28/02/2024
By Chris Gibbs
City of Liverpool too strong for Castle
City of Liverpool 3, Quarless (23), Morris (60) Mitchley (77)
Newcastle Town 1, Graham (90+4)
A frustrating evening which ended with a superb consolation goal from Isaac Graham meant that we wasted an opportunity to move into the top half of the league table as we slipped to a 3-1 defeat at the in form City of Liverpool in a match played at Vauxhall Motors FC.
Our plans for the evening were disrupted before a ball was even kicked as our captain Tommy van der Laan was forced to sit the game out with a hamstring injury meaning another reshuffle at the back – Darbs partnering Stubbsy in the middle and Niall Osbourne coming into the starting XI to make his full debut at full back with Josh Jordan also still injured.
With a defensive unit playing together for the first time against a side full of confidence, it was no surprise that we looked a little shaky in the early stages, but it was a brilliant team move which almost gave us the advantage just shy of the quarter hour mark.
Niall started the move it winning possession at the back switching the ball via Jack Sherratt to Jake Avery. Jake’s cut back found Tom Jones who skied his shot over the bar. You could feel a collective sigh – it would have been a fantastic goal.
The ‘home’ team took the lead in the 23rd minute when Slinny spilled a shot into the path of Josh Quarless and the Purples’ marksman made it an unlucky for us 13 league goals for the season from a tightish angle.
We started the second half far more confidently – Jake Twyford bursting through in the opening seconds of the half but putting his shot wide.
The Purples no.7 Elliot Morris, who gave us plenty to think about all evening, ought to have doubled City of Liverpool’s lead after 57 minutes but he couldn’t quite squeeze his shot inside Slinny’s near post. But on the hour mark, it was 2-0. Quarless, coming deep to get the attack moving, laid the ball off in the final third with an immaculate touch, the ball was then spread wide to Morris, who this time made no mistake.
Jake Twyford lifted a great chance for us over the bar with 20 minutes left to play with the pitch perhaps not helping him out, and seven minutes later the game was up as Danny Mitchley benefited from a second uncharacteristic error of the night from Slinny to tap home after the ball came back off the crossbar.
Despite defeat now being a certainty, heads never dropped and after Jake Avery had had a shot cleared off the line when looking to score for the seventh league game in succession in the final minute of the game, Isaac then rifled in a beauty to ensure we did at least get on the scoreboard deep into added time.
It wasn’t to be this time and we’ll go again at another promotion chasing team, Stalybridge, on Saturday.
Team: Slinn, Derbyshire, Ritchie, Osborne, Holland, Stubbs, Graham, Sherratt, Avery, Jones, Twyford.
Man of the match: Niall Osbourne – after a difficult start to the game, he grew in confidence and slotted in well to a reshuffled back four.
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