October 2009
Saturday 31st OctoberVodkat, League Challenge Cup, 2nd RoundColne 0-1 St Helens Town0-1; Graeme Mitchell 84 Minutes. Town ended the month by advancing to the Third Round of the Vodkat League Cup with this hard fought victory over Colne. The visitors almost had an identical start to Tuesday evenings contest as a quick throw from Phil Mitchell released Rob Hanley who attempted an overhead kick which Martin Brodrick controlled with his arm and cleared, none of the officials managed to notice the infringement and play continued. At the other end Liam Garbutt collected a goal kick on the left wing and cut inside and shot goalwards, Kevin Woods was on hand to collect his effort. Just after the quarter of an hour mark Mike Scully linked with Phil Mitchell who fed Hanley just inside the area but the home stopper averted the danger. After 25 minutes a Town counter attack saw Phil Mitchell beat Garbutt on the right before playing a great ball towards Hanley but again Harris in the Colne goal did enough. Hanley was involved in the action again moments later as he took the ball down well before shooting into the side netting from close range. Before the half ended Dyson shot wide of the left hand post, Scully shot at the keeper when well placed and Fargher had a weak effort saved and headed wide from a corner. The second half saw Town shoot downhill and look to use the advantage of the slope. Dyson turned in the centre circle before playing in Hanley but an excellent saving challenge by Richard Johnson averted the danger. Just before the hour mark Colne’s Mark Threlfall rattled the crossbar with an effort On 62 minutes a Town corner was sent in by Phil Mitchell from the right and met by Luke Faulkner but he could not direct his effort on target. At the top of the hill Colne’s Threlfall missed another golden chance to open the scoring when he was unmarked and headed Matt Tindall’s left wing cross wide of the right hand post. Colne had Harris to thank for keeping parity on 71 minutes when Phil Mitchell beat his defender of the right before getting to the area and crossing towards Dyson whose effort was blocked, the rebound fell to Hanley whose overhead kick was punched clear by the home stopper. The deadlock was broken on 84 minutes as a fine move eventually saw the ball in the Colne net and Town reduced to ten men. Phil Mitchell advanced into the box leaving a couple of defenders in his wake he drew the keeper before lifting an effort over him towards the unguarded goal, a Colne defender cleared the ball but only as far as brother Graeme who followed a similar route into the box before drawing the keeper and shooting home left footed from a tight angle. Harris had hold of the strikers’ leg and appeared to try and twist his ankle before releasing him and the Town man swung a leg at him and Mr Gittins brandished the red card, no punishment however was given to the keeper. Deep in added on time Phil Mitchell could have doubled the lead when he latched onto a through ball in the area but his effort was well saved by Harris in the home goal. The visitors saw off the added on time at the end of the game with little trouble and will now visit First Division Norton United in the Third Round in January. Colne; Harris, Cockett, Crorken, Brodrick(Stansfield 70), Priestley, Johnson, Garbutt, Roberts, Threlfall, Cruz, Tindall. Sub Not Used; Pickup, Bridson, Brennan. St Helens Town; Woods, Jones, Birch, Pitts, Faulkner, Fargher(Stephens 81), P.Mitchell, Kay, Hanley, Dyson(C)(G.Mitchell 73), Scully(Frazer 90). Subs Not Used; Elias, Dempsey.
