County went
down 2-1 to Welsh League high flyers Airbus UK
at a sun scorched Edgeley Park today.
The crowd
was a sparce 455, but the game was fairly competitive, and with Andy Preece`s
side having the benefit of a few extra weeks together and the not insubstantial
addition of European football under their belts already, the reverse was by no
means surprising and definitely no humiliation!
County had
by far their strongest line up so far out today, but it was clear from the
onset that former Hatter Andy had them well drilled ,
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| Andy Preece and staff. |
and the extra competitive
games showed in sharpness all over the park. Ryan Wade scored two goals for
Airbus, but he also rather overdid the sharpness , causing referee Pete Gibbon
to call on Andy for a word part way through the game. Wade was perhaps lucky
still to be on the field of play, offering a constant stream of clearly audible
abuse to the officials and his opponents. He stayed on however, and despite
Kristian Dennis snatching one in the second half for County, the game was
Airbus`s , and I saw no one complaining!
There was no
Stephen O`Halloran on show at the start , but the back four of Lees, Gregson,
Belezika and Duxbury looked about as strong as any we have thus far fielded,
and with Milligan and Moses patrolling ground immediately in front of them ,it
seemed that all defensive options had been covered, but the early pressure was
on the blues and Milligan had to hurriedly head clear, and both Duxbury and Gregson had to look lively to prevent Wade
from scoring a very early goal indeed ( twice). An early corner was played back
to Matty McGinn , but he lifted a poor effort into the crowd.
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| Glenn Belezica in early action. |
The first 5
or 6 minutes saw Airbus camped in the blues half and looking very lively about
it, but as Belezika covered a run into the box by Glenn Rule , the forward
accidentally tripped the County man up, putting him on the deck. As I say...it
was entirely accidental but Belezika saw it wholly differently and chased Rule
grabbing him at one point. Sanity eventually prevailed thanks to a cooling word
from the referee, but I am hoping that this was a one off from the County
Glenn. Crucially in this respect ,there was no carry- over of hostilities, and both
players earn browny points for that!
Matty Owens
then completely miss judged a high bouncer from Danny Hurst and Scott Spencer
was in, but somehow keeper James Coates rose to push the shot for a corner, but
it was a definite escape alright, and the corner was cleared!
Already Wade
was looking to be a danger and he escaped all his markers next making great
headway down the right before releasing what looked to be an inch perfect ball
for Andy Jones to despatch. Jones was smack in front , but he scooped his
shot way past the post, much to County`s
relief.
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| Clearance by Scott Duxbury. |
Some neat
play surfaced from County after this with Milligan, Woolfe and Dennis all
involved, but Spencer shot wide on the end of it, and it remained 0-0.
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| Nathan Woolfe on the ball. |
That was a
good response from County, but Airbus came back at them again, and Belezika did
well to block Jones, as did Milligan with Rule. The pressure continued to build
with Andy Jones and Ryan Wignall both getting shots off that called for saves
from Hurst.
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| Danny Hurst keeps County in it ! |
It went on with Gregson under the cosh from Rule, and Belezica
similarly placed with Wade, who then proceeded to treat the liner to a choice
volley of ripe abuse. Well worthy of a word in my view and it was not long
before Mr Gibbon sought Andy Preece out, presumably to call for order!
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| Belezica in action. |
We were past
half way now in the first half and County were definitely up against it as
Hurst tipped a header from Ian Kearney over the bar after the defender had
steamed into the box at speed. A corner it was then, and for a moment it seemed
like County had dealt with it satisfactorily, but they hadn`t and they paid for
it as Wade , in glorious isolation ,just inside the box, made no mistake with a
cool finish!
Sharp had a
shot blocked , but then the mini siege of Hurst`s goal resumed as Belezika
ushered a shot from Wignall off the line, and Wade dived in vain to head a
cross from McGinn home!
Sharp and Woolfe
did keep trying to respond but their attempts to send Lees through on the
overlap met with implacable resistance from McGinn, which again put the
pressure back on County. Matters were not improved by a loose ball from
Belezica, but he recovered his composure and
did well to stop Rule capitalising on the situation.
On it
went......John Barrow robbing Moses, as another McGinn cross forced Dennis to
track back and head off the line.
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| Airbus line up a kick( top)& just miss out( below) |
County
continued to defend doggedly as throws and free kicks pegged them back, but
crucially they did not concede any more goals, indeed Duxbury and Dennis had a
couple of tries to change things, but Airbus were as tight at the back now as
they were up front and it was 1-0 to the Welsh side at the break.
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| County defend doggedly. |
At the
re-start Belezica went to RB ,whilst Lees took his place alongside Gregson.
After some
early Airbus pressure things started to improve a touch for County as a Dennis
run pushed their opponents back, but the blues were always potentially likely
to be hit on the break, and Ellis Healing did just that after 50 minutes, but
Hurst`s decision to stand tall and not go to ground, proved crucial and the forward
was thwarted!
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| Kristian Dennis on the charge ! |
Not long
after this the handbags were out as Sharp and McGinn lost it for a brief second
or two, but a soothing word from the referee calmed things down, and play
resumed with Moses and Milligan trying their best to impose themselves in mid
field.
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| Dennis ready to go....... |
It was a big ask though, as Airbus looked a well drilled outfit, and
Moses had to content himself with a defensive header that conceded a corner as
the Welsh side toyed with ideas of a second goal.
Healing had
ideas of his own apparently and a neat dribble by him caused a bit of a stir
,which only subsided when Jay Owen lifted a poor effort into the near empty
Railway End ( 2 men and 3 stewards).
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| View of Railway End |
Duxbury then did well to deny Andy Jones, before starting a charge up the park
which looked like ending well when Sharp latched onto the ball and powered away
down the left. The he crossed into the box, and it was a pretty good effort,
but the advancing Dennis could not hit the target with his shot!
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| Duxbury pressurises Airbus. |
We needed
that one to have counted as , it was clear that another Airbus raid would not
be long in arriving, and so it was as a superb cross by Lee Owens teed Healing
up with a chance. He was well placed , but Hurst did not need to move to make
the save and it stayed 1-0. Not for long however as once again ,having done the
hard bit, County then thought they could relax and they couldn`t ,as Wade had the
ball, and then he hadn`t because he had lashed his second goal into the net!
A.L started
to ring the changes now. Churchman had come on earlier for Woolfe, and now
Belezica and Spencer gave way to Fagbola and Lazenbury, and within a couple of
minutes the blues had pulled one back, when another break from deep by Sharp
saw the ball head inside the box, where Dennis toe poked it home expertly.
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| Drinks Break....eee....in my day........ |
That was a
good effort by County, but it had a cost as Airbus redoubled their efforts again
mainly via Lee Owens who was running at County with rare energy down the right. In response
Lees...Milligan...Duxbury...all made crucial interventions- it was quite hairy
for a time, but it changed with a foul
on Sharp and a corner which Sharp and Lazenbury went for but just could not
force home. That was disappointing but things brightened again next as a long
ball from Hurst saw Dennis fouled just outside the box.
 |
| James Coates Airbus Keeper. |
Dennis took the kick
but it hit the wall and ran on to Churchman who forced the keeper to make a
spectacularly brilliant save to keep his shot out- it was a cracker, and
Airbus`s misery did not end there as Coates had to deny Churchman again with
another good stