Mellor Firsts 2-1 Old Trafford and Gorse Hill Firsts
Match report provided by Craig Fairfield:
Mellor First Team faced their toughest test of the season so far welcoming high Flyers Old Trafford Gorse Hill to Newhall Green. It was a tight game played at an impressive tempo with Mellor just shaving the encounter thanks to some inspirational forward play by Joe Dalby. This was a game that after 5 second half minutes Mellor were odds on to lose, however this Mellor side do not know when they are beat and winning is a habit that Mellor cannot seem to shake.
The management team of Dalby and Beer had some key decisions to make prior to kick off none more so than how they would set up the team in the absence of regular starters, Randle, Oldham, McAuley and the long term injured Fairfield.
Dalby & Beer decided on youth and it was clear from the first whistle that they had made a shrewd decision, OTGH were set up with three at the back employing wing backs to get onto the long, wide, out ball quickly, meaning pace in the full back positions was imperative for a solid back four.
The game started as it was to continue with both sides looking confident but OTGH looking the more aggressive from the Kick Off forcing a corner in the first minute, which luckily for Mellor came to nothing. It wasn’t long before Mellor started to find a better rhythm and started to put pressure back on the OTGH back three, forcing two consecutive corners down the right.
Mike Palmer had Mellor’s best chances of the opening exchanges, holding up an excellent long ball from Cooney before firing a venomous shot at the OTGH keeper who managed to parry over for a corner, Palmer then rose highest from the subsequent set play only to head over the bar.
Twenty minutes in and the game had settled into an excellent competition between two very well organized, fit and highly motivated sides, Mellor were shaving the encounter with some excellent play in midfield from Mike Palmer, with Rob Crossley on the right looking a constant threat, however, being guilty at times of a lack in end product.
OTGH did look to punish Mellor whenever they were sloppy in possession or guilty of over committing players forward in the haste to break the deadlock.
It was on the half hour mark that Mellor had the wake up call they needed, Dave Wheelan looking to play out from the back took an extra touch and was dispossessed in a dangerous position 30 yards out from goal, OTGH should have scored but Cooney was out off his line like a lion hunting a gazelle to narrow the angle and force the striker to blaze the wall wide.
This chance gave OTGH a renewed sense of hope and they started to apply pressure to Mellor who were now having to dig in and keep tight to avoid going a goal down.
Wheelan making up for his earlier mistake and Paul Swan in his usual role of Viking were immense at the center of Mellor’s defense aptly supported by the excellent Dunne and Harrold in the full back positions. They held a perfect line catching the lively attackers of OTGH offside on several occasions, as the half reached is climax.
Two minutes before half time Mellor were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position, Wheelan stepped up and delivered a fierce shot, which looked to be sailing into the top corner only for the ball to rattle the bar, the closest Mellor had come to breaking the deadlock by some distance. The Half ended with Mellor just shaving the tie at this stage.
The second half started in the same manner as the first with OTGH looking to explode out of the traps, Mellor were shell shocked by this intensity when some smart play down the left and the inside left channel forced a save from Cooney.
Mellor however did not take note and less than a minute later the ball was in the back of Cooney’s net, again slick play through the middle allowed the OTGH midfield man playing the number 10 role to cut inside and wrong foot Cooney for 0-1.
Pretty much straight from the restart Bruce Clarke ran through on goal only to be given offside, the young striker showing his lack of experience and brain cells in telling the ref to Fuck Off, deservedly receiving the Red Card.
The dismissal of Clarke forced Dalby into an immediate change, replacing Coram with B.Dalby, and J.Dalby Moving upfront.
Before Mellor had chance to adapt to the re-shape, OTGH nearly doubled their lead only to be thwarted by the on rushing Cooney, off his line again with cat like agility to cut the angle and make the save low to his left.
OTGH were clearly enjoying the lion’s share of possession and their best spell of the game creating chances with relative ease.
It wasn’t until the twentieth minute of the second half that Mellor finally got a foothold back in the tie, winning a corner from a Crossley long throw, however when the corner came to nothing Mellor soon found themselves back in their defensive shape and absorbing another wave of OTGH Pressure.
The waves of pressure were to be short lived though, with B.Dalby working in tandem with Palmer in the center of the park and with Dunne now being employed as more of a winger than a left back Mellor started to turn the tide.
On the hour mark, Dalby and Dalby linked well down the right and forced a free kick from the free kick came a corner followed by a handful of further chances.
The discontinuous momentum of OTGH was now evident to the men in blue and each player seemed to gain 10% outplaying the eleven men of OTGH like rocky vs Drago in Rocky 4. Mellor Started to believe. On 70 minutes Mellors Guile finally told, Cooney making a simple save from an OTGH free kick, then sent the ball down field with unerring accuracy to Rob Crossley the wide man jinking and faking before linking with Joe Dalby who then slotted home for 1-1.
Mellor could smell blood and whilst Cooney called for calm Dunne did the exact opposite bombing on from left back time after time, terrorizing the right flank of OTGH. Then it happened with ten minutes left of normal time.
Barry Dalby hunting the ball down in midfield forced the mistake from the OTGH midfielder, after forcing the error and picking up the loose ball he fed it out to Crossley on the right the young winger buoyed by his previous assist was now playing with confidence, beating his man and delivering a sumptuous ball into the danger area where Joe Dalby straining every sinew forced the ball into the net for his and Mellor’s second goal sparking scenes of elation in the Mellor camp.
Dalby immediately shuffled his pack changing Crossley and J.Dalby for McKenna and Beer.
The last ten minutes of the game played out as to be expected with OTGH throwing everything at Mellor in the hope of a goal but the ten men of Mellor stood strong.
Ben Beer putting the back six of OTGH under pressure whenever they were in possession, chasing the ball down like a male giraffe chasing its next mate.
With a minute left OTGH were awarded a free kick, even the keeper came up for the delivery which was forced for a corner, the corner came in and broke down to nothing with Cooney collecting the ball and sending it up field to the sound of the referees final whistle.
Mellor were excellent all over the pitch with massive performances in every position but special mention must go to both Dalby brothers, Cain Harrold, Mike Palmer & Kev Cooney who were all immense on the day.
The importance and significance of this performance and result can only be emphasized by The following Quote from Manager Simon Dalby.
“having been at mellor for several years this (performance) with ten men ranks amongst the best of them, this is right up there”