Tuesday 27th OctoberLiverpool County FA, Senior Cup, First RoundSt Helens Town 1-2 Warrington Town (After Extra Time)1-0; Rob Hanley 2 Minutes, 1-1; Joe McClennon 29 Minutes, 1-2; Chris Gahgan (Penalty) 116 Minutes. St Helens Town exited the Liverpool Senior cup in controversial circumstances for the second season in succession after Warrington Town ensured passage with what was at best a generous penalty in the late stages of the second period of extra time. The hosts set off like a steam train and took the lead with 67 seconds on the watch, Ben Kay won the ball in the middle of the park and played the ball to Mark Evans on the left he in turn sent a cross into the box which Mike Scully nodded down and Rob Hanley was on hand to apply the finish from 8 yards out. For the next 40 minutes the hosts were pegged back by the visitors who responded well to their early set back. Darren Kinsey sent a cross in from the left which Richard Chetcuti collected with his back to goal, turned and shot but Kevin Woods held. Moments later Karl Connolly linked with Joe McClennon on the right and his cross to the far post was met by Chetcuti but his effort was claimed by the home stopper. On 27 minutes Woods did well to deny Chetcuti as he parried his initial shot from the edge of the box and a follow from close range was quickly smothered by the St Helens custodian. Woods was unable to thwart Warrington on 29 minutes as they won the ball after poor play by the hosts on their left flank, the visitors delivered the ball into the box and it was half cleared to McClennon on the Warrington left and his effort from 12 yards found the back of the net to level matters. With the half running down the hosts mustered a brace of efforts on the Wire goal. An excellent passing move started by Mike Scully in his own half saw him find Kay when played the ball to Hanley he worked the ball back to Scully in the area his effort from the right hand corner of the penalty area curled just over the left hand angle of post and crossbar. In added on time at the end of the half Phil Mitchell won the ball in an aerial challenge with a defender 25 yards from goal collected the loose ball and his effort was well held by the keeper. St Helens carved out an excellent opportunity within two minutes of the restart Phil Mitchells surging run saw him get to the edge of the visitors area and play a slide-rule ball to Scully who shot just over the bar when if he hit the target he would have scored. Before the hour mark the visitors had a couple of chances, first Kinsey took a free kick on the right from 25 yards which Woods was equal to and showed good hands to hold. A defensive mix up almost cost the hosts a goal on 56 minutes when a shout from Woods was ignored by his defender and a lobbed effort from Connolly looked to be a certain goal until a miraculous goal line clearance from Peter Birch saved St Helens’ blushes. Around the hour Phil Mitchell linked with Hanley and the strikers’ effort from 20 yards went just over the bar with the keeper beaten. This was followed moments later by an effort from Phil Mitchell which the keeper parried and claimed the loose ball. With 15 minutes of normal time remaining a quick free kick found Graeme Mitchell but his effort was held by McCarthy in the Warrington goal. With time running out St Helens spurned a great chance to take the tie when Woods found Iain Dyson with a throw out he advanced beating his defender before playing a one-two with Hanley on the right of the area but his shot was snatched wide of the left hand upright. The game went into extra-time and both sides pressed to try and take an advantage but it took until the 103 minute for either keeper to be called into action as a header from Mike Tomlinson was pushed over by Woods. In the final minute of the first period of extra time St Helens struck the right upright twice in the same move. Scully delivered a free kick from the left which Mike Fargher met with his head, it beat the keeper, struck the bottom of the upright and rebounded back into play Hanley collected the ball and his effort hit the outside of the post and went behind for a goal kick. With seven minutes of extra time remaining McCarthy who had swopped his goalkeeping position for an outfield one advanced and saw his shot tipped around the post. A couple of minutes later the game was to be won and lost by an awful decision, a Warrington counter attack saw McCarthy get into the hosts area before a well timed challenge from Luke Faulkner won the ball. The referee who was in the centre circle with plenty of bodies between him and the incident awarded a penalty whilst the assistant on the far side nearest to the incident, looking directly at it and with an unobstructed view did not signal for a penalty. Chris Gahgan stepped up and sent the spot kick to the keepers right, Woods guessed the correct way but could not keep the effort out and for a second year in a row poor officiating had cost St Helens Town the chance to advance to the next round. St Helens Town; Woods, Jones, Birch, Pitts, Burke(Faulkner 35), Fargher, P.Mitchell(Dyson 85), Kay, Hanley, Scully, Evans(G.Mitchell 46). Subs Not Used; Stephens, Frazer. Warrington Town; McCarthy, Grogan, Kinsey(Dacey 106), Hardwick, Tomlinson, Taylor(Brown 106), Hadland, Connolly(Smith 83), Chetcuti, McClennon, Gahgan. Subs Not Used; None.
