Well we hope you all had a good Easter….here are the latest League One & Two match reports from our D3D4 correspondents…
MATCH REPORT: Oldham Athletic 2-1 Blackpool
Oldham had lost their previous 2 games going into this fixture, which made it integral that Wellens drilled into his side just how important this game was. Latics fans were pleased to see some key changes to the starting 11; with George Edmundson replacing Brian Wilson, Duckens Nazon replacing Craig Davies and Patrick McEleney replacing Jack Byrne.
There was a clear change in mentality to be seen from the Oldham team – with a more fluid and attacking approach to the game. It didn’t take long for Oldham to get going, just 6 minutes in Rob Hunt put a teasing cross into the penalty area – Eoin Doyle failed to make a proper contact.
In the 15th minute, Oldham once again showed that they were up for this game: the skilful Duckens Nazon left his defender perplexed as he beat him with a cool roulette before curling a shot towards the bottom right hand corner, Lumley failed to keep hold of the ball and the home fans had already begun cheering when Doyle somehow managed to under-hit his shot from 6 yards out. 5 chances came for Doyle in the first half but it was clear he was struggling – still trying to find his feet after returning from injury. Against the run of play, Blackpool took the lead in the 37th minute when Colin Daniel hit a low cross into the Latics box that the defence failed to deal with and Vassell calmly tapped the ball across Placide and in. Despite a better performance, Oldham were booed in at half time by frustrated home fans that really were beginning to fear the worst.
HALF TIME: Oldham Athletic 0 – 1 Blackpool (Vassell, 37’)
The home side came out second half looking very intent on overcoming their problems. Early in the first half, Doyle missed another good chance to score when he glanced a header just over from close range. There have been questions over the performances of Ben Pringle in recent weeks and today was another weak performance – he made way for Jack Byrne in the 58th minute who made an immediate impact; he capitalised on a Blackpool’s failure to clear a corner and curled the ball into the top left corner of the goal. This really put Oldham into the driving seat as they looked threatening every time they went forward – Byrne in particularly was really pulling the strings.
There are moments in football that feel like real turning points and Eoin Doyle provided Oldham fans with this in the 85th – he sweetly connected to a well-placed Jack Byrne corner to send the home fans into jubilant celebrations. The noise inside Boundary Park noticeably increased for the remainder of the game, even when things felt very nervy through 5 minutes (which became closer to 10 minutes) of injury time. This length of added time acted like the pressure building under a volcano, with an eruption of joy when the referee blew the final whistle – a vital win for the blues.
This win takes Oldham out of the relegation zone – up to 19th – and with games in hand and favourable remaining fixtures, it really would be a failure if they were to go down now. Blackpool should have enough to stay up, but this loss makes things slightly nervier in these last few games.
FULL TIME: Oldham Athletic (Byrne 60’, Doyle 85’) 2-1 Blackpool (Vassell 37’)
Oldham Athletic: Placide, Moimbe, Edmundson, Bryan, Hunt, Pringle (Byrne 58’), Fane, Gardner, McEleney (Holloway 75’), Doyle, Nazon (Obadeyi 67’).
Subs not used: De La Paz, Wilson, Nepomuceno, Benteke.
Blackpool: Lumley, Robertson, Vassell (Gnanduillet 73’), Ryan (Cullen 87’), Tilt, Solomon-Otabor, Philliskirk, Turton, Daniel, Cooke (Longstaff 69’), Spearing.
Subs not used: Mafoumbi, Aimson, D’Almeida, Menga.
Attendance: 4,309 (660 visiting supporters)
words Chris Stringer, D3D4 Oldham Athletic correspondent
MATCH POSTPONED: Morecambe v Cambridge United
April Fools’ Day Delayed at Morecambe.
Cambridge United were due to visit the unseasonably cold North Lancashire seaside today to take on a Morecambe team at the Globe Arena. It’s a long way to travel from Cambridgeshire and the Amber Army would have been encouraged by a posting on Twitter by Morecambe FC earlier this morning which read: “Contrary to the rumor mill, there won’t be a pitch inspection and we are game on for today!”
Cambridge has been having problems with their own pitch this week. Moles have made their presence felt at the Abbey Stadium – but hopefully, the ground staff there aren’t making mountains out of the problems these little fellows can cause. However, any Moles under the Globe Arena pitch would need to have at least flippers and probably breathing apparatus as well.
I really hope that not too many U’s fans started off for the north earlier – or that they at least had one eye on their own or
Morecambe’s Twitter feed on the way. Because, just over an hour before the game was due to start, the club posted the following update:
Club News
SOCIAL MEDIA POST APOLOGY
1 Hour ago (c.1345hrs, 2/4/18)
Morecambe Football Club would like to apologise for an earlier social media post saying today’s SkyBet League 2 fixture versus Cambridge United was definitely on.
The message was constructed by a member of staff with the best intentions but we realise this was an error and we would like to apologise to all Morecambe and Cambridge United supporters for any inconvenience this may have caused.
