Saturday, April 01, 2006
Bury Prove Too Strong For Didsbury
Didsbury Northern Men's 6s 2-3 Bury Grammar School Old Boys Men's 1s
This game had it all. Two Didsbury players wearing the same shirt number, an umpire who asked, before push back, if he could only officiate half of the match and be replaced by another player and a stunning display of resilience from Bury.
The game itself was an open contest with both teams showing good attacking intent. Bury, in particular, were able to exert good pressure on the home defence, down the left wing, as several sixteen yard hits were fired beyond their target and out of play. The Old Boys should have taken the lead early on, when a short corner crashed off the angle of post and bar.
After quarter of an hour the Bury pressure was rewarded when Will Aitken fired home a short corner for his sixth of the season. The lead, however, was short lived as Didsbury levelled with a short corner of their own. Rather fortuitously, the ball deflected off goalkeeper and defender, before hitting the bar and landing over the goal line. Bury were then dealt a further blow when Aitken was sin binned, somewhat harshly, following a dispute with the umpire. His arguing with the umpire certainly warranted a green card, but a straight yellow seemed to bemuse both sides.
Didsbury, however, were incapable of making their one-man advantage count. Hasty rearrangements in the Bury line up worked effectively and Didsbury weren’t able to produce a shot to test goalkeeper Smith.
The second half began with both teams continuing to attack, with chances being created at either end, but the final touch always proving evasive. Finally, Didsbury pushed themselves in front with what can only be described as the softest goal Bury have conceded all season, barring the freak goal against Urmston. Neil Smith made a tremendous save at the top of his D, only for the ball to be rather weakly reverse scooped towards the goal. Somehow the four Bury players managed to flail and miss at the marginally airborne ball, which drifted into the net.
However, as has been the case since January, this seemed to have a galvanising effect on The Old Boys. They continued to press forward and were rewarded with an equaliser, when Howard Spencer lashed in his second in as many games, from the top of the D.
The Old Boys sealed the victory from another short corner. Aitken was again involved, playing a square ball to McManus, who fired an unstoppable shot past the exposed keeper.
The Old Boys must be delighted with this display, beating a Didsbury side that showed significant changes from the first match between these two sides.
Match Day Squad: Smith, S. Sheikh, Foster, Aitken, T. Sheikh, McManus, Spencer, Hillary, Hodbod, Ainscow, Robinson, Butler.
This game had it all. Two Didsbury players wearing the same shirt number, an umpire who asked, before push back, if he could only officiate half of the match and be replaced by another player and a stunning display of resilience from Bury.
The game itself was an open contest with both teams showing good attacking intent. Bury, in particular, were able to exert good pressure on the home defence, down the left wing, as several sixteen yard hits were fired beyond their target and out of play. The Old Boys should have taken the lead early on, when a short corner crashed off the angle of post and bar.
After quarter of an hour the Bury pressure was rewarded when Will Aitken fired home a short corner for his sixth of the season. The lead, however, was short lived as Didsbury levelled with a short corner of their own. Rather fortuitously, the ball deflected off goalkeeper and defender, before hitting the bar and landing over the goal line. Bury were then dealt a further blow when Aitken was sin binned, somewhat harshly, following a dispute with the umpire. His arguing with the umpire certainly warranted a green card, but a straight yellow seemed to bemuse both sides.
Didsbury, however, were incapable of making their one-man advantage count. Hasty rearrangements in the Bury line up worked effectively and Didsbury weren’t able to produce a shot to test goalkeeper Smith.
The second half began with both teams continuing to attack, with chances being created at either end, but the final touch always proving evasive. Finally, Didsbury pushed themselves in front with what can only be described as the softest goal Bury have conceded all season, barring the freak goal against Urmston. Neil Smith made a tremendous save at the top of his D, only for the ball to be rather weakly reverse scooped towards the goal. Somehow the four Bury players managed to flail and miss at the marginally airborne ball, which drifted into the net.
However, as has been the case since January, this seemed to have a galvanising effect on The Old Boys. They continued to press forward and were rewarded with an equaliser, when Howard Spencer lashed in his second in as many games, from the top of the D.
The Old Boys sealed the victory from another short corner. Aitken was again involved, playing a square ball to McManus, who fired an unstoppable shot past the exposed keeper.
The Old Boys must be delighted with this display, beating a Didsbury side that showed significant changes from the first match between these two sides.
Match Day Squad: Smith, S. Sheikh, Foster, Aitken, T. Sheikh, McManus, Spencer, Hillary, Hodbod, Ainscow, Robinson, Butler.
