13th December
First XI Match Report
A depleted Saints squad made the short trip to Wardle on a cold winter afternoon.
We didn’t start great and Wardle took a 1-0 lead which kicked us into gear.
Some high pressure and football soon found us back in the game, thanks to a J. Hebb penalty. We then took the lead through a scorcher from B. Durrant, who then netted home his second not long after.
3-1 at half time, we dropped off and conceded two poor goals, needing a winner in a game that was ours.
Late on S. Keown found the winner from a J. Doolin peach of a pass, giving the Saints the 3 points.
Not pretty in tough conditions, 3 points before Christmas.
MOTM- S. Casey Clarke, good on the ball and off it, causing lots of problems and unlucky not to be awarded a couple of penalties from clear opportunities!
Development Team Match Report
Development Team 1 - 3 Old Mancunians
Last Game Before the Break
Coming off a humbling defeat to Breightmet, we needed to reset and return to basics. We switched up our system and tactical approach against a clinical Mancs side.
The first half was a tightly contested 50/50 battle. We showed improved promise going forward, with our midfield linking well to progress the ball into the final third and create chances. We got several shots off and could have easily opened the scoring. Mancs posed threats from the wide areas, and both teams traded spells on top. They opened the scoring half an hour in, when a mis-managed defensive set up on our left allowed a pinpoint cross to the back post, resulting in a simple tap-in to an unmarked man.
At halftime, we reinforced our plan, clarifying expectations for each position. Everyone was on the same page and it was pleasing to witness invested discussions from the players after management spoke. The second half saw effort levels return to the standards we expect, proving to me that our recent performances weren't reflective of who we are and that we are in a position to break the poor habits we slipped into. We entered the second 45 with purpose, and after sustained pressure from our forwards, we equalised. On his first game for the club, Jamie Williams delivered a pinpoint cross from 35 yards out on the left wing, which Cliffe met first to convert. On balance, 1-1 was a fair reflection of both teams' efforts up to that point.
The game continued in waves - five-minute spells of control for us, then for them. Their second goal was frustrating. A long missile of a direct ball hung in the air forever, making it tough to judge. It dropped perfectly into an uncovered pocket, and their forward's touch converted it over the line at a snail's pace.
We didn't let it prevent us from playing our game and the lads pushed hard for another. Chances fell to Raza, Cliffe, and Tim, but we couldn't capitalise - mainly due to Mancs' committed defending. We suffered a huge loss when midfielder Jack Tierney pulled his good hamstring while pressing, forcing us to rearrange a couple of forwards deeper and out of their natural positions.
Mancs were awarded a dubious penalty after Luke Grant's 50/50 challenge; following loud claims, the ref debated before pulling play back after 15 seconds to point to the spot. Peter Dalton made a brilliant save, diving the right way and holding onto the ball to deny any rebound.
Naturally we then committed more bodies forward in search of a point, we got caught on the counter. Hayden's attempt to slow their striker led to a fall that seemed to be in three stages - starting outside the box but ending inside - for another penalty. This time, the taker made no mistake, arrowing it into the side netting despite Dalton guessing correctly again.
Top Performers: Mike McNicholas, Jamie Williams, Peter Dalton & Curtis Close
MOTM: Mike McNicholas
A Team Match Report
Clements A team lost 4-0 in there 1st game since October, the squad was significantly changed with a few players having their first games of the season and others coming back from injuries, we therefore struggled to gain any cohesion around the pitch. The game overall was fairly even despite the score line, but big mistakes cost us dearly at one end and with us not being able to get shots away at the other, we were always going to struggle. Man of the Match goes to James Moore who worked hard all across the pitch in his first game of the season. We go again after Xmas and know the levels need to be upped to be competitive.
B Team Match Report
The b team travelled to Blackburn this afternoon and straight from the offset the saints players where just to complacent. This lead to Blackburn taking a deserved 1-0 lead hall quickly fired back to make it 1-1 but more sloppy work from the saints saw Blackburn go in at 2-1 at ht
Second half the Saints controlled much of the ball and with the first chance of the second half Blackburn made it 3. The saints continued to push which left is open at the back and Blackburn exploited that to go 4-1 up the saints got one back through Hall. The game finished 4-2 well done to the Blackburn lads who deserved the 3 points today