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FC United into play-off places by putting Spartans to the sword



FC United leapfrogged Blyth Spartans into fifth place and the play-off places by beating our Northumbrian visitors 3-0 at Gigg Lane on Saturday afternoon.

Tom Davies, Greg Daniels and Tom Greaves scored the goals as the Reds stormed to a well-deserved victory. The display was so impressive that it didn’t matter that Dean Stott blasted his stoppage-time penalty over the bar.

It could have been more too as Daniels and Callum Byrne were unfortunate to strike the woodwork but United will be very pleased how they hammered home a 1-0 half-time advantage whilst keeping a clean-sheet.

Manager Karl Marginson was delighted with the result and the way his team played as they extend their unbeaten run in November to six games. Margy said: “That was the best performance this season so far. It was all about hard work. One of the most pleasing aspects was, with 88 minutes on the clock, I’ve got three lads still charging at the ball, trying to close somebody down.???

Following Tuesday night’s 4-1 win at Droylsden, Margy named an unchanged starting eleven against their Croft Park opponents, with new boy Nelson Mota, signed on Friday from Salford City, replacing Andy Pearson on the substitutes’ bench.

FC gave notice of their intentions as early as the second minute as a long range effort from Dean Stott flew just wide of the visitors’ goal.

As the game progressed, FC United were looking increasingly in command, as they started to take the game by the scruff of the neck; Astley Mulholland going close with a curling 16th minute free-kick.

On 25 minutes, Greaves went even closer, getting on the end of a Mulholland centre, swivelling to fire a shot in on goal which forced a fine one-handed save from Blyth net minder Conor Grant.

And on 28 minutes, Greg Daniels saw a fizzing shot rebound off the foot of the post, across the face of the goal, and away to safety.

A goal surely had to come, and on 34 minutes, FC United took a well-deserved lead, centre-back Davies out-jumping the visitors’ keeper to head the ball home from close range from a Liam Brownhill corner.

And it could have been 2-0 moments later as a Dave Birch blockbuster brought a flying save from the Blyth ‘keeper.

Five minutes before half-time, Spartans, in one of their rare breakaways, looked to have grabbed a surprise equaliser. Robert Dale hammered a hopeful shot into the FC United penalty area and Joe Kendrick stuck out his foot to divert the ball past Jon Worsnop. Fortunately for FC, the effort didn’t count as the assistant referee had already flagged for offside.

A single goal in arrears at the interval, Blyth might have hoped to be still in with a chance, and went close in the 56th minute when Charlie Raglan had to clear a Matthew Wade header off the line but FC weren’t in the mood to let their foot off the gas.

After a steady start to the second half, the home side eventually went 2-0 up on 63 minutes. The hard-working Mulholland caught a Blyth defender in possession in central midfield before passing the ball out to Daniels, who coolly slotted home from just inside the visitors’ penalty area.

On 80 minutes, Spartans might have pulled a goal back when Daniel Maguire invitingly fired a shot-cum-cross at the FC goal, but there were no takers and that was that for the visitors.

And on 85 minutes, Greaves put the result beyond doubt for FC when he latched on to a Birch pass before scooping the ball past the onrushing Blyth custodian for goal number three.

With the game going into injury time, the industrious Callum Byrne was decidedly unlucky to see a well struck shot hit the top of the right hand post at the Manchester Road End.

There was still enough time added on for Stott to blaze a late penalty over the bar, this after debutant substitute Mota had been tripped by Blyth’s Nathan Buddle just inside the penalty area.

By then, however, the visitors were well beaten, although it could easily have been by more than the three-goal margin.

Website man of the match: Callum Byrne. The pick of a great team performance with all the outfield players working hard both in and out of possession.

Report by Peter Moulds



First Posted ~ 17:07 Sat 30 Nov 2013
News ID ~ 5226
Last Updated ~ 01:52 Tue 16 Feb 2021