Saturday 24th OctoberVodkat League Premier DivisionNewcastle Town 3-0 St Helens Town1-0; Chris Budrys 20 Minutes, 2-0; Jordon Johnson 73 Minutes, 3-0; Jordon Johnson 83 Minutes. St Helens Town fell to a third defeat in the last four matches against table topping Newcastle Town but the 3-0 scoreline did not reflect a game which the visitors will have felt they could have gained a return from. The early stages of the contest saw the hosts pepper the visitors penalty area with the kind of long ball game many have come to associate with the side, the visitors however were able to withstand this method of attack and it was only via long range shots that Graeme McCall had any efforts to deal with as both Daniel Skelton and Jordon Johnson had efforts that failed to worry the Town faithful. On 20 minutes the deadlock was broken as Neville Thompson found some space on the left of the penalty area got to the byline and pulled the ball back to the far post where Chris Budrys had the simple task of tapping home. The move was to be a double whammy for the visitors as in the act of trying to keep the effort out St Helens stopper McCall sustained a broken thumb and had to leave the field. With no substitute keeper on the bench Ben Kay donned the gloves and would play the remaining 70 minutes of the contest between the sticks. If anything the unfortunate circumstances saw the visitors pick up their game and they had a 20 minute spell of pressure trying to level matters. McCall’s replacement Ian Frazer found Rob Hanley on the left of the box and his shot was pushed around the upright by Daniel Read. Moments later John Elias delivered a dangerous cross from the right towards Mike Fargher on the far post but the defender did just enough to avert the danger. Just after the half hour mark Fargher was again in the action as he beat Karl Espley for pace and delivered a cross which Michael Douglas did well to clear the rebound eventually broke to Fargher on the edge of the box but his effort did not trouble Read as it went over the crossbar. A fine passing move saw Iain Dyson and Marc Stephens link before the latter fed Fargher who tried a curling effort from 25 yards which beat the keeper but not the crossbar much to the relief of the hosts. Before the interval Kay was on hand to thwart two Newcastle effort’s the first came from Budrys after he had beaten Dougie Pitts but the new stopper did well to push the effort away from goal and this was followed when Thompson crossed for Mike Morton to try his luck but Kay stopped the effort with an outstretched foot. The second period saw the visitors press forward trying to level matters, Dyson linked with Elias on the right with the full back playing a one-two with Hanley to get into the box and having his resultant shot pushed around the post, Neil Jones took the corner and found Dyson but he could only send his header the wrong side of the post. Elias was causing all sorts of problems for Newcastle and his cross from the right had to headed away it was sent back in by Peter Birch and Fargher rose highest to meet the cross but his effort went wide of the upright. On 69 minutes Hanley ran onto a powerful block challenge from Pitts and advanced towards goal he got into the box turned inside his marker and tried a lofted effort into the top right hand corner but Read was able to push the ball away. At the other end Johnson linked with Skelton and his turn and shot was well held by Kay in the St Helens goal. The cruelness of football at times was brought home to St Helens on 73 minutes when against the run of play Newcastle made it 2-0, a typical route one, goal for the hosts saw Read pump a goal kick long, Matt Platt flick the ball on and Johnson who looked marginally offside power the ball past the stand in keeper. Further salt was rubbed into the Town wounds on 83 minutes when Jones was fouled receiving a throw in but no foul was awarded and seconds later when Thompson clipped his own heels a foul was awarded to the hosts on the edge of the area from which Johnson curled the ball home. The scoreline was harsh on the visitors as Newcastle were never three goals better than St Helens but they took their chances when they came and the visitors will need to learn how to do this in games where chances are hard to come by. Newcastle Town; Read, Espley, Sheldon, Donnelly(C), Dicker(Willis 88), Douglas, Johnson, Morton, Budrys(Platt 53), Thompson, Skelton. Subs Not Used; Bourne, Nagington, Smith. St Helens Town; McCall(Frazer 24), Elias, Birch, Kay, Pitts, Burke, Stephens(G.Mitchell 71), Dyson(C), Hanley, Jones, Fargher(Evans 76). Subs Not Used; Riley, Gilchrist
