Glossop North End 3, St Helens 1

The Hillmen may have beaten St Helens 5-0 away from home just 6 weeks ago, but the gale blowing on Saturday was expected to be a leveller.  Indeed, when Glossop came in at half time with only a 2-0 lead to show for their wind-assisted dominance there were those who thought it might not be enough – a though compounded by the concession of a sloppy goal right after the break.  But with Jay Gorton and Rick Bailey bossing the centre of midfield, there was only going to be one winner.

After taking ten minutes to find their range, the Hillmen began to press, and a dangerous free kick on the right flank was met by Hamilton but saved at the near post.  Before the 20^th minute opener, Kay was to shoot just wide whilst Morris and Hamilton both had goal-bound shots block by bodies on the line in a frantic goalmouth scramble.

The goal came from the relentless pressure.  Kieran Lugsden nearly forged an opening by chasing a lost cause and forcing a mix up between centre half and keeper that was only just cleared.  But the wind forced the ball back and it found its way to Bailey, who drove hard and low from a tight angle, under the keeper and into the net.

2 minutes later the lead was doubled when Dave Young picked up the ball 25 yards out, side stepped one man and cut onto his right foot before unleashing an unstoppable shot, power rather than placement beating the keeper.

Glossop had plenty of chances to add, Yates heading over and Lugsden having another shot blocked on the line, but there were a couple of reminders that St Helens were still with us when just prior to half time Davies forced Fielding to be quick off his line to save and then shortly afterwards again got behind the defence, only to hit the side netting.

North End had been so much in charge that we had the bizarre sight of Fielding on the pitch at half time going through his pre-match warm up again, but there was little he could do when the visitors hauled themselves back into the game on 48 minutes.

All Kelvin Lugsden had to do was tap the ball out for a corner, but he attempted to dribble out of his own area when caught on the by-line, but he was robbed by Dyson who finished cleverly. 

With captain Yates having limped off, The Hillmen could have wobbled, but Bailey and Gorton protected the back line from midfield, and Glossop always looked more likely to add despite now playing into the wind.

And add they did on 61 minutes when Hamilton broke from his own half.  He passed inside for Bailey who in turn played it right to Morris, who was just inside the area but with a clear sight of goal.  He scuffed his shot, but it fell beautifully for Hamilton at the edge of the 6 yard box, and he clinically swept home.

The victory sets up a fascinating few games for the Hillmen.  ON Saturday they take on rivals for 4^th place, Congleton Town before games against top 3 sides Newcastle Town and Salford City.  After that trio we’ll have a real idea of how far the team has come, but at the moment they are full of confidence and look capable of beating any Vodkat League team. 

Glossop North End 3, Congleton Town 0

Before this game North End fans were focussing on this as being a clash that will help determine which of these sides might finish in 4^th place in this season’s Vodkat League, but thanks to the result, and the overwhelming nature of the performance, suddenly they are looking at the 2^nd position currently occupied by this Saturday’s visitors Salford City.  There’s 11 points difference between the teams at the moment, but the Hillmen have a game in hand, and with a win…well who knows.

Not that Steve Young will be taking any notice of the supporters’ wistful dreaming.  He will be, in the traditional football manner, taking every game as it comes, demanding the usual 100% from his team and seeing where it takes them.  Who can blame him, because victory over Congleton Town made it 31 points from 36, and the Hillmen haven’t been beaten at Surrey Street for over 6 months.

For the first 45 minutes on Saturday the game was even possession wise, but Glossop had the better of the chances.  James Acton was at the thick of them, firstly forcing Heeps to push away his goalbound shot and then finding his first touch lacking when Bailey put him through, so that he was forced to attempt a lobbed shot that dipped over the bar.

The breakthrough came on 39 minutes when Hamilton was played in down the left hand side and put a cross in to Kieran Lugsden at the edge of the 6 yard box.  He was expected to sweep a shot across his body with his right foot, but instead took everyone by surprise, Heeps included, by poking the ball with his left.  It hit the inside of the post and nestled in.

On 52 minutes, Congleton had a gilt edged chance to get back in the game when a soft penalty was conceded by Mike Hollin.  He can only have been a pin step inside the box when Hurst fell under an innocuous challenge, but the referee indicated he had seen a shirt tug and awarded the penalty.  However, Hurst’s spot kick was brilliantly saved and pushed to safety by Fielding.  Glossop rocked a little though, and when Hollin slipped in the atrocious conditions, they were fortunate that the Congleton winger could not find and effective pass, and his cut back was intercepted.

Then, on 62, North End doubled their advantage.  Lugsden picked up the ball on the right wing, and put in a low cross to Hamilton’s feet.  Hamilton had a lot of work to do as his back was to goal, but he controlled, turned, sidestepped the defender and curled a left foot shot into the net.  It was a beauty, and worthy of the bear hug the scorer got from drenched supporters.

