 of them, with James Moore, James Acton, Damien Healey and Josh Westmerland sharing the remainder between them in a great day for the club.

Flixton 4, Glossop North End 2

After taking the lead twice in the first half, Glossop succumbed to the pressure of a very good striking pair in the second, to fall to their first defeat of the season.  But for half the game they more than matched their hosts, and both sides look set for decent seasons.

Moore and Deegan lead the Flixton front line with pace and skill, and at times North End struggled to cope with them.  Deegan might have opened the scoring on 10 minutes when he got behind the defence, but Fielding got just enough on it, coming off his line, and the shot lost all pace, allowing Young to cover and clear.

Five minutes later, it was the Hillmen who took the lead when Hodges put in a cross from the left, causing confusion in the defence.  The ball to Hamilton’s feet, and he touched it back to Hodges, who had advanced from the by-line to smash it in from 12 yards.

For nearly 20 minutes, North End were relatively comfortable, but then a 33^rd minute defensive mix up sparked a rush of goals.  A hopeful Flixton punt forward led to confusion between Fielding and captain Yates, and the moments hesitation allowed Deegan to nip in, loft the ball over the keeper, and run onto his own pass to net coolly from an angle.

Parity lasted just one minute, and again the impressive Hodges was the architect, winning the ball and speeding down the left, before putting in a deep cross that Evans headed home easily.  Then, two minutes later, the result might have been so different had Morris been able to get the ball from under his feet after Hodges again fed the midfielder.  As it was, his hesitation allowed him to be crowded out, the ball broke to the other end and Barnes struck a pearler from about 30 yards to equalise.  There was no stopping it – it flew into the top corner.

The second half was a different kettle of fish, as Flixton stifled the Hodges supply line, and Glossop didn’t create a chance of note.  The home side took control of midfield and, whilst not creating masses of chances, never looked in danger.

When the breakthrough finally came, it was in the 66^th minute, and it was far too easy.  A right wing corner was drilled in, Fielding missed it, and Deegan, unmarked, headed home.

Deegan was beginning to sense a repeat of the hat trick he scored a few days earlier on the season’s opening day, and only a good Fielding save prevented it, but he turned provider with a minute to go, finally dashing North End hopes of sneaking a point.  He turned Nibloe far too easily from a throw in, got to the by-line then cut the ball back for Moore to drill home. 

After the promise of their first the first home game of the season – Saturday’s comfortable FA Cup win against Eccleshall – Glossop disappointed in their opening league effort slipping to a deserved defeat, although it was one with more than a hint of controversy, with North End contesting that the officials will have cost them at least a point.

In the first half a swirling wind made fluent play difficult, and Maine Road coped with it better, having the majority of the play, although Hodges got a chance in the 15^th minute from a well worked free kick, only to see the Road keeper off his line quickly to save at his feet.

The note of contention came on 29 minutes when Road won a corner on the right.  It was curled into the box, using the wind, and appeared to skim off the top of Danny Yates’s head towards the goal.  Dave Morris was on the post to block, possibly with the arm, and clear.  The referee didn’t give a penalty, and play went on, only for him to blow his whistle.  The crowd assumed a free kick to Glossop had been awarded, but in actual fact the linesman was flagging to say the ball had crossed the line.

It didn’t look it, and Maine Road were appealing for a penalty, not a goal, but none the less, it was 1-0 to the visitors, a lead which they took into the break.

Although Maine Road had had the lion’s share of possession, they hadn’t created much in front of goal, so if North End could shape themselves they would be back in it.  However, it was Yuille who had the first chance of the half with a swivelled shot that Fielding saved.

Then came the second crucial moment.  Dave Young drilled in a cross from the right on 71 minutes, and Martin Stewart tucked it away from short range for what he thought was the equaliser.  To be fair to the linesman, his flag was waving offside immediately, but it looked a doubtful decision – Stewart was in an offside position when he connected, but when the ball was played he seemed on. 

Glossop always play with momentum, and this chance did at least signal a spell of home pressure as Maine Road sat too deep, and Levendis forced the best save of the game from Hall in the Road goal, as he tipped the full back’s shot around the post.  Hall had an excellent game, as Young in particular chipped cross after cross into the box, and he caught the lot.