Tuesday 20th October;Vodkat League Premier Division;St Helens Town 0-4 Squires Gate;0-1; David McCann 22 Minutes, 0-2 Chris Bennett 61 Minutes, 0-3; Isaac Kusaloka 80 Minutes, 0-4; Louis Mayers 82 Minutes. St Helens Town came back down to earth with a bump as after their best display of the season on Saturday they turned in their worst performance against Squires Gate. The first chance of a flat opening 15 minutes saw Marc Stephens send the ball out to John Elias on the right wing and he sent a dangerous cross into the box which got to the far post and just evaded the slide of Chris Burke. Town had a let off in the 11th minute when visiting manager Russ McKenna’s effort from just outside the box struck the right hand upright, hit Graeme McCall on the back of the head and Louis Mayers sent the rebound high over the bar. Another effort from long range by the visitors saw Zach Thomas try his luck but McCall was equal to his effort from 25 yards out and tipped it over the bar. At the other end the striker partnership of Rob Hanley & Graeme Mitchell linked with the latter’s effort from just inside the area being deflected behind for a corner by David McCann and the set piece came to nothing. The deadlock was broken on 22 minutes by an ingenious set piece, Paul Ryan took a free kick on the left and played it across to the right of the pitch rather than delivering the ball into the box as everyone expected McCann collected the ball and drilled a well placed effort into the bottom right hand corner of the net before he could be closed down. On 25 minutes a Town corner was half cleared and broke to Neil Jones who delivered a fine cross to the far post and towards Burke but Andy Speight did just enough to put the Town man off his header. A couple of minutes later Chris Bennett collected a long diagonal ball from right to left before beating his marker and getting into the box, his shot however was pushed behind for a corner. Gate could have doubled their on 37 minutes when Tom Benfield headed wide from a left wing corner. As the half drew to a close Town created an opening when Peter Birch advanced down the left and was tugged back by the defender, he managed to stay on his feet, keep the ball in play and deliver the ball to the front post where Hanley turned the ball on into the danger area but Bartlett cleared the ball to safety. The first chance of the second period fell to Hanley who collected the ball on the edge of the box with his back to goal, turned and fired off a shot which the defender did well to deflect off target and behind for a corner. On 61 minutes the visitors doubled their advantage when Bennett advanced virtually unopposed as most of the Town players backed off and he had the simple task of slotting the ball home from 8 yards out. At the other end Birch beat his man and delivered the ball into the box Speight’s attempted gather down low spilled to Hanley but his stretching effort struck the keeper and was cleared. Matters were made worse for Town when substitute Isaac Kusaloka beat Burke for pace, latched onto a through ball and slotted home with his first touch only moments after entering the fray. The embarrassment was complete on 82 minutes when Mayers headed a corner from Bennett home under no pressure and the transformation from hero’s to zero’s was completed with a reverse of Saturday’s scoreline. Gary and the lads will know that they will need to improve their performance drastically as they face the arduous task of visiting Lyme Valley Parkway Stadium to take on Newcastle Town this coming Saturday, a team who have won their opening fourteen league matches. St Helens Town; McCall, Jones, Birch(J.Foster 84), Kay, Pitts, Dyson(C)(Clarke 61), Elias, Stephens, Hanley, G.Mitchell(Fargher 61), Burke. Subs Not Used; C.Foster, Gillespie. Squires Gate; Speight, McCann, Thomas, Benfield(C), Bartlett, Ryan, Bennett(Fielding 83), McKenna, Harvie(Kusaloka 79), Mayers(Dalmeida 84), Richards. Sub Not Used; Taylor.
Saturday 17th OctoberVodkat League Premier DivisionSt Helens Town 4-0 Nelson1-0; Iain Dyson 6 Minutes, 2-0 Graeme Mitchell 43 Minutes, 3-0; Phil Mitchell 74 Minutes, 4-0; Iain Dyson 89 Minutes. Town bounced back from Tuesday’s disappointing defeat with a comfortable victory over a Nelson outfit that had won their previous four matches. An early Nelson opening gave Town a fright as Luke Hargreaves cross from the left found Martin Payne unmarked on the right of the area but Graeme McCall did enough to thwart both his initial effort and the subsequent shot from the loose ball. The hosts then spurned a chance as a great passing move saw Rob Hanley link with Mark Evans who advanced down the left and crossed towards Graeme Mitchell who headed just wide of the target. Town were more clinical with the next chance moments later, Peter Birch found Phil Mitchell who beat his man and supplied the perfect ball for skipper Iain Dyson and he rounded the keeper before rolling the ball home to open the scoring. The remainder of the first period was all St Helens Town with chance after chance being created in the acres of space afforded the hosts by Nelson. Birch headed a Phil Mitchell cross wide before Evans had a shot blocked from edge of the area and from the resultant corner Phil Mitchell’s effort was headed off the line. Further attacks saw Graeme Mitchell’s drive pushed wide by Chris Thompson and the keeper had to be alert again on 36 minutes to push Hanley’s effort behind for a corner and to complete his triple salvo of denying Town a second he parried a Marc Stephens effort back into play but when Phil Mitchell attempted to convert the loose ball he was flagged offside. Just when the Town faithful though they were going to go in at the interval just one goal to the good Graeme Mitchell doubled the lead. Stephens who had arguably the best game of his Town career dispossessed a Nelson midfielder and played an excellent through ball into the run of the Town striker who made no mistake shooting home with the outside of his left foot. The first chance of the second stanza saw Nelson almost pull a goal back as a quickly taken free