Weatherpoof GNE force Gate wide open

Glossop North End 5, Squires Gate 1
NWCFL Premier Division

Match Report: Jonathan Haggart
Pictures: Jim Lockwood

An early blip was brushed off at Surrey Street on Saturday as the ruthless Hillmen put a young Squires Gate side to the sword in appalling conditions. Volunteers had worked on the pitch all morning to ensure the game could go ahead, only for a huge thunderstorm to saturate the pitch 90 minutes before kick-off and make the hard work necessary again. These are the unsung heroes of non-league football.

However, once the threat of postponement had been allayed, things did not start out so well as North End fell behind in the 7th minute. A long ball forward was deflected towards the corner flag and players switched off as they expected a corner. Billy McKenna had other ideas though and chased the ball down as it held up on the soggy surface, and then drilled in a precision cross to the near post where Charlie Russell poked home.

Glossop immediately tried to push for a leveller, Tom Bailey having a shot smothered by the keeper, Alex Byrne a shot deflected wide and Lee Blackshaw a volley that just went over the corner of the posts.

When the equaliser did come it was a scruffy goal, in-keeping with the conditions. Kieran Lugsden rather scuffed a cross that Byrne could only deflect goalwards rather than connect sweetly, but the ball fell nicely for captain Lincoln Adams, who swept home from 6 yards.

Gate had the best chance before the break when Andrew Jones was tempted off his line to come and meet a through ball he had no right to chase and found himself out of position as the opposition picked the ball up wide and worked it back inside. Eventually McKenna tried a placed shot from the edge of the area that Jones did well to adjust his feet and tip over the bar.

North End fans might have been worried about their side playing into a strong and freezing wind in the second half, but after 15 minutes of skirmishing their worries were over, as the Hillmen took the lead on the hour. A high cross swirled in the air and the goalkeeper could only affect a weak punch under pressure from Adams. The ball was poked goalwards from 12 yards, bounced off the keeper’s body and Lugsden put it away.

Two minutes later it was three, and after a couple of messy goals, this one was a beauty. The ball was played into Blackshaw at the edge of the ‘D’, and he flicked a ball between defenders for Bailey. In turn, Bailey placed a cool finish under the keeper to as good as seal the game. North End never looked in trouble from that point.

Most of the play from that moment centred around the midfield, Glossop content to hold the visitors at arm’s length until a late double-salvo made the result look harsh on Squires Gate. Firstly, with 3 minutes left, a corner was hit deep into the area, Bailey nodded down and debutant Ben Richardson tapped home from a yard at most.

2 minutes later Kyle Riley cleverly held onto the ball on halfway as North End broke quickly from defence and then played a perfectly weighted pass into Blackshaw’s path, and he clipped in a smart finish to break a scoring drought that dated back to August. 

With 6 consecutive wins, and a Derbyshire Cup semi-final place secured, these are good times for the Hillmen, and a fine crowd of 222 and a good win will have motivated those hardy volunteers to do it all again next Saturday.

GNE: Jones, Young, Russell, Kelvin Lugsden, Adams (Richardson), Blackshaw, Byrne, Kilheeney, Bailey, Hare (Ellison), Kieran Lugsden (Riley).

GNE Goalscorers: Adams (29); Kieran Lugsden (58); Bailey (61); Richardson (87); Blackshaw (89)

Attendance: 222