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FC United get first pre-season win at Buxton

FC United get first pre-season win at BuxtonFC United grabbed their first win of the pre-season programme with a 2-1 win against Buxton at Silverlands on Saturday thanks to a Jerome Wright penalty and a second half strike from substitute Sean Cooke.

After two games which ended in a defeat (at Hereford) and a draw (at Sheffield), the Reds hit the ground running looking like they had blown away any pre-season cobwebs that may have been there previously and began the game brightly.

Tom Greaves looked sharp from the beginning and both Rory Fallon and Steve Boothman provided threat from the flanks. United took the lead after a cross in the box saw a home defender bundle Greaves to the ground giving United a penalty. Wright stepped up and converted to give the men in red a goal advantage at the break.

After the break, FC United made six changes straight away, but the old cliché of so many changes taking the sting out of the game was proved wrong. Within 10 minutes of the restart, one of the substitutes Cooke passed the ball into the back of the net, finishing off a good team move to double the advantage.

It could have been three just minutes later as the Reds came forward once more, with the fresh players linking up well and Corey Williams being denied by the crossbar.

It wasn’t all United though as the home team pulled a goal back with 20 minutes left and they went close for an equaliser moments from time rattling the crossbar of a beaten Nick Culkin in between the sticks.

Performances and fitness looked to have improved within the first week and a win can only build confidence going into the season. Three more games next week for FC United, starting locally at Prestwich Heys on Tuesday evening.

Website Man of the Match: Rory Fallon – In a game where most played a half or a little more, Fallon stood out in the first half following up from a similarly impressive display at Sheffield on Tuesday evening.

Report by Craig Phillips



First Posted ~ 10:11 Mon 20 Jul 2015
News ID ~ 6266
Last Updated ~ 16:00 Fri 19 Feb 2021