kick by Lance Ogunyode on the edge of the area went just the wrong side of the right hand upright. Town were not daunted by this minor aberration and were quickly threatening up the other end of the park as Hanley and Phil Mitchell linked and on the edge of the box the latter linked with Evans who fed Dyson but the shot was just wide of the angle of post and crossbar. McCall was then called into action at the other end of the park as Lance Ogynyode found space on the right of the Town box, it took an excellent save from the Town stopper to tip the powerful effort around the post as if he had parried it back into play it would have been a tap in for Sam Heap. Next to miss a guilt edged chance was Hanley who was found by Graeme Mitchell and his shot when just wide of the right hand post, before a minute later heading an effort goalwards which Thompson held. Nelson had a purple patch around the 70 minute mark which saw John Luker have a shot deflected wide by a brave block, Heap denied by an excellent piece of goalkeeping by McCall in a one on one situation and Heap heading wide of the post when it seemed easier to score. As is often the case in football their failure to convert the openings cost them dear and instead of being back in the game it was ended as a contest in the 74th minute. Graeme Mitchell advanced from midfield and supplied brother Phil who drew the keeper and after a couple of ricochets found himself with an open goal to send the ball home into. It was a good job Town were three goals to the good as they managed to create the miss of the season on 81 minutes, Chris Burke won the ball in midfield and Stephens found Hanley on the left of the box who had a shot when Town outnumbered Nelson the keeper got a touch and it broke to Dyson who only needed to hit the target to score but tried to rip a hole in the back of the net and hit the crossbar. Dyson was to make amends on 89 minutes when Graeme Mitchell collected a through ball beat his defender and got driven to the byline by the keeper he pulled the ball back towards the Town skipper and he made no mistake this time adding his second and rounding off the win for Town. St Helens Town; McCall, Elias(Jones 78), Birch, Kay, Pitts, Dyson(C), P.Mitchell, Stephens, Hanley(Frazer 85), G.Mitchell, Evans(Burke 78). Subs Not Used; Fargher, Gilchrist. Nelson; Thompson, Finch(Smith 61), Mugan, Wright, Berry, Luker(C), Payne(Prescott 61), Higgins, Heap, L.Ogunyode, Hargreaves(C.Ogunyode 70). Subs Not Used; Cheetham, Williams.
Tuesday 13th OctoberVodkat League Premier DivisionCongleton Town 2-0 St Helens Town1-0; Scott Dundas 2 Minutes, 2-0 Graeme McCall (Own Goal) 56 Minutes. St Helens Town lost their 100% away record or should that be gave it away after a poor performance on a night keeper Graeme McCall will want to forget in a hurry. The visitors had the worst possible start as the erratic match official Mr. Marshall caution Marc Stephens for the first challenge of the game which made no contact with the Congleton winger. This was quickly followed by a piece of indecisiveness in which Dougie Pitts allowed the ball to bounce instead of meeting it to head it clear and the home skipper Scott Dundas tried his luck from 30 yards out, which 99 times out of 100 McCall would have claimed on this occasion with the stopper less than 6 yards off his line the shot was allowed to go over him centrally and into the net much to the bemusement of the travelling fans. The visitors were rocked and the hosts saw plenty of the ball in the first quarter of the match whilst St Helens Town attempted to regain their composure. On 15 minutes Pitts gained a degree of redemption as he turned a dangerous left wing cross from Danny Griggs over the bar with Dundas in attendance. On the 25 minute mark the visitors got going and a fine spell of pass and move culminated in skipper Iain Dyson collecting the ball on the edge of the box in a good position for a shot, he however decided to play in Rob Hanley whose shot was tipped over by Matt Conkie but the assistants’ flag was up for offside and the effort would not have stood. The next opening fell to Graeme Mitchell as he drove from the middle of the park and for a moment the visitors had a 3 on 3 with brother Phil and Hanley in attendance space opened up for Graeme to have a shot, but his effort went the wrong side of the left hand upright. The hosts could have doubled their advantage on 31 minutes when Mark Fitton found space on the front post but could only direct his headed effort wide of the right hand post. A quick throw on the right released John Elias and his cross was half cleared to Graeme Mitchell on the edge of the area but Conkie held his effort. Lewis Short was the next player to try his luck but McCall managed to gather his effort at the second attempt. At the other end Phil Mitchell was causing problems for the Congleton backline he had a drive from the left which culminated in a shot from the edge of the box and Conkie held, his next attack was stopped by a set of studs in his chest to which Mr Marshall bizarrely awarded an indirect free kick, did not book the offender and allowed the Congleton players to encroach into the 10 yard exclusion zone and nothing came from the free kick. The hosts started the second period well, Griggs almost doubled the Congleton lead three minutes after the restart when he curled an effort