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Match Report

16th April 2016

Vanarama National League North

Broadhurst Park, 310 Lightbowne Road, Moston, Manchester, M40 0FJ


FC United of Manchester

0 - 1

Stalybridge Celtic

  Wisdom 66
Attendance: 3,451

FC United of Manchester 0

Stalybridge Celtic 1

Wisdom 66

Attendance: 3,451


FC United of Manchester

1 Dylan Forth
2 Dale Tonge
3 Chris Chantler
4 Thomas Brown
5 Tom Eckersley
6 Luke Ashworth
7 Matthew Wolfenden
8 Sam Sheridan
8 Dale Johnson
10 Jerome Wright (capt)
11 George Thomson

Subs.
12 Tom Greaves (for 7, 73 mins)
15 Harry Winter (for 8, 78 mins)
16 Adam Thurston (for 4, 82 mins)

Stalybridge Celtic

1 Tony McMillan
2 Peter Wylie
3 Danny Wisdom
4 Matty Hughes (capt)
5 Jack Higgins
6 Aaron Chalmers
7 Charlie Joyce
8 Alex Mudimu
9 Adam Farrell
10 Chris Simm
11 Steve Tames

Subs.
14 Ben McKenna (for 10, 76 mins)
15 Daniel Burns (for 11, 59 mins)
16 Dale Wright (for 6, 62 mins)


Match Report
FC United lost 1-0 at home to former landlords Stalybridge Celtic in an uninspiring game of football on Saturday afternoon, which was endured by 3,451 supporters.

Danny Wisdom scored the decisive goal in the 66th minute for our near neighbours and it was enough to ensure Stalybridge did the league double over FC United. The out of sorts Reds couldn’t found a way back into the match and Celtic were content to run down the clock to seal all three points.

The defeat sees FC United drop two places to 14th with Stalybridge overtaking them. The Reds are still not mathematically safe from relegation but with seven clubs below them still battling out to avoid joining Corby Town in the division below, they would hope not to get dragged back into the fight.

The game was Jerome Wright’s 300th league match in an FC United jersey, but ultimately the occasion could not be marked with a victory as the Reds struggled to get the ball into the back of the net, despite long spells on top of the game.

The visitors did hit the crossbar early on from a corner, but that lucky escape seemed to wake United up and they grew into the game and got on top of things quickly.

The Reds looked dangerous going forward, especially through Wright on the left flank who looked fired up to mark the occasion with a victory. When Wright played the ball into George Thomson it looked as though the deadlock would be broken but a sloppy first touch gave Celtic ‘keeper Tony McMillan the opportunity to close down the shot.

Despite a string of chances in the first half; most notably when Tom Eckersley rose well at the far post to head the ball into the side netting, the teams went in with the scores level at the break.

The early part of the second half carried on as the first had ended with United pushing forward. A ball across the box found Dale Johnson who squared the ball across the six-yard box for Wright but somehow Wright couldn’t get a proper connection to the ball and the chance rolled just wide.

Thomson felt he had a great call for a penalty turned down as he wrong footed the defender just inside the box before getting his heels clipped and going down, but the calls were turned away by the referee.

An old cliché in football is that when you’re attacking you’re most vulnerable to the counter and this was the case as FC United pushed on for the goal that their performance deserved. Moments before Wisdom’s goal, the visitors had reminded United of this by narrowly putting the ball wide. But when Wisdom got one-on-one with goalkeeper Dylan Forth he made no mistake and gave Celtic the lead against the run of play.

It was a real blow for United and one they never really recovered from in the remainder of the game. To be on top for so long and to not take advantage and then be punished on the counter was a bitter pill to swallow.

The victory gave Celtic a league double over the Reds; both by the score of 1-0. FC United now look to finish off well travelling to Gainsborough next Saturday before welcome the champions Solihull Moors to Broadhurst Park the week after to end the season. A win next Saturday would absolutely confirm the Reds’ place in the division for next season.

Website man of the match: Jerome Wright – Looked threatening on the left, rolling back the years to mark the occasion of becoming the first man to reach 300 league games for the club.

Report by Craig Phillips
Match Report
FC United lost 1-0 at home to former landlords Stalybridge Celtic in an uninspiring game of football on Saturday afternoon, which was endured by 3,451 supporters.

Danny Wisdom scored the decisive goal in the 66th minute for our near neighbours and it was enough to ensure Stalybridge did the league double over FC United. The out of sorts Reds couldn’t found a way back into the match and Celtic were content to run down the clock to seal all three points.

The defeat sees FC United drop two places to 14th with Stalybridge overtaking them. The Reds are still not mathematically safe from relegation but with seven clubs below them still battling out to avoid joining Corby Town in the division below, they would hope not to get dragged back into the fight.

The game was Jerome Wright’s 300th league match in an FC United jersey, but ultimately the occasion could not be marked with a victory as the Reds struggled to get the ball into the back of the net, despite long spells on top of the game.

The visitors did hit the crossbar early on from a corner, but that lucky escape seemed to wake United up and they grew into the game and got on top of things quickly.

The Reds looked dangerous going forward, especially through Wright on the left flank who looked fired up to mark the occasion with a victory. When Wright played the ball into George Thomson it looked as though the deadlock would be broken but a sloppy first touch gave Celtic ‘keeper Tony McMillan the opportunity to close down the shot.

Despite a string of chances in the first half; most notably when Tom Eckersley rose well at the far post to head the ball into the side netting, the teams went in with the scores level at the break.

The early part of the second half carried on as the first had ended with United pushing forward. A ball across the box found Dale Johnson who squared the ball across the six-yard box for Wright but somehow Wright couldn’t get a proper connection to the ball and the chance rolled just wide.

Thomson felt he had a great call for a penalty turned down as he wrong footed the defender just inside the box before getting his heels clipped and going down, but the calls were turned away by the referee.

An old cliché in football is that when you’re attacking you’re most vulnerable to the counter and this was the case as FC United pushed on for the goal that their performance deserved. Moments before Wisdom’s goal, the visitors had reminded United of this by narrowly putting the ball wide. But when Wisdom got one-on-one with goalkeeper Dylan Forth he made no mistake and gave Celtic the lead against the run of play.

It was a real blow for United and one they never really recovered from in the remainder of the game. To be on top for so long and to not take advantage and then be punished on the counter was a bitter pill to swallow.

The victory gave Celtic a league double over the Reds; both by the score of 1-0. FC United now look to finish off well travelling to Gainsborough next Saturday before welcome the champions Solihull Moors to Broadhurst Park the week after to end the season. A win next Saturday would absolutely confirm the Reds’ place in the division for next season.

Website man of the match: Jerome Wright – Looked threatening on the left, rolling back the years to mark the occasion of becoming the first man to reach 300 league games for the club.

Report by Craig Phillips

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