Then, with 90 seconds remaining, Road captain Chappell picked up the ball 30 yards out.  There was no Glossop pressure as the team was pressing for a levelling, so he took his time to sight a shot, then fizzed a beauty past Fielding to seal the game.

So after the fine start against Colne, Glossop have now lost 2 league games, with another tricky week ahead with away games at promotion candidates Newcastle Town and Salford City on Saturday and Tuesday respectively.

This game was lost inside half an hour as Glossop capitulated to a Newcastle side gunning for promotion.  The home side had some quality players, so a simple defeat might not hurt, but the manner of the capitulation was the disappointing aspect.

Newcastle simply wanted it more, 1^st to the ball all over the pitch and more careful when in possession.  North End seemed all at sea, and the players’ heads dropped far too early as they looked to apportion blame rather than take responsibility.

This is now three consecutive league defeats, albeit against sides fancied for the Vodkat league title.  The hope that the side will hit the ground running has been dented by players being on holiday since the season began, and whilst in the amateur game people are entitled to holiday when they choose, there is no doubt that the constant chopping and changing has hampered Glossop’s start.

There were 2 more full debutants today, Martin Parker and Matthew Bunting making their first starts for the club, with Jones and Woodcock filling in at full back.  Parker played centre half, Dave Young moving into midfield.

The early skirmishing saw the sides exchanging possession and chances, Fielding pulling off a marvellous save from Wellecome on 9 minutes whilst Hamilton couldn’t turn a Hodges shot goalwards from a tight angle moment later.

The opener came on 18 minutes from a corner, and it was the simplest of goals.  Wellecome flicked on at the near post to find Eldershaw 6 yards out, unmarked, and he side-footed home.

Glossop had one chance to get back in it, when a deep Hodges cross had Evans straining to head goalwards, only to see his effort hit the bar.  It was cleared to Young at the edge of the area, but his shot was turned wide.  Minutes later a hopeful long ball saw Wellecome outpace Parker and Yates, slicing between the pair, rounding Fielding and netting for 2-0.

On the half hour it was 3 when the impressive Minor played a ball between the centre pairing for Eldershaw to finish from 12 yards with a first time shot.

It couldn’t get worse, but The Hillmen were much improved in the second half, in both attitude and general play.  Substitute Moores dipped one just over whilst Stewart forced a good save out of the keeper with a shot from distance.  That said, Town still had chances, and McCann ought to have netted from short range, but Fielding saved well. 

North End have always been a momentum team – you always sense that one goal can lead to more, especially when they are chasing a game – but today it wasn’t to be.  They will have to take some heart from the second half and show the same level of performance in what will arguably be an even tough game on Tuesday, away at Salford City.

It was an improved performance from The Hillmen at Salford on Tuesday, but they still sank to their 4 consecutive league defeat.  However, you shouldn’t read too much into this run of results, in Flixton, Newcastle and Salford, they have played 3 of the league’s most fancied sides, where defeats are disappointing as they could have played better, but no disgrace.

In this game, Glossop were on top for 20 minutes at the start, and at the end of the game, but in between Salford took advantage of slow reactions in defence to win the game.

Firstly on 35 minutes, keeper Steffan Fielding made the 3^rd of a hat trick of terrific saves from a Brackenridge shot, but the ball cannoned off his chest and Turner was quickest to net from short range.  Then on 66 minutes, it was Turner again who sneaked in un-noticed at the near post to poke home a low cross from the left, liveliest to the opportunity.

It’s not that North End didn’t have chances.  In the first half Hamilton headed over, Evans curled one wide and a goalkeeping mis-kick gave Hodges an opportunity where he had more time than he though – he might have controlled and shot rather than try a snappy first time lob.

In the 2^nd half the difference in reactions showed when Moores in the Salford goal spilled a free kick that cannoned off his chest, and it was the defence that reacted quickest to clear.

They finally did get their goal on 75 minutes when a free kick right on the left edge of the box – there was debate as to whether the offence was in – made it’s way to the back post.  Lee Evans was in the area in a mesh of bodies, and it appeared as though the Glossop man got a final touch as the ball screwed over the line.

On Saturday Glossop travel to Malvern Town in Worcestershire, as they try to qualify for the 1^st qualifying round.  Fans looking to travel should keep an eye on the club’s website, www.glossopnorthend.co.uk , for news of any travel arrangements.  Meanwhile, Scott Moore’s reserve side will be at home as they try to continue their 100% start to the season.