At 11:00am there were no problems with the pitch, it was only after a heavy downpour from 12 noon onwards that the pitch became unplayable and the referee called the game off.
words Roger Fitton, D3D4 Morecambe correspondent
MATCH REPORT: Carlisle United 0-1 Lincoln City
In the pouring rain of Brunton Park, referee Robert Lewis decided to make the Bank Holiday all about him as Lincoln seriously boosted their chances of finishing in the play-off spots whilst eventual 10-man Carlisle had their own hopes brutally ended.
The big talking point of the match came when Carlisle were given a penalty as a result of suspected hand ball but after Lincoln protests and consulting with the linesman, Lewis dramatically overturned the decision to the crowd’s shock.
It was a dominant display throughout from the Cumbrians but they lacked clear-cut chances in the end. In contrast, the Imps rode their luck by getting on the officials’ backs whether it be on the pitch or on the sidelines. In-form home man Jamie Devitt tested away stopper Ryan Allsop from range and in the air, centre back pairing Mark Ellis and Clint Hill persistently peppered the goal.
Soft fouls were going for Lincoln and against Carlisle which left the stadium flabbergasted and frustrated. Heart-on-his-sleeve midfield enforcer Mike Jones was given a yellow card for a challenge that (in fairness) looked rough.
Just before the interval, Matt Green grabbed his 16th goal of the campaign when a dubious free-kick was taken quickly and the forward lashes home across the out-coming goalkeeper Jack Bonham.
Following the goal, a slight collision between blue left back Tom Parkes and red target-man Matthew Rhead in added time resulted in the first real melee between the two teams with Rhead making a meal of a light snack. Walking into the tunnel, the players had to be separated and fans knew the next period would be chaotic.
Straight after the break, Rhead missed a chance right in front of his well-travelled visiting fans (courtesy of a cross from right back Neal Eardley) and was substituted off to huge jeers. As the Imps sat back, pressure from the hosts came. In the middle of the half, the penalty decision epitomised a frustrating afternoon for the Cumbrians. Prior to that chaos, Richie Bennett missed a sitter after he brought the ball down on the right of the penalty area before cutting inside on his preferred left foot and shanking a shot almost for a corner.
Decisions continued to go against Carlisle and even the usually cool Keith Curle was getting irate due to the constant complaining of the Cowley brothers (who got most calls their way). It was simple for Lincoln to defend against the home onslaught as their centre back pairing of Michael Bostwick and Elliott Whitehouse gobbled up every cross that the likes of Gary Liddle, substitute Jamal Campbell-Royce & substitute skipper Danny Grainger whipped in.
In the 6 minutes of added time the hosts pushed but the visitors stayed resilient and to stop a counter-attack, Jones received a soft second yellow card which only lead to more frustration. When the final whistle blew, the home fans were understandably furious and waited for the away players to bounce back across the pitch in order to give them hell whilst being goaded by the unprofessional team and staff. Robert Lewis was given even worse with a massive chant of “cheat” coming his way.
Ultimately, the result and battle was a reflection of where the respective clubs currently are in the grand scheme of things.
Attendance: 5054 [618]
MoM: Jamie Devitt
Referee: Robert Lewis
words Nathan Ridley, D3D4 Carlisle United correspondent
MATCH REPORT: Shrewsbury Town 3-2 Oxford United
Salops habit of turning negatives into positives during this season continued on a damp Easter Monday at the Monty. Shaun Whalley scored twice as Salop beat Oxford 3-2, but it was a game where the visitors would not lie down. Oxford proved the matchday pre-viewers right.
They looked a decent threat going forward but rickety and lacking solidity in the defensive third leaving Karl Robinson still hunting for his first win as Oxford boss.
James Henry saw his early corner clip the Salop crossbar before the busy and productive Jon Nolan and Stefan Payne forced a couple of good saves from Oxford ‘keeper Simon Eastwood. At the other end Deano had to be alert to scurry across his goal to push away a Jonathan Obika shot.
Whalley made the breakthrough for Town when his 20-yard free-kick found the bottom corner of the net. It looked like a miss hit at the time, it looks like a worse miss hit on the highlights but it somehow found the bottom corner after Payne missed his kick trying to divert it.
Salop doubled their advantage two minutes into the second half when Nolan’s shot from outside the box took a massive deflection off Robert Dickie before nestling in the top corner. Nolan then saw another chance well saved low down by Eastwood before Bryn Morris headed against the bar.
Town should have been out of sight by the time Wes Thomas, having just come on as a substitute, tapped home for Oxford from close range after a spell of pinball defending from Salop. It was just past the hour mark and the visitors sensed they were not out of the game, but Shrewsbury quickly extinguished the U’s hope as Whalley curled home his 12th goal of a very impressive season of goalscoring.
