Whalley Range Thirds 4-3 Mellor Thirds
Match report provided by Third Team Manager Adam Axford:
We went in to this game knowing it would be tough against a side challenging for the title and having lost to them comprehensively earlier in the season.
We conceded early, Luke Skeer conceding a blatant penalty which was converted after just 12 minutes. After going behind we picked ourselves up and started to get back into the game. Some slick passing got us over the half way, Jack Barraclough making inroads down the right hand side and putting in a dangerous cross that was put into his own net by the Whalley centre half.
At half time is was 1-1 and we knew we had a great chance to get something out of the game. We got off to the worst possible start in the second half, conceding in the first minute to go 2-1 down.
Ten minutes later we were back on terms, a great long throw by new boy Dean Higginson was nodded home by big Lewis Hanlon for 2-2. Just a few minutes later we were ahead, Fred Keyte slotting home for 2-3, we were in front for the first time in the match.
After this Whalley picked themselves up and started again to cause us problems, we conceded three of four freekicks in dangerous positions, two of which were deflected in, wrong footing Benn in net and leaving us trailing 4-3.
We created a couple of other chances late on but it wasn't to be. The performance was however a marked improvement on the first meeting of the season and a good marker ahead of the upcoming Semi final v the same team.
Up the Thirds!