from the right of the area which struck the upright and was cleared. This was followed by a counter attack which saw Dundas somehow manage to fire a right wing cross wide when it was easier to score. The visitors conspired to put the game beyond themselves on 56 minutes when a dubiously awarded free kick which was sent into the box from the left McCall came for the cross but only succeeded in punching the ball into the net. On 58 minutes Graeme Mitchell disposed a Congleton defender and looked to advance on goal but was pulled back and in keeping with his performance the referee allowed play to continue. With time running down the visitors pressed forward in an attempt to get back into the contest, Dyson shot over the bar, Hanley headed a free kick wide of the post and Dyson failed to hot the target after an error from Conkie which saw the goal unguarded. Further pressure from St Helens saw Mike Scully and Phil Mitchell link in the area with the latter creating space and his shot looked to be arrowing into the top corner but summing up the teams’ night it struck Hanley on the back and the chance was lost. St Helens’ performance was not up to scratch on the evening and the game plan will not have been helped by conceding early in both halves and manager Gary Bickerstaffe will not be happy with the manner in which they were conceded. The boys will need to pick themselves up and dust themselves down before Saturday’s home game against Nelson. Congleton Town; Conkie, Vickers, Bostock, Smith, Fitton, Parkinson(Nesbitt 62), Baker(Robinson 75), Beeston, Short(Tulloch 70), Dundas(C), Griggs. Sub Not Used; Twigg. St Helens Town; McCall, Elias, McLoughlin(Scully 71), Kay, Pitts, Frazer(Fargher 62), Stephens(Jones 62), Dyson(C), Hanley, G.Mitchell, P.Mitchell. Subs Not Used; Evans, Birch.
Saturday 10th October 2009Vodkat League Premier DivisionFlixton 0-2 St Helens Town0-1; Rob Hanley 41 Minutes, 0-2; Graeme Mitchell 76 Minutes. Another away day in The Vodakt League Premier Division for St Helens Town saw them return to Merseyside will all three points making it five wins in five on the road against a well drilled Flixton team. The visitors showed early intent when they tested home stopper James Jowsey after only three minutes. Peter Birch making his first start for the club linked with Graeme Mitchell on the left hand edge of the area with the strikers’ effort being well held by the keeper. At the other end Flixton retaliated on 13 minutes as Andy Keogh found plenty of space but his shot from the left was easily dealt with by Graeme McCall in the Town goal. Moments later Rob Hanley was in the action as he latched onto a through ball and his effort was deflected wide of the goal by a vital intervention from Darren Vernon who turned the ball behind for a corner. With a quarter of an hour on the clock Ian Frazer linked with Mitchell whose excellent touch allowed him to take the ball down and fire off a shot which was deflected behind for a corner. At the other end Dan McDonnell’s surging run for the middle of the park after an excellent interchange saw him get to the edge of the area but his shot from the right went over the bar. Graeme Mitchell and Rob Hanley were to be involved in a couple of telling moves before the interval. First on 32 minutes Mitchell beat Dan Taylor on the right and crossed towards Hanley but the cross deflected off his shins and away to the keeper. Nine minutes later the deadlock was broken as Mitchell found Hanley with an incisive ball which saw his strike partner collect the ball beat his marker rounded the keeper, who got a touch and sent Hanley wide but there was no stopping the Town hitman who collected the loose ball and sent it into the unguarded net. Flixton could have levelled matters in the last minute of the half when Stephen Yarwood sent a loose ball from free kick over the crossbar from 18 yards. The hosts’ top scorer, Chris Smith should have levelled matters on 51 minutes when the ball broke to him 8 yards out and his free header struck the right hand post and was gratefully gathered by McCall. Another foray forward from the hosts on 69 minutes saw Yarwood make space 25 yards out and his effort went just wide of the left hand post. Hanley was back in the action on 70 minutes when an excellent piece of skill on the edge of the Flixton box saw him turn his marker and his shot was deflected wide by a despairing lunge from a defender. Hanley then profited from good work by Mike Fargher and the Town top scorers’ shot went just the wrong side of the post and into the side-netting. The decisive action came on 76 minutes when Nick McLoughlin released Mitchell with a fine ball and the striker beat his defender to the ball and took advantage of a lucky break as the ball went through Jowsey’s legs as he attempted to claim it and Mitchell slotted the ball home to secure all three points and send Town into 4th position before Tuesday’s vital trip to 3rd placed Congleton Town, an examination which will be a true test of the merits of this squad. Flixton; Jowsey, Scarry, Challinor(Brennan 71), Taylor, Vernon, Yarwood, Keogh(Edwards 79), McDonnell, Haggis(Graham 61), Smith, Matthews. Subs Not Used; Fradley, Whitehead. St Helens Town; McCall, Elias, McLoughlin, Kay, Pitts(C), Frazer(Jones 83), Stephens, Fargher(Dyson 74), Hanley, G.Mitchell, Birch(Evans 66). Subs Not Used; Gilchrist, Woods.
