Saturday 12th December; Vodkat League Premier Division; Ashton Athletic 4-5 St Helens Town; 1-0; Rob Bodie 10 Minutes, 1-1; Stephen Kay 34 Minutes, 1-2; Phil Mitchell 45+1 Minutes, 2-2; Paul Prescott 45+3 Minutes. 2-3; Iain Dyson 60 Minutes, 3-3; Paul Precott 67 Minutes (Penalty), 3-4; Rob Hanley 70 Minutes, 4-4; Luke Fletcher 88 Minutes, 4-5; Iain Dyson 90+2 Minutes. Never let it be said that St Helens Town do things the easy way! The visitors secured all three points this afternoon at Ashton Athletic but not before putting the Town faithful through the ringer. Despite early pressure from the visitors it was to be the hosts who took the lead against the run of play on 10 minutes a free kick from the left was not dealt with by the Town backline and Rob Bodie seized the opportunity to send the ball home. The next twenty minutes saw the visitors press the hosts in an attempt to gain parity. Graeme Mitchell collected a through ball rounded the keeper and stayed on his feet when he was caught by the stopper his cross was met by Rob Hanley but he could not keep his effort down. Hanley then shot wide of the target after a quick throw from Phil Mitchell. Iain Dyson carved an opening when he did well to turn on the edge of the box but his effort failed to test the keeper. Phil Mitchell will have been kicking himself for net scoring on 25 minutes when he was found on the far post by a cross from John Elias on the right. Mitchell’s touch was cleared off the line by Stephen Wallace. For all the Town pressure Athletic almost made it 2-0 when Wallace ghosted into the box but could not direct his free header past McCall in the Town goal. The pressure paid for Town on 34 minutes Phil Mitchell was cynically hacked down by Chris Banasko after a surging run and brother Graeme sent the free kick into the box which Ben Kay headed home.  Phil Mitchell got past two defenders and into the box on 41 minutes only to be felled from behind but amazingly no penalty was awarded. The winger got his reward in the first minute of added on time at the end of the half when his great touch saw him find space to apply a composed finish and make it 2-1. Town did not hold their advantage to the interval as in the third minute of added on time the ball was sent into the Town box from the right and Paul Prescott poked the ball home, an obvious foul was overlooked in this move must to the annoyance of the Town fans. St Helens started the second half in the ascendancy and regained the lead on the hour, Marc Stephens found Dyson on the right of the area and he did well to get into the box and power the ball home from 12 yards. Again the lead was to be a short one as a rash challenge from McCall saw a penalty awarded and Prescott sent it home high and central. On 70 minutes Hanley got into the box but his touch looked heavy and an easy take for Fitzpatrick in the home goal, the stopper however made a mess of the collection and the Town man ran the ball into the unguarded net. Surely Town would not relinquish the lead again? On 75 minutes a right wing corner was sent into the Town box and a well executed challenge looked to have cleared the danger until the referee pointed to the spot in to perplex the vast majority of the crowd in the ground. Prescott again stepped up to take the spot kick but this time McCall atoned for his earlier error by making an excellent save away to his right. With time running out Prescott got into the box and pulled the ball back towards substitute Luke Fletcher who had time to pick his spot to level matters and look like taking a point for the hosts. The final act of the game was to come in the second minute of stoppage time when David Burns found Kay on the edge of the box and he in turn released Dyson who found the net with the aid of the inside of the left and right post to send Town on the short journey home with all three points. Ashton Athletic; Fitzpatrick, Wallace, Peet, Banasko(Fletcher 51), Rothwell(C), Bodie, Hampson, Davies(Winer 74), Haidara, Prescott, Ryan(Dunne 7). Subs Not Used; Hussein.   St Helens Town; McCall, Elias, Birch, Pitts(C), Faulkner, Kay, Stephens, Dyson, Hanley(Frazer 80), G.Mitchell(Jones 77), P.Mitchell(Burns 54). Subs Not Used; J.Foster, Thomas.

Saturday 5th December; Vodkat League Premier Division; St Helens Town 2-1 Congleton Town; 0-1; Scott Dundas 21 Minutes, 1-1; Iain Dyson 40 Minutes, 1-2; Iain Dyson 77 Minutes.  St Helens Town ended their run of three consecutive home matches with a victory over fourth placed Congleton Town at Knowsley Road this afternoon. The early stages saw both sides feeling each other out, an early corner for the visitors was delivered into the box from the right and was half cleared to Ryan Baker his shot was redirected by Mark Fitton and this effort was blocked and cleared. At the other end Iain Dyson linked with Phil Mitchell on the edge of the box and he had plenty of space to pick his spot but shot wide of the right hand post.  The host spurned another good chance on 18 minutes when a quick free kick found Mike Fargher on the edge of the area, he attempted to round the keeper but Matt Conkie recovered well and his challenge averted the danger.  Congleton made St Helens pay for their wastefulness when they took the lead a few minutes later, an attack down the left saw Adam Vickers and Baker link with the latter sending a dangerous cross into the box which John Elias did well to turn behind for a corner. From this set piece a spot of pinball in the box saw the ball fall to Scott Dundas and he found the corner of the net. St Helens were lucky not to fall further behind as Congleton pressed forward trying to double their lead. Richard Smith, Lewis Short and Danny Griggs all had chances but their failure to net and a fine piece of play saw the hosts’ level matters. Phil Mitchell linked with Mike Scully on the edge of the box and he in turn fed Dyson who found the bottom left hand corner of the net with effort. Just before the interval Mitchell linked with Fargher on the right of the area and the winger’s effort went just the wrong side of the left hand post. The first chance of the second period fell to Scully who latched onto a long kick from Graeme McCall before turning his defender and getting into the box, his effort however was weak and easy for Conkie in the visitors goal. On 66 minutes St Helens tested the visiting stopper when Dyson found Mitchell but his effort from the left was held by Conkie at the second attempt. At the other end substitute Darren Twigg connected with a free kick sent into the box but could not get his header on target. St Helens took the lead on 77 minutes when Fargher played a defence splitting ball which released Dyson and he advanced into the box before powering a drive from close range past Conkie. Indeed Dyson could have netted twice more before the final whistle, first he was found by Rob Hanley on a counter attack and with the option of playing in Marc Stephens or shooting himself he chose the latter option and Conkie stood up well to make a good save. In added on time at the end of the match Dyson was found by Mitchell and a powerful shot from 12 yards saw Conkie parry the effort and the loose ball was cleared. So St Helens Town recorded the victory their first over a team in the top four this season and gain revenge for the 2-0 reverse at Booth Street earlier in the season.         St Helens Town; McCall, Elias, Birch, Pitts(C), Faulkner, Kay(Frazer 72), Fargher, Dyson, Scully(Stephens 67), Hanley, P.Mitchell. Subs Not Used; J.Foster, Jones, Riley. Congleton Town; Conkie, Vickers, Taylor, Beeston, Fitton(C), Nesbitt, Baker, Smith, Short, Dundas(Twigg 74), Griggs(Beigus 84). Subs Not Used; John, Buckle.  

Tuesday 1st DecemberVodkat League Premier Division; St Helens Town 3-3 Ramsbottom United; 1-0; Mike Fargher 16 Minutes, 1-1; Lee Connell 32 Minutes, 1-2; Barry Massey 35 Minutes, 2-2; Rob Hanley 47 Minutes, 3-2; Mike Scully 55 Minutes; 3-3; Joel Pilkington 87 Minutes. St Helens Town earned a point in the top of the table clash with Ramsbottom United at Knowsley Road but they will have felt they should have taken all the points. The hosts missed an early chance to open the scoring on 5 minutes when Iain Dyson found Mike Scully unmarked in the 6 yard box but the striker could only direct the header at the keeper. Another promising move on 13 minutes saw Phil Mitchell latch onto a crossfield ball from John Elias and advance to the edge of the box where he beat his defender but scuffed his shot and it was a routine gather for the keeper. Town broke the deadlock on 16 minutes when Mitchell against collected a crossfield ball getting to the area before linking with Scully on the right of the box he in turn fed Mike Fargher who made no mistake finding the bottom right hand corner of the net to put the hosts into a deserved lead. The hosts were handling the threat posed by the visitors well with Ramsbottom reduced to speculative efforts from outside the area. One such effort was to prove costly for the hosts when Ramsbottom equalised on 32 minutes. In a similar move to the one that had broken the deadlock Carl Lomax found Andy Sensale on the right of the area and he fed Lee Connell who shot home from 20 yards. Having lost the lead Town fell behind three minutes later when Lomax was afforded plenty of space on the right and he picked out an unmarked Barry Massey and the striker’s header was well placed and McCall could not get enough on it to keep it out. Massey had a chance to extend the lead just before the interval when a free kick was cleared to the edge of the box but his effort was well over the bar. Less than two minutes after the restart Town were level. A wind assisted clearance by Luke Faulkner was missed by a visiting defender on the edge of the area and Rob Hanley latched onto itRR Before drawing the keeper and finding the net with a sublime finish over him. End to end action saw Town take the lead but only after Ramsbottom had spurned a great chance. Lomax found Phil Dean in acres of space on the left of the Town box but he could only shoot wide of the right hand post. The visitors were soon regretting this miss as from the goal kick McCall’s ball was flicked on by Hanley and Scully collected rounded Campbell in the visitors’ goal before slotting home. Town were in control of the game and looked to be coasting to a victory when the game changed on a dismissal. Faulkner was harshly cautioned for a challenge where he won the ball and being his second yellow saw the host reduced to ten men for the remaining 22 minutes of the contest. This gave Ramsbottom impetus to take the game to the hosts but in the next ten minutes of the contest they failed to test the Town resolve despite dominating possession, indeed it was Town’s Marc Stephens who had the best chance of this period on a counter attack Hanley held the ball up well and found Stephens whose effort from 20 yards saw Campbell have to turn it wide at full stretch. Further pressure from the visitors saw Lomax have his shot parried by McCall the rebound fell to Sensale and his goalbound effort saw headed over by Bernard Morley when it seemed easier to score. Barry Shuttleworth found Connell with a left wing cross but he could not direct his diving header wide of the keeper. Town looked to be holding on for the maximum return but a were to be denied by a brace of deflections on 87 minutes. Joel Pilkington tried his luck from the edge of the box and his shot would have been a routine gather for McCall had it not have taken two deflections on the way through and gave the Town custodian no chance to earn the visitors a point they scarcely deserved.    St Helens Town; McCall, Elias, Faulkner, Pitts(C), Dyson, Frazer, Stephens, Fargher, Scully(J.Foster 87), Hanley, P.Mitchell(Jones 80). Subs Not Used; Birch, Burns, Riley. Ramsbottom United; Campbell, Bowyer, O’Neill, Connell(C), Whitehead, Blackley, Sensale, Pilkington, Massey(Shuttleworth 68), Lomax, Dean(Morley 58). Subs Not Used; Fletcher, Bradley.