Bacup & Rossendale Borough 0 Glossop North End 6
NWCFL Premier Division
Match Report: Jonathan Haggart
Pictures: Jim Lockwood
If Carlsberg did opening games of the season…
Glossop North End opened their 2014-15 season with a victory they probably could not have dream of prior to kick off, scoring six goals, with six different scorers, keeping a clean sheet and receiving no cautions either. It was the perfect start.
As with most new seasons there were plenty of debutantes in the line-up. Neil Chappell, Aaron Moxam, Jason Carey and Eddie Moran all started their first games for the club whilst Steve Yarwood came off the bench. In addition, Richard Gresty and Sam Hind returned to the club after spells elsewhere.
Glossop started on the front foot, probing with balls behind the full back, and from a low Ben Richardson cross the ball was turned just the wrong side of the post by Chappell.
Bacup had what turned out to be their best chance of the game in the 5th minute when they broke from a North End corner. Zama took the ball to the edge of the Glossop box using his pace, but when held up by Gresty he couldn’t get his shot away and was forced to play around the box. Eventually the ball was worked wide and his low cross-cum-shot was palmed away by Greg Hall.
However, from there the Hillmen effectively took over, winning a succession of corners. It was from one of these flag kicks that Dave Young headed goalwards only to see it blocked in the 6 yard box. Carey tried to back-heel the loose ball, but his body shape was such that it went wide.
The breakthrough came in the 23rd minute, and it was a beauty. Young picked up an innocuous throw-in around 25 yards from goal. He controlled, looked up and launched a fierce angled drive across the keeper into the far corner. An early contender for goal of the season.
North End will have been disappointed not to add to the lead by half time, creating only half chances. Yarwood’s brace of efforts were the best of them, testing the keeper and forcing him into diving saves.
However, in the second half The Hillmen took a firm grip of the game quickly and never relinquished it. On 48 minutes Richardson lofted a free kick on the left to the far post and Moran rose at the back post to head in the second.
On 57 minutes Moxam received the ball on the right at the corner of the box. A swivelled right shot foot looked on, but he controlled the ball and cut inside on his left peg. He advanced towards the edge of the ‘D’ and cut a shot across the keeper into the corner. 3-0.
7 minutes later it was 4 when Yarwood laid the ball left to Carey, and the latter’s cross into the middle was met by Chapple, in the middle of a group of players, to head home.
Tom Bailey, still recovering full fitness after a nasty injury last season, came off the bench and had added the 5th within minutes. Bailey won a header from a lofted pass and Carey’s strength got him behind the back line. His shot was parried by the keeper, but Bailey was alert and stroked the rebound into the corner. The scoring was completed with 4 minutes to go when Bacup tried to play North End offside as the ball was cleared. Young angled a ball to Richardson on the left flank, easily onside, and he advanced into the box. The angle was tight, and there was a chance for a cross to find a colleague in the box, but Richardson opted for a powerful shot to the near post that beat the keeper and made it 6-0.
There was still time for Hind to drive a 20 yarder inches wide, but Glossop will be satisfied with this result. They know Bacup, who finished in the bottom two last season, will not be the sternest test they face this season, but they also know that a poor start in 2013-14 cost them. This time they intend to get off to a flyer, and will be looking for same again when they face Maine Road at Surrey Street on Tuesday.
Full match details can be found on the Match Centre.
Attendance:120
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That’s the way to start a season!