Northwich Vics took advantage of a lacklustre Glossop North End showing, running out comfortable winners at Surrey Street on Saturday, securing home advantage in their play-off against the Hillmen in the process. That game will take place on Wednesday 27 April.
North End were well below the level they’d shown at Northwich the previous midweek, as though having secured their target of not having to trek up to the North East on a Tuesday night they were saving something of themselves for the knock-out game.
Much like the first game, the match looked to be settling into a midfield battle, but Vics broke the deadlock on 16 minutes, and never looked back. Stuart Cook picked up the ball in midfield around 30 yards out, strode forward a few yards and drilled a perfectly placed shot off the post and into the net. It’s positioning made it impossible for Andy Robertson to meet.
Glossop were rocking, and sensing that Northwich upped the pressure forcing a number of corners. It was from one of those flag kicks that Vics doubled their lead on 34 minutes, when Matt Regan rose unmarked to head home inside the far post.
At this point the Hillmen will have wanted to simply get to half time without further damage so that they could regroup, but it was very nearly three a minute before the break when Iain Howard’s volley at the far post struck the post. The ball rebounded to Alex Byrne on the edge of the area, but the former GNE’r struck the ball over the bar.
Glossop had to re-think their strategy at half time, as their front two had been isolated as they could not retain the ball and they certainly started the second half more brightly, forcing Vics deeper, but without causing them much worry around the box. Eddie Moran poked a looping shot over the bar, but at the other end Richard Bennett’s shot was deflected wide and Dave Young was forced to clear near his own line after Robertson fluffed his punch.
Glossop continued to at least try and press, and with a quarter hour to go they finally began to force Vics to leak chances. Moran’s cross looked perfect for Ben Richardson to head home, but the defender did well to place his body between the ball and the net and block the effort. Shortly afterwards Rainford found some space behind the back four on the angle, but his low shot was well saved by Mason Springthorpe, with a full length dive, and Richardson couldn’t pick out a colleague with his follow-up cross.
A long throw caused a touch of panic in the box and Astley Mulholland’s knock down somehow evaded Richardson’s boot when a goal looked probably, and it became apparent a breakthrough was not just coming. Indeed, the visitors might have added another when Josh Amis broke the offside trap and bore down on goal, only for Robertson to save well with his legs.
So the upshot is that the venue for the play-off semi-final has changed, but the aim hasn’t. Beat Northwich Victoria and Glossop North End will be in the play-offs against either Spennymoor or Burscough. Expect them to be much livelier when the knock-out phase begins.
