ATHLETIC
LET LEAD SLIP AGAIN.........
Fixture:
Moulton V's Heyford Athletic
Venue:
Moulton
Competition:
Northants
Combination Premier Division
Result:
1:2 (Half Time: 1:0)
Heyford
Goal Scorers: Daniel Woods
Line
Up:
|
1.
|
Nick
Inwood |
|
2.
|
Joe
Gartland |
|
3.
|
Paul
Curley |
|
4.
|
Andrew
Shaw |
|
5.
|
Nathan
Lacey |
|
6.
|
Paul
Farmer |
|
7.
|
Steve
Hair (C) |
|
8.
|
Mark
Hogg |
|
9.
|
Paul
Currier |
|
10.
|
Daniel
Woods |
|
11.
|
Ryan
Grant |
|
SUBS
|
|
|
|
Matt
Gernon (on for Paul Farmer) |
|
|
Matt
Hogg (on for Paul Currier) |
|
|
Thomas
Whittaker (on for Daniel Woods) |
Match
Report (Courtesy of Nick Inwood)
Following
last weeks disappointing result against lowly Stanion, Heyford
traveled to Moulton in need of a much needed 3 points to kick
start the season and push them nicely into a mid table position.
With
Nick Moore, Nick Brown and Bruno all unavailable, there was
a welcome return of Mark Hogg, Ryan Grant and Andrew 'Jock'
Shaw as the team lined up in a 5-3-2 formation with Jock deployed
as sweeper in a move which saw Paul Currier revert to his favored
role up front.
Despite
their lowly league position Moulton, minus the prodigal Nick
Worley, attacked Heyford from the outset although the Heyford
rearguard superbly marshaled by Andrew Shaw held firm and the
closest Moulton came was a 25 yard pile driver which whistled
just over the angle of post and bar, although Inwood seemed
confident that the shot was always going high and wide.
On
12 minutes a deep cross from the Moulton full back hung in the
wind and seemed destined for the top corner, although Inwood
was alert to the danger and tipped the ball round for a corner
from under his own cross bar.
On
15 minutes Heyford were forced into a change with Paul Farmer's
shins proving too painful to allow him to continue, this saw
the introduction of Matt Gernon which saw Heyford revert to
a 4-4-2 formation with Gernon taking his place on the left of
midfield.
The
Moulton attacks continued and Inwood was again alert when saving
a one on one chance on 20 minutes.
This
was the last real action the Heyford keeper saw during the first
period as the visitors began to assert themselves on the game.
Probably
against the run of play, Heyford took the lead on 25 minutes,
as Currier forced the home defender into a mistake and the loose
ball was pounced on in a flash by the alert Woods, who seeing
the keeper off his line sent a beautiful chip from some 20 yards
over his head and into the roof of the net.
Confidence
boosted by this Woods had a great chance to double the lead
when following another defensive mix up the goal was left unguarded
although sadly for Heyford, Woods dragged his shot wide of the
target when it seemed easier to score.
Heyford
continued to pressure as the half drew to a close with Gernon
delivering a couple of great balls in from the left, although
sadly for the visitors there was no one on hand to apply the
finishing touch and the half time whistle saw Heyford go in
at the interval with a slender 1 goal advantage.
Half Time: Moulton 0 Heyford Athletic 1
Moulton started the second half as expected, pushing forward
looking to get themselves back into the game.
The
Heyford rearguard continued to hold firm and all of the players
followed the example set by Mark Hogg as bodies were put on
the line to preserve the slender advantage.
Moulton
had the ball in the back of the Heyford net on 55 minutes although
the home player was clearly in an offside position and the goal
was disallowed.
On
60 minutes Moulton spurned a great chance to equalise when a
mistake by Inwood left the home striker with an open goal, although
somehow from the angle the shot was dragged across the face
of the goal and wide of the far post.
This
miss seemed to spur Heyford on and as the half wore on the visitors
got more of a foothold in the game again.
However
on 65 minutes disaster struck as a through ball saw Moulton
beat the offside trap and the ball was played low across the
face of the goal and fired home from close range at the back
post.
A
second Heyford change soon followed with Matt Hogg replacing
Paul Currier who was having difficulty with a neck injury.
On
75 minutes Moulton took the lead for the first time in the match,
as they scored an almost identical goal to the equaliser as
the striker was left with a simple finish from close range on
the far post.
As
the game progressed into the last 10 minutes, a final throw
of the dice saw Thomas Whittaker return from injury as he replaced
the hard working Daniel Woods up front. Unfortunately for Heyford
and Whittaker the first ball played through saw a limping Whittaker
chase the ball - his hamstring injury clearly not better and
all credit to Whitty for playing the last 10 minutes and chasing
everything he could.
5
minutes from time Heyford thought they'd scored a deserved equaliser,
although sadly Mark Hoggs shot on the turn went agonizingly
wide of the post and Moulton hung on to record 3 points.
Full Time: Moulton 2 Heyford Athletic 1
Match
Summary:
Another
improved performance which gives us confidence that things are
definitely moving in the right direction, all that is needed
now is the 3 points our play has deserved. With Granty returning
from injury successfully and a couple of new signings hoped
for by the weekend, there is definite optimism for the coming
weeks although looking at the fixture list it is imperative
we pick up some wins soon before we enter what looks like a
daunting period in December.
Man of the Match: Andrew 'Jock' Shaw
An
excellent performance from Jock on his return to the line up.
Started in his favored position of sweeper before moving seamlessly
into centre half as the team switched to a 4-4-2 formation.
Composed on the ball and dealt with everything Moulton threw
his way, perhaps he has been taking lessons from Sasa Papac!
