FC United make it six in succession at Stocksbridge
FC United’s push for promotion continues in style as we recorded our sixth consecutive league victory in a 4-1 win at Stocksbridge Park Steels on Saturday afternoon, thanks to a brace from Charlie Raglan and one goal each from Lee Neville and Astley Mulholland.
The result means the Reds are still fifth in the Evo-Stik Premier Division but if we win our two games in hand it will put us into second position, leapfrogging Skelmersdale, Fylde and Worksop.
In an unusual turn of events, four of the five goals at Stocksbridge came from FC United corners, all of which were taken by Liam Brownhill.
Centre-back Raglan scored his first goal for the club in the second minute, smashing a ball into the roof of the net from close range after the Steels had failed to clear a corner.
Some 32 minutes later he repeated the feat, this time heading home directly from Brownhill’s corner. United had had the lion’s share of possession but a 2-0 scoreline was perhaps a bit unfair on the hosts who had looked dangerous on the break.
And so it proved right on the stroke of half-time. Stocksbridge booted clear a FC United corner and Jake Eyre was released down the left. The Steels striker raced away to finish low and hard past goalkeeper David Carnell, making it 2-1 and giving the hosts some hope going into the break.
But the hope was to be short-lived for the South Yorkshire side. Manager Karl Marginson looked to sure up his defence for the remaining 45 minutes by introducing Neville at half-time for Adam Jones and switching from a 3-5-2 formation to 4-4-2.
Margy probably had Neville’s pace in mind for coping with Stocksbridge’s nippy wingers Matthew Hamshaw and Liam Royles. But Neville showed what he can do at the other end too by heading home United’s third seven minutes after the restart. The goal coming once again from a Brownhill corner.
It could easily have been different though as five minutes previously, the outstanding Raglan put in a superb, crunching slide-tackle on goalscorer Eyre when he was bearing down on goal.
The challenge could well have won the match because it maintained United’s lead, which Neville then added to, restoring the Reds’ two goal cushion and after that United were in full control for the rest of the afternoon.
Another substitute, Mulholland, who looked a real handful during his 20 minute cameo, scored the fourth. The winger, on for Jerome Wright, slammed the ball into an empty net from close range after Mike Norton cut out goalkeeper Jack Ward from the play by squaring to his teammate.
The fourth goal completed a very impressive performance by the Reds and, more importantly at this stage of the season, gained us another three points towards overhauling the four teams above us.
Website man of the match: Charlie Raglan - scored two first half goals to set the Reds on their way and put in a superb goal-saving tackle with the score at 2-1.
Report by Matthew Haley
The result means the Reds are still fifth in the Evo-Stik Premier Division but if we win our two games in hand it will put us into second position, leapfrogging Skelmersdale, Fylde and Worksop.
In an unusual turn of events, four of the five goals at Stocksbridge came from FC United corners, all of which were taken by Liam Brownhill.
Centre-back Raglan scored his first goal for the club in the second minute, smashing a ball into the roof of the net from close range after the Steels had failed to clear a corner.
Some 32 minutes later he repeated the feat, this time heading home directly from Brownhill’s corner. United had had the lion’s share of possession but a 2-0 scoreline was perhaps a bit unfair on the hosts who had looked dangerous on the break.
And so it proved right on the stroke of half-time. Stocksbridge booted clear a FC United corner and Jake Eyre was released down the left. The Steels striker raced away to finish low and hard past goalkeeper David Carnell, making it 2-1 and giving the hosts some hope going into the break.
But the hope was to be short-lived for the South Yorkshire side. Manager Karl Marginson looked to sure up his defence for the remaining 45 minutes by introducing Neville at half-time for Adam Jones and switching from a 3-5-2 formation to 4-4-2.
Margy probably had Neville’s pace in mind for coping with Stocksbridge’s nippy wingers Matthew Hamshaw and Liam Royles. But Neville showed what he can do at the other end too by heading home United’s third seven minutes after the restart. The goal coming once again from a Brownhill corner.
It could easily have been different though as five minutes previously, the outstanding Raglan put in a superb, crunching slide-tackle on goalscorer Eyre when he was bearing down on goal.
The challenge could well have won the match because it maintained United’s lead, which Neville then added to, restoring the Reds’ two goal cushion and after that United were in full control for the rest of the afternoon.
Another substitute, Mulholland, who looked a real handful during his 20 minute cameo, scored the fourth. The winger, on for Jerome Wright, slammed the ball into an empty net from close range after Mike Norton cut out goalkeeper Jack Ward from the play by squaring to his teammate.
The fourth goal completed a very impressive performance by the Reds and, more importantly at this stage of the season, gained us another three points towards overhauling the four teams above us.
Website man of the match: Charlie Raglan - scored two first half goals to set the Reds on their way and put in a superb goal-saving tackle with the score at 2-1.
Report by Matthew Haley
First Posted ~ 17:34 Sat 8 Mar 2014
News ID ~ 5398
Last Updated ~ 01:52 Tue 16 Feb 2021