Mellor Thirds 6-0 Bury Amateur Seconds
Match report provided by Third Team Manager Adam Axford:
After a 6-0 drubbing at home in our last game we really had to be back to our best and put it behind us today! With 7/8 players missing through work and injury etc we were lucky that the Firsts and Seconds were both postponed, allowing us to field a strong side against a Bury team who crumbled against us just two games previous.
We started the game brightly with Jonny Cooke linking up well down the right and causing problems for the Bury defence. Immy and Ian A were also hassling the defence who did not look comfortable on the ball.
On 5 minutes after one of Bury's first attacks, keeper Benn McGregor gathered the ball and instantly delivered the ball out to Cooke on the half way line. Cooke drove at the Bury defence, cut back and cooly finished across the keeper to make it 1-0, no less than Mellor deserved for their early domination.
Just a minute later Cooke again was causing problems, he was hacked down on the edge of the box, the ball went out of play and the ref indicated a corner, The corner was swung in and headed back across by Craig Fairfield for the willing Ian A to smash home from a couple of yards to make it 2-0.
Mellor continued to dominate the first half making several chances but it wasn't until the 25th minute they got another goal. More great link up play left Fred Keyte free on the edge of the box to tee up Ian A just left of goal to thump the ball into the top right hand corner, giving the keeper no chance.
Five minutes before the break Mellor made it 4-0, a great turn on the edge of his own box gave David Dunn the space to drive up the line a deliver a deep cross into the box where Jack Kuehl was waiting to fire the ball over the keeper and in off the bar on the volley, another great strike!
Half time was 4-0 and the players were told to keep things tight and make sure we made the most of any chance we had in the second half.
It didn't take long for the fifth, Ian A playing a 1-2 with Cooke, playing him into the box to again drag the ball across the keeper and into the net off the foot of the post.
On 60 minutes Jonny Valentine and Rick Nuttall replaced Jonny Cooke and David Dunn at right midfield and left back. Mellor continued to press and on 65 minutes Fred Keyte got the reward for his hard work on the left hand side, he was laid straight through the middle by Ian A, hurdled a challenge from behind and slotted past the on-rushing keeper to make it 6-0.
It should have been 7 ten minutes later when Fred and Ian A surged into the box, Fred squared to Ian for his hattrick but he chose to turn the keeper and then the finish was blocked on the line by a defender who some how got back to cover.
Adam Axford made a rare appearance replacing Ian A with 15 left. Ian later coming back on to replace Immy who fell heavily after challenging for a header.
Bury failed to threaten in the last few minutes and McGregor got a well deserved clean sheet!
All round a great performance! Massive thanks to the other two Mellor teams for the emergency loan players who all played well.
Next up is Stocs in the Whitehead Cup at home which will be a tough game, we will need to be at our best!
Up the Thirds!
