Draw At The Seaside Leaves Hillmen Feeling Defeated

AFC Blackpool 1, Glossop North End 1
NWCFL Premier Division

Match Report: Stewart Taylor
Pictures: Jim Lockwood

Before the start of a football match away from home, most teams would look at taking a share of the points from a game against a side higher in the league than they were as being a satisfactory afternoon’s work. Glossop North End did exactly that away at AFC Blackpool on Saturday but left the Fylde coast bitterly disappointed not to be bringing all three points back with them and justifiably so.

At a bright and calm Mechanics Ground, the Hillmen fielded the same starting eleven as in the mid-week home victory over Winsford United. The match started evenly but with no real goal threat from either side. Lee Blackshaw was forced to withdraw from the action with injury as early as the 13^th minute being replaced wide on the left by Paul Cliff. The visitors had a good spell of possession half way through the first period but AFC Blackpool came back into the match and half time arrived with neither goalkeeper having being troubled.

Half time cups of tea had only just been finished as Paul Cliff was the one to be forced off with an injury to be replaced by Sam Marshall. GNE were playing the better football and starting to make chances at last. On 50 minutes Tom Bailey broke clear of the home defence but his goalbound effort was saved by the outstretched right foot of Jamie Scott in the AFC Blackpool goal. Better was to follow almost immediately as Marshall made his first telling contribution to the action with a defence splitting pass which found Bailey in space. The GNE striker made no mistake in calmly slotting the ball past the approaching Scott to open the scoring.

The Hillmen were not content to sit on their lead and went looking to add to their advantage. On the hour mark a short free kick routine between Andy Kilheeney and Sam Hare led to the latter swinging in a fine cross which found Alex Byrne in space in front of goal. His headed effort bounced to safety from the underside of the crossbar. Quarter of an hour later it was Byrne again who found himself with space in front of goal as the ball came in from Marshall wide on the left. He made good contact with the cross but the ball found the woodwork and, again, bounced away to safety.

GNE were dominating the game as, with 15 minutes to play, the home side played their last two cards bringing on Ryan Vaughan and Stephen Betteridge from the subs bench. With just 5 minutes left on the watch Dean Williams in the Hillmen goal was brought into action for the first time in the match. A fine shot from outside the area by Grant Dell was turned away well by Williams, down by his left hand upright, at the expense of a corner. The corner was hit deep across the box and the return from the back of the box was met with a spectacular overhead kick by Mitchel Newsham and suddenly, against the run of play, the scores were level.

There was little time left for GNE to restore their advantage but they certainly tried. Moving forward with renewed urgency they put pressure on the home goal, the closest effort being a shot from Marshall, following a run from inside his own half, which was saved by Scott. As the final whistle went the travelling GNE supporters could only look back on a match in which they knew their side had done everything but take all three points.

GNE: Williams, Bockarie, Russell, Lugsden, Adams, Allen, Byrne, Kilheeney, Bailey, Hare(Riley), Blackshaw (Cliff (Marshall)).