Tuesday 6th OctoberVodkat League Premier DivisionSt Helens Town 1-0 Formby1-0; John Elias 12 Minutes. St Helens Town “won ugly” this evening at Knowsley Road against a much improved Formby side who had been easily beaten by the hosts a few weeks ago at Altcar Road. Right Back John Elias’s mixed night of fortunes started badly when he was booked after a mere 12 seconds for the first challenge of the contest. Moments later Phil Mitchell carved an opening down the left wing and sent a cross towards Iain Dyson on the far post but he headed wide of the target. On 10 minutes the visitors had their first sight of goal when Paul Hopkins shot wide of the right hand upright. The hosts opened the scoring after 12 minutes when they broke-up a Formby attack just inside the Town half and Elias raided down the right wing powering his way into the box before unleashing a shot the went into the net off the far post, an obvious contender for goal of the season. Quick thinking by Nick McLoughlin saw him supply Rob Hanley from a throw-in and he in turn linked with Graeme Mitchell just inside the box, the latter’s effort going the wrong side of the right hand post. Formby almost levelled on 28 minutes as a quick counter attack from a Town corner saw the hosts over committed forward and looking vulnerable at the back. Hopkins pressed forward with his progress being slowed by cover from Ian Frazer and McLoughlin saw the attackers’ space limited and his shot was easily held by Graeme McCall. Phil Mitchell was again causing problems for Formby down the left wing and just after the half hour mark it was only good defending by Neil Roberts that kept the ball away from Graeme Mitchell as the centre back headed behind. Marc Stephens was next to supply a ball into the box when he crossed from the right but skipper Dyson could only head wide. Town’s attempts to double their lead almost bore fruit before half time when Hanley latched onto a long kick from McCall’s hands beat his defender’s in a foot race but could not hit the target. This was quickly followed by a great passing move that culminated in McLoughlin sending the ball into the box from the left but Graeme Mitchell headed wide. In the final moments of the half Graeme Mitchell chased a lost cause on the left touchline beat Roberts and got into the box, his cross come shot struck Hanley and was turned behind by a defender from the resulting corner the ball broke to Hanley in the box and his overhead kick beat the keeper but was headed off the line by Gary Scott. Added on time saw Dyson almost snap the crossbar with a powerful drive from the edge of the box which beat Adam Judge in the Formby goal rebounded of the woodwork and was punched clear. The second period started with a good chance for the hosts when Graeme Mitchell turned his man and linked with Hanley but his effort from the edge of the box went wide of the target. On 52 minutes Hanley had to be replaced suffering from a slight concussion and Town lost their shape and seemed to be unable to keep hold of the ball. Formby came forward at their hosts as Paul Jackson worked down the left and sent a cross towards Jay Edwards but he did not get hold of the ball properly and his shot was wide of the goal. At the other end Marc Stephens sent a well struck volley goalwards in the aftermath of a free kick but Judge was well placed to tip the effort over the bar. On 66 minutes Formby again threatened, Edwards found the run of substitute Paul Williams but he was closed down in the area by Dougie Pitts and he turned the ball behind, from the resultant set-piece Roberts’ header on the far post had to be tipped around the post by McCall. Formby pressed forward but failed to find the killer touch in front of goal and on 80 minutes Town almost wrapped the game up, substitute Peter Birch sent a dangerous cross into the box from the left which Graeme Mitchell met with an audacious overhead kick which deserved a goal but struck the crossbar with the keeper beaten and was cleared. Elias’s evening took a second bad turn when he was sent off for a second bookable offence on 81 minutes and Graeme Mitchell was quickly sacrificed as Neil Jones came on to slot in at right back. In what felt like a long 9 minutes plus an additional 4 minutes of added on time the hosts struggled to keep hold of the ball and tiredness began to tell. Stephens however missed a golden opportunity to win the match when Birch sent a ball into the box but his attempted header struck him on the shoulder and went wide of the right hand post. Formby had a couple of notable late chances to gain a point from the encounter when first Williams shot narrowly wide from 30 yards and then Jackson shot over the bar from the edge of the box. So Town held on to secure victory and in doing so ensured that they met manager Gary Bickerstaffe’s first target of the season gaining 20 points from the first ten matches, achieving the feat with a game to spare. The manager and the squad will be under no illusion about the performance this afternoon but as has been said many times over the years winning when not playing well is the sign of a good team. St Helens Town; McCall, Elias, McLoughlin, Kay, Pitts, Frazer, Stephens, Dyson(C), Hanley(Scully 52), G.Mitchell(N.Jones 83), P.Mitchell(Birch 79). Subs Not Used; Fargher, Woods.