It only looked as though Glossop would add now, and Lugsden hit the side netting whilst Bailey had a shot deflected wide, although 2 minutes from time Fielding was again in action, tipping over a header from a corner.

The game sprung to life again in injury time.  First Bostock was very harshly dismissed for a foul on Young.  It was never a yellow card, but the referee thought otherwise, and added to a previous yellow for an off the ball incident, he was getting an unfortunate early shower.  Glossop took full advantage of the extra man though, when Lugsden’s pressure forced a slip out of the Congleton centre half, leaving him clear on goal.  His shot hit the keeper, but bounced back to his feet to net the rebound.  North End are now just a point behind 4 placed Bears, with 2 games in hand and a better goal difference.

Glossop North End 0, Salford City 1

Steve Young declared himself “very very proud” of his players after this game and rightfully so, because although they trudged off the field having suffered their first home defeat in over 6 months, they knew that they Salford had stolen the points off them…and so did all of the 231 people watching.

Throughout the game, North End had created chance after chance, although none were taken leaving Tommy Turner’s 53^rd minute poacher’s goal to claim the points.  He seized upon a rare moment of defensive confusion to poke home from short range.

In hindsight, Glossop’s scene had been set as early as the 2^nd minute when Darren Hamilton was put through on goal, but snatched his shot the wrong side of the post.  It wasn’t to be the leading scorer’s day as by the 20^th minute he had looped a header just over the bar and fired a shot across the face of goal just past the other post.

In addition Bailey’s powerful drive from an angle was saved, as was Acton’s header whilst Young’s curling free kick was saved, Hamilton poked the rebound goalwards, only to see it cleared off the line.

Salford’s first chance came in the 41^st minute when Robinson shot just over from Brackenridge’s cross, and this sparked a short spell of pressure when Robinson had a dangerous shot deflected wide and Turner’s shot was blocked by his own player when heading goalwards.

The teams exchanged chances in the second half before a long throw in caused panic in the defence.  Fielding saved, but the ball was headed back across goal for Turner to net, 6 yards out.

Forrester threatened to double the lead, but he shot wide after speedily breaking from a Glossop corner, and Fielding saved a free kick on 64, after which, North End took over.

Dave Young, who was superb all afternoon, drove down the right and crossed for Morris, whose shot was blocked, fell to Acton but was scrambled away.  Then in the 75^th minute, Glossop were handed the advantage when Robinson was sent off for a crude tackle on Gorton.  The foul possibly only warranted a yellow card, but Robinson ought to have been booked in the first for a swipe at Lugsden.

The Hillmen sent Sam Hind on to bolster the attack as they searched for the equaliser the pressure deserved, and it so nearly paid off when a cross fell to him, however his swivelled shot hit the underside of the bar and bounced away to safety.

Shots reigned in, but Glossop just lacked the composure as Young, Trucca and Gorton all cleared the bar, whilst Rick Bailey put a shot from the edge of the box just wide.  All so near, but so far as Glossop learned the value of taking your chances the hard way.  They did not deserve to lose this game, and the result will make them all the more determined when they face Salford’s promotion rivals, Newcastle Town, on Tuesday night.

Glossop North End 0, Newcastle Town 1

For the second successive game Glossop fell to a narrow defeat to a top 3 side, when Newcastle Town took the points home on Tuesday.  The difference was that whilst Salford had picked North End’s pockets on Saturday, the Staffordshire side deserved their win.

In the first half they dominated, controlling the midfield, although the centre of the pitch was completely by-passed for the goal which turned out to be the winner in the 11^th minute.

The Newcastle keeper cleared his lines under pressure, and the ball was flicked on into the path of Eldershaw, who had got behind the defence.  He controlled and clinically despatched a shot past Fielding.

Mills had already forced the keeper into a save by this point and the keeper was in action again when a dangerous low cross was deflected high up into the air by Kay, and then again when Mills got behind the back four once more.  This time the striker rounded the keeper, but from a tight angle only put the ball right across the face of the net.

Glossop finally got a shot on goal in the 25^th minute when Gorton had a shot tipped over, but when Yates met a corner with his head on 39, the team was convinced that they should have had a penalty for handball.  The Hillmen were apoplectic, surrounding the referee, and the fury behind the claim suggested they had a case, but the man in black disagreed and awarded the corner.

The home side applied better pressure in the 2^nd half, although Mills showed that Newcastle were still dangerous by forcing Fielding to save at the near post, but on the whole the Hillmen were beginning to take the midfield and control possession.