It was to be a tense finish though as Oxford’s Rothwell smashed his team back into it in the 73rd minute with the aid of a deflection off Sadler after Nolan was dispossessed strongly on half way. It was an important three points for Salop who head into the Checkatrade final at Wembley on Sunday on a winning note and on the positive of having mathematically secured a playoff place.
Shrewsbury Town:
Henderson; Bolton, Beckles, Sadler, Lowe; B Morris; Whalley (Eisa, 85), Nolan, Godfrey, Thomas (John-Lewis, 90+3); Payne (Jones, 90+5).
Subs not used: MacGillivray, Hendrie, Gnahoua, C Morris.
Oxford United:
Eastwood; Kane, Mousinho, Dickie, Ruffels; Rothwell, Ledson, Brannagan; Obika (Thomas, 60), Henry (Buckley-Ricketts, 73), Mehmeti (Napa, 60).
Subs not used: Shearer, Martin, Ricardinho, Smith-Brown.
words Ian Evans, D3D4 Shrewsbury Town correspondent
MATCH REPORT: Exeter City 2-1 Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town travelled to Exeter on the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Carlisle United, while the hosts, City, were still sore from their narrow 3-2 defeat to play off rivals Lincoln City on Good Friday.
4,420 people (including more than 200 away fans) were present to enjoy a good, committed League Two encounter. Home fans were in fine voice throughout trying to generate atmosphere in a St James Park stadium which has seen the bulldozers flatten two of its sides while ground expansion takes place. The absence of a wrap-around sound can suck the life out of even the most end-to-end battle, but not today as the Big Bank got behind their team’s push for promotion.
The match started with Exeter on top, but their pressure failed to do more than lead to a few free kicks in advanced areas, all of which Cheltenham cleared with ease. Both sides struggled to play flowing football on a pitch whose threadbare appearance was made even more challenging by 24 hours of rain running up to kick off.
As the half progressed it was Cheltenham who gradually worked their way into the game. Playing with a freedom that comes with mid-table safety, their main man Mohammed Eisa began to cause havoc with the city defence.
However, their telling blow came from another source. After an uneventful period of play the away side’s Nigel Atangana threaded the ball inside from the right to Carl Winchester on the edge of the ‘D’. Winchester was then given the freedom of St James Park to take aim and drive the ball into the bottom corner beyond the desperate reach of Christy Pym.
This seemed to spur City into action. The prospect of two losses over the Easter weekend would seriously have dented Exeter ambitions, but if they doubted themselves it didn’t show. Town’s lead was short lived when 5 minutes later, after a building spell of pressure, the home side equalised.
Patient build up play involving Lloyd James and Jordan Tilson eventually found the overlapping run of right back Pierce Sweeney. His pinpoint and pacey cross was turned in at the near post by Robbie Simpson.
Simpson‘s goal completed a long journey for the striker. Making his first start in a City jersey for more than a year since he broke his ankle, the 33 year old’s goal celebration hinted at the pain and hard work he’s had to endure.
As the teams came out for the second half the momentum was certainly with Exeter who were beginning to show the performance levels that justify their play-off position. But although Exeter had the lion’s share of possession, it was Cheltenham who nearly took the lead when on 63 minutes Jerell Sellars hit the inside of the post with a powerful strike from the edge of the box only to then watch the ball bounce agonisingly across the six yard box before City hacked clear.
The let off was the Robins’ last meaningful chance as Exeter City pressed for victory. Hiram Boateng soon saw his shot deflect on to the Cheltenham crossbar with Town keeper Scott Flinders helpless.
Then, capping a long spell of territorial dominance, Exeter finally got the goal their performance warranted when Lloyd James whipped in a corner and Jordan Storey leapt highest to send the ball into the bottom corner and the St James Park faithful into a frenzy.
Storey is a 20 year old who is making a name for himself in League Two after only a handful of appearances. He is a product of the rich mine of talent known as City’s youth academy and an increasing number of City fan seem happy to discuss his name alongside other recent graduate of the Exeter system such as Ollie Watkins and Ethan Ampadu.
After the goal Exeter saw out the game with little further trouble from Cheltenham Town. The three points take City to 69 for the season, a position from which the play-offs should be attainable and which has given them more than half an eye spying Wycombe Wanderers in the third automatic promotion spot.
Attendance: 4,420
Referee: Charles Breakspear
Exeter
Pym, Sweeney, Storey, Moxey, Woodman, Boateng, James, Tillson, Taylor, Simpson (Jay at 71′), Stockley
Substitutes
Archibald-Henville, Jones, Brunt, Jay, Wilson, Croll, Loft
Cheltenham
Flinders, Moore, Boyle, Rodon, Chatzitheodoridis (Cranstonat 83′), Dawson (Andrewsat 83’), Winchester (Pellat 45′), Morrell, Atangana, Sellars, Eisa
Substitutes
Cranston, Pell, Bower, Graham, Lovett, Andrews, Lloyd
words Lewis Hussey and Steve Hussey, Exeter City reporters for D3D4 Football
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