Brace from Byrne singes the Bears

Glossop North End 3, Congleton Town 2
NWCFL Premier Division

Match Report: Jonathan Haggart
Pictures: Jim Lockwood

The Hillmen put in something of a curate’s egg of a performance on Saturday.  The opening 45 minutes were probably the best they had played all season, and they deservedly went into the break with a two goal lead, but in the second half they allowed The Bears back into the game and restore parity, only to snatch all three points as soon as the visitors drew level.

Glossop really were excellent in the first half.  They passed the ball well in possession and when they didn’t have the ball they grafted hard to close down space and win it back or force an error.

Shots on goal were plentiful, Bailey shooting wide from an angle in the 3^rd minute, Hare shooting over from 25 yards in the 9^th and Adams heading just over in the 12^th.  Bailey kept trying, putting a lob wide and shooting from the edge of the box (saved), before the opening goal came on 17 minutes.

Paul Cliff had been fouled by the left by-line, and Hare’s low free kick was met by Alex Byrne at the near post.  He flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot and the ball arrowed between the man on the post and the keeper.

The second goal came just before half time when Sam Hare was expected to shoot or cross when picking up a ball into the box on the right.  However, Hare cut inside, bamboozling Alston, who was looking to block a shot but instead brought Hare down.  It was Hare himself who bagged his first GNE goal, planting a fine penalty into the top left corner.

With all the effort put in in the first 45 bound to have sapped legs, and with Congleton undoubtedly having the chastening words of their manager ringing in their ears, the second half pattern of play was perhaps inevitable, and sure enough Congleton pressured.

Jones & Gill had both had shots just the wrong side of the post before they pulled one back on the hour mark.  A deep cross to the far post fell to Jones’ feet, who controlled and dinked a cross to the far post.  Proctor was stranded, and Middleton could head into an empty net from short range.

The equaliser came with 10 minutes to go, and had a similar feel to the first Town goal.  It was a free kick on the left that was again planted past the far post and nodded back across goal.  This time it fell to the feet of Whiteoak, who toe-poked it across Proctor into the far corner.

However, credit to North End, as their response was immediate.  From a deep corner, perhaps taking a leaf out of the Bears’ book, Dave Young nodded back across goal, and through a jungle of legs, Byrne was able to latch onto it and score.  Parity had lasted less than a minute.

Congleton tried to pile on the pressure, but it was the Hillmen who should have scored again, Bailey wasteful twice.  Firstly he headed wide when latching onto a Proctor big kick, but more wastefully he blazed over when Byrne had got behind the full back and put in a low cross to the far post.  He should have scored both.  Not that it mattered in the final analysis – in their first league game in a month Glossop had got their league season back under way with a welcome three points.

GNE: Proctor, Lugsden, Russell, Young, Adams, Allen (Kay), Byrne, Kilheeney, Bailey, Hare (Riley), Cliff (Blackshaw).