Yet for all the ball they had, they could not force a testing save out of Ritchie, with headers comfortably picked out of the air and Hamilton shooting wide.  Part of the problem was that North End had allowed themselves to become frustrated by the visitors’ timewasting tactics, and with their composure rattled, the quality of their decisions was affected.

Steve Young used all of his subs, changing the shape to try and change the luck, but the best chance fell to Kay 12 yards out, but on his ‘wrong’ right foot, and his couldn’t connect with power leaving Glossop rueing a second home defeat in a week.

Formby 1 Glossop NE 3

After narrow defeats to top-3 sides Salford City and Newcastle Town in the last 2 games, Glossop bounced back in the best way possible on Saturday when comfortably defeating Formby – although they had to weather a spell of early pressure to do it.

Formby were much quicker out of the blocks, and Steffan Fielding was forced into an early save when a less-than-whole-hearted challenge by Kelvin Lugsden resulted in the loss of possession, a cross and a looping header from Cavanagh that was just pushed away.  Bailey also relinquished possession in midfield too easily to allow Jones a chance to hit a 25 yard drive that hit the bar and bounced to safety.

Keiron Lugsden was well involved in the action, having a goal disallowed for a marginal offside, and then staying on his feet whilst being tugged back when heading for goal, only to be tackled cleanly in the area.  But he did get the penalty on 25 minutes when the ball was played into his feet in the area, and he was felled.  Dave Young took, and scored, the spot kick.

Glossop started to find their feet and make the chances, Hodges, back from London for the Easter break, and Lugsden going close, before Hodges doubled the lead on the stroke of half time.  Young was the architect, driving forward from half way, and playing an accurate pass behind the full back.  Hodges stole in behind the defender and hit his shot under the keeper to net.

The Hillmen looked to add in the second half, and Hamilton, Lugsden and Bailey all went close before Formby got themselves back into it on 70 minutes – their first significant attack of the half.  A free kick from the right was met by Kerr, forcing Fielding into a low save that he did well to reach, but the rebound fell back to Kerr’s feet and he just had to tap in.

However, within a two minutes the two goal lead was restored when Hodges again got away down the left and cut inside.  He squared a ball to Hamilton on the edge of the area, and he despatched an accurate drive into the corner. 

In the end it could, perhaps should, have been more, but chances were just put the wrong side of the posts.  There could be no complaints though, as Glossop had done a professional job of securing 3 points, and with results elsewhere going their way, 4^th place looks very attainable.  They are already 5^th with games in hand.

Glossop NE 2, Abbey Hey 5

With Abbey Hey near the bottom of the Vodkat League, and The Hillmen near the top, no-one would have seen this result coming.  Maybe that was the reason, over-confidence breeding complacency, or maybe it was just a Sunday over-indulgence on Easter Eggs, but North End we not on their mettle, whilst Abbey Hey were nothing like the side beaten 5-1 by Glossop on Boxing Day.

In mitigation to the performance, Glossop had been hit be absences, with leading scorer Darren Hamilton away and  his strike partner Kieran Lugsden injured, and Lugsden’s twin brother, Kelvin, went down in some pain on 3 minutes.  He was still off the field receiving treatment 3 minutes later when a long ball was allowed to bounce in the area, was latched onto by Abbey’s Heffernan, and he drove past Fielding to open the scoring, perhaps leaving Steve Young with a regret he didn’t bring on Danny Yates immediately, as Lugsden was forced to leave the game after the goal.

North End created some first half chances, but were always vulnerable to concede, so whilst Young, Hodges and Lunt created dangerous opportunities, Abbey were also applying pressure as Glossop were sloppy in possession.  That said, the best chance fell to North End’s Trucca right on half time, but his chipped shot from a corner was headed off the line.

Yates was forced off injured at half time, meaning another defensive reshuffle, and panic ensued in the new look back line within a minute of the restart. When a corner was allowed to drop in the 6 yard box and a poked shot was just cleared off the line.  The warning was not heeded though, as Abbey created further chances before extending their lead on 68 minutes.  Doherty drew Trucca into a challenge, and beat the stretched defender before advancing on goal and despatching a shot into the far corner from a tight angle.

Within 5 minutes, Jay Gorton had put North End back in the game, rising highest to score from a Young corner, but hope did not last long as a sleeping defence allowed Pearson to keep a ball in play, unchallenged, and cross along the line for Ellis-Hall to net from no distance. 

2 minutes later Doherty had his second, latching onto a cross from the right to net from 12 yards, and he made it a hat-trick a minute later when this time a cross from the left to the same spot produced the same result.  Debutant Gareth Baker’s header two minutes from time could not disguise the poor performance, and much more will be needed when The Hillmen travel to Silsden on Saturday.