Old Ashtonians Firsts 1-3 Mellor Firsts
Match report provided by Craig Fairfield:
Mellor First Team picked up their second away win of the season with a workman like performance against a struggling Ashtonians, with goals from Palmer, Cooke and McCauley, being enough to secure the three points for Simon Dalby’s men.
Following last weeks display against Parrswood, Mellor went to Ashton Sixth Form College in high spirits knowing a win would take them top of the league, Mellor did take all three points but didn’t reach the heady highs of the previous week.
The game started with Mellor certainly looking like the side that could go top and Ashtonians looking like a side that will be in a relegation battle. But it was Ashtonians who forced the first corner, the delivery from the player in red was excellent but so were Cooney’s hands when he came out quickly from his line and plucked the ball out of the air with apparent ease, Cooney immediately released the ball down field to McAuley who wasn’t able to bring the ball under his spell.
The next ten minutes of the match were very scrappy and unfortunately for the spectator it wasn’t to improve, Ashtonians were happy to get around Mellor’s midfield, which on a slow grass pitch were struggling to find the rhythm of recent weeks.
When the ball did break down for Mellor they were unable to play quick, when the ball broke down for Ashtonians they knew that their best chance of scoring was the long ball “Tossed” into the box, With several large players in the Ashtonians team every time a free kick was given any where near the Mellor half up came the big men in red to try and make the most of it.
It was on 12 minutes when the deadlock was broken, it came from some good work down the left which allowed McAuley to run into the channel and cut the ball back across the 6 yard box un-selfishly for Mike Palmer to tap home, Palmer and Mellor deserved the goal on the balance of play even though good football was at a premium, the majority of the rations were being enjoyed by Mellor.
The next 20 minutes continued in the same vein with Ashtonians relying on the long ball into the box and Mellor trying to get the ball down and play.
Then came the best move of the half which should of seen Mellor double their lead, Wheelan dispossessing the Ashtonians left winger and then playing in Dalby down the right, the speedy wide man danced past the Ashtonians Left back and delivered a ball straight into the danger area, McAuley was lurking ready to take his chance when Randle from know where took the ball off the strikers toe missing the target.
This wasn’t the first time that Randle had got into the box, the midfield man having more touches in the oppositions box than any other Mellor player in the first half. The rest of the half was probably Ashtonians best spell of the game with the home side utilizing the long ball and a series of throw ins to gain territory and apply pressure to Dalby’s men, it was a good job however that Mellor were resolute in defense.
There were times when Ashtonians must have thought Paul Swann was playing in all four defensive positions with the skipper looking insurmountable in defense.
It wasn’t just the skipper having a good game the back four as a unit looked solid with David Dunne, normally best known for terrorizing opposition defenses finding himself playing as a more conventional left back, making several good interceptions and tackles including 2 very strong headed clearances.
The half ended with Ashtonians in the ascendancy but losing their composure when their center back decided to attack the Mellor striker giving the referee little choice but to send him off. Dalby and Beer reiterated the need for calm at half time with the emphasis on keeping the ball down and playing the Mellor way.
It was clear from the restart that Mellor had taken on board what the management team had said at half time and were straight out of the blocks and all over Ashtonians.
Mellor thought they had doubled their lead on 55 minutes when Randle again on a marauding run into the oppositions box found the net only to be ruled offside by referee Bill Hines, it was a tough game for the ref with no linesmen giving a couple of offside decisions that were dubious at best.
Mellor finally doubled their lead two minutes later when excellent work down the left between Cooke and McAuley ended with Cooke cutting inside onto his right foot and firing home a fierce effort from 20 yards into the roof of the net.
Mellor were now trying to press on and kill the game and continued to play a higher tempo than they had in the first half, but were still not at their fluid best in front of goal, typified by McAuley missing his second good chance of the game.
On another day McAuley may well have had a hat-trick (based on the strikers usually high standards), but this didn’t look like it was going to be the strikers day, until, like all good marksmen he finally broke his duck and rather fortuitously found the net with a heavily deflected shot which ricocheted into the top corner of the net for three nil. Dalby then made his first change with Beer coming on for Randle.
Ashtonians then rallied and with Mellor guilty of taking their foot off the gas and allowing territory deserved to concede what would only be a consolation goal, Ashtonians with a typical free kick from half way “lumped the ball” into the box, the ball was only partially cleared with the return ball being sent straight back into the penalty area where a lack of communication between Oldham and Cooney allowed the Ashtonians player to run in unchallenged and finish into the empty net.
The Ashtonians goal only lead to focus Mellor’s attention, as they again stepped it up a gear, with some excellent calm play and game management.
None more so than from substitute Ben Beer who was encouraging good build up play out from the back with some excellent touches and passes across the back four and also with a raking pass into the right channel where McAuley almost pulled off an audacious back heel to play in the on rushing Dalby but the Ashtonians defender just managed to get a foot in before the wide man was able to dispatch his shot.
With five minutes of the game remaining Dalby made his second change of the game, with McAuley making way for Bruce Clarke in a straight swap up front, Clarke returning from a three week lay off through injury should have scored with his first touch of the match when he rushed through onto a perfectly waited through ball only to be thwarted by the on rushing Ashtonians keeper, had the player had more minutes under his belt he would surely have netted Mellor’s fourth goal of the game.
The final few minutes faded away into insignificance leaving Mellor with the three points.
Some photos of the game below:
