Match Report
The Evo-Stik Premier Division title race will go to the final match of the season next Saturday as FC United came back from 2-0 down against Ashton United to win our second five goal thriller of the Easter weekend.
With league leaders Chorley winning 4-0 against Marine, the Reds had to beat the Robins on Monday afternoon to remain one point behind and we did exactly that but it required a 90th minute winner from substitute Greg Daniels in a pulsating contest.
Our last ever league opponents at Gigg Lane raced into a 2-0 lead after 23 minutes and were still two goals to the good with 30 minutes to go. However, Tom Greaves, Mike Norton and Daniels got the goals their play deserved after bombarding the Ashton penalty area in the last third of the match.
Greaves slid in a rebound to get the rescue underway just after the hour mark. Ten minutes later, Norton steered in the equaliser after an intelligent square ball from Liam Brownhill. And Daniels sent the vast majority of the 3,056 supporters packed into Gigg Lane into raptures when he headed home the last minute winner from a corner.
After coming back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to win 3-2 at Stamford on Saturday, the Reds did it the hard way again on Easter Monday. We were 1-0 down after one minute when Chris Lynch’s stooping header turned a bouncing corner over the line for Ashton. It was a sign of things to come as, in a classic game of two halves, both teams were a lot better when attacking the Manchester Road End.
Ashton were dragging United all over the place and our 3-5-2 formation didn’t seem to be working on this occasion. Two bits of good goalkeeping in quick succession on 17 minutes by Dave Carnell to deny Dale Johnson and then Chris Baguley kept the score at 1-0 but six minutes later it was doubled.
Matthew Chadwick curled a good shot into the bottom corner after a mix up in defence saw captain Dean Stott fire his clearance into Jerome Wright who was tracking Chadwick back towards goal. It was Stott’s only real mistake of the match but United were punished for it.
With the Reds struggling to get any foothold in the game, manager Karl Marginson made the unusual step of making a substitution five minutes before half-time. Winger Astley Mulholland came on for centre-back Adam Jones as United switched to 4-4-2. Former player of the season Jones was obviously frustrated to be the player sacrificed but it proved to be an inspired move as it transformed the game completely.
Into the second half, Callum Byrne was starting to dictate the tempo of the match for United and the midfielder’s low, teasing cross should have led to our first goal as both Greaves then Norton failed to get the ball beyond goalkeeper Paul Phillips.
Three minutes later though and United did grab a lifeline. Mulholland’s pace and trickery was proving a handful for the Robins backline and it was his cross from the right that led to the Reds’ first goal. Phillips made a point-blank stop from Norton but Greaves was the first player on the scene, sliding in to send the loose ball over the line for 2-1.
Seven minutes later, the usually cucumber cool Matthew Wolfenden seemed to have a rush of blood to the head. The forward went through one-on-one but tried to lob the on rushing Phillips when his more familiar technique of a low, hard finish probably would have been better.
It didn’t matter though because on 71 minutes Brownhill and Norton sprung the Robins offside trap to grab the equaliser. The fullback raced onto a high ball from Carnell before playing in Norton, who finished with aplomb.
FC United had Ashton under the cosh with Brownhill, Byrne and Mulholland peppering the six yard area with dangerous crosses. The visitors dealt with everything thrown at them though. Until the final minute. A Brownhill corner was headed back across goal by centre-back Tom Davies and Daniels leapt like a salmon to send the ball over the line and FC United into delirium.
The Reds are now one point behind Chorley with one game to go. If Chorley fail to beat Buxton and we win at Barwell, we will be champions. If not, we must go into the play-offs for the fourth consecutive season. Squeaky bum time.
Website man of the match - Callum Byrne. Really tough to pick one stand-out player as everyone played their part in the second half rescue operation but Byrne was integral in getting the ball on the ground and getting FC United to play match winning football.
Report by Matthew Haley.
Match Report
The Evo-Stik Premier Division title race will go to the final match of the season next Saturday as FC United came back from 2-0 down against Ashton United to win our second five goal thriller of the Easter weekend.
With league leaders Chorley winning 4-0 against Marine, the Reds had to beat the Robins on Monday afternoon to remain one point behind and we did exactly that but it required a 90th minute winner from substitute Greg Daniels in a pulsating contest.
Our last ever league opponents at Gigg Lane raced into a 2-0 lead after 23 minutes and were still two goals to the good with 30 minutes to go. However, Tom Greaves, Mike Norton and Daniels got the goals their play deserved after bombarding the Ashton penalty area in the last third of the match.
Greaves slid in a rebound to get the rescue underway just after the hour mark. Ten minutes later, Norton steered in the equaliser after an intelligent square ball from Liam Brownhill. And Daniels sent the vast majority of the 3,056 supporters packed into Gigg Lane into raptures when he headed home the last minute winner from a corner.
After coming back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to win 3-2 at Stamford on Saturday, the Reds did it the hard way again on Easter Monday. We were 1-0 down after one minute when Chris Lynch’s stooping header turned a bouncing corner over the line for Ashton. It was a sign of things to come as, in a classic game of two halves, both teams were a lot better when attacking the Manchester Road End.
Ashton were dragging United all over the place and our 3-5-2 formation didn’t seem to be working on this occasion. Two bits of good goalkeeping in quick succession on 17 minutes by Dave Carnell to deny Dale Johnson and then Chris Baguley kept the score at 1-0 but six minutes later it was doubled.
Matthew Chadwick curled a good shot into the bottom corner after a mix up in defence saw captain Dean Stott fire his clearance into Jerome Wright who was tracking Chadwick back towards goal. It was Stott’s only real mistake of the match but United were punished for it.
With the Reds struggling to get any foothold in the game, manager Karl Marginson made the unusual step of making a substitution five minutes before half-time. Winger Astley Mulholland came on for centre-back Adam Jones as United switched to 4-4-2. Former player of the season Jones was obviously frustrated to be the player sacrificed but it proved to be an inspired move as it transformed the game completely.
Into the second half, Callum Byrne was starting to dictate the tempo of the match for United and the midfielder’s low, teasing cross should have led to our first goal as both Greaves then Norton failed to get the ball beyond goalkeeper Paul Phillips.
Three minutes later though and United did grab a lifeline. Mulholland’s pace and trickery was proving a handful for the Robins backline and it was his cross from the right that led to the Reds’ first goal. Phillips made a point-blank stop from Norton but Greaves was the first player on the scene, sliding in to send the loose ball over the line for 2-1.
Seven minutes later, the usually cucumber cool Matthew Wolfenden seemed to have a rush of blood to the head. The forward went through one-on-one but tried to lob the on rushing Phillips when his more familiar technique of a low, hard finish probably would have been better.
It didn’t matter though because on 71 minutes Brownhill and Norton sprung the Robins offside trap to grab the equaliser. The fullback raced onto a high ball from Carnell before playing in Norton, who finished with aplomb.
FC United had Ashton under the cosh with Brownhill, Byrne and Mulholland peppering the six yard area with dangerous crosses. The visitors dealt with everything thrown at them though. Until the final minute. A Brownhill corner was headed back across goal by centre-back Tom Davies and Daniels leapt like a salmon to send the ball over the line and FC United into delirium.
The Reds are now one point behind Chorley with one game to go. If Chorley fail to beat Buxton and we win at Barwell, we will be champions. If not, we must go into the play-offs for the fourth consecutive season. Squeaky bum time.
Website man of the match - Callum Byrne. Really tough to pick one stand-out player as everyone played their part in the second half rescue operation but Byrne was integral in getting the ball on the ground and getting FC United to play match winning football.
Report by Matthew Haley.