Formby; Judge, Page(Williams 64), Jackson, O’Driscoll, Roberts, Malley, Edwards, McKane, Crowder(Austin 68), Hopkins, Scott. Subs Not Used; Boden, Young, C.Jones.
Saturday 3rd October 2009Vodkat League Premier DivisionRuncorn Linnets 1-2 St Helens Town1-0; Rob Whyte 4 Minutes(Penalty), 1-1; Marc Stephens 23 Minutes, 1-2; Graeme Mitchell 66 Minutes. Town overcame Runcorn Linnets and awful weather conditions to avenge last season’s late, late loss at the same ground. The visitors had the worst possible start as an early ball into the Town box struck Nick McLoughlin on the arm aided by the swirling wind and Mr. Hayward pointed to the spot, former Town man Rob Whyte sent the ball to Graeme McCall’s right but just far enough away from his grasp to net and put Runcorn into the lead. Town battled back and spurned a chance when John Elias found Phil Mitchell with an excellent diagonal ball this released him behind the full back but his first touch was heavy and went behind for a goal kick. The visitors levelled on 23 minutes when Marc Stephens tried his luck from 25 yards and beat home stopper Robbie Holcroft with the aid of a slight deflection off Simon Myerscough. Town with the wind at their backs tried to make the advantage pay as they dominated possession and attacked the hosts’ goal, Phil Mitchell had an effort from 20 yards which went just wide of the left hand post. Graeme Mitchell was next to have an opening as he was found by brother Phil but the chance was lost when Myerscough dispossessed him. Rob Hanley was next to be denied as he was found by player of the month Elias and the strikers’ shot looked to be arrowing home Holcroft pulled a save out of the top draw to tip over the bar. The half ended with Graeme Mitchell collecting the ball on the edge of the area, turning and shooting wide of the right hand post so parity was ensured at the interval. The hosts may be been expecting an advantage in the second period with the wind at their backs but the conditions did not suit their long ball game. Town had the first chance of the half when a ball broke to Phil Mitchell on the edge of the box and his shot curled wide of the apex of the post and crossbar. Paul Fildes latched onto a long ball on 54 minutes but when he found space he was thwarted by a good save from McCall. At the other end Hanley was denied by the woodwork as his shot from an acute angle on the right hand side of the area beat Holcroft but rebounded off the left hand post. The visitors’ were denied a stonewall penalty on 65 minutes when Graeme Mitchell had his legs taken from under him through on goal but he had the last laugh moments later as he put Town into the lead trying an effort from the right of the area which struck the right post and rolled along the line before nestling into the side netting on the left of the goal. The hosts did not threaten the visitors’ goal in the remaining stages of the game and the only talking point of the final stages was a fracas after Phil Mitchell was kicked in the head clearing a high ball which saw Runcorn skipper Steven Cunningham sent off and Town’s Graeme McCall and Peter Birch booked. So Town left Northwich with all three points and regained fifth position in the table leap-frogging above the hosts in the process. Runcorn Linnets; Holcroft, Wood, Newell, Balazs, Howard, Myerscough, Sherlock(Billingham 60), Cunningham(C), Roscoe(Hayder 76) , Whyte, Fildes(Quinliuan-Grech 76). Sub Not Used; Rigby, Campbell. St Helens Town; McCall, Elias, McLoughlin(Birch 66), Kay, Pitts, Frazer, Stephens, Dyson(c), Hanley, G.Mitchell(Scully 88), P.Mitchell. Subs Not Used; Fargher, Jones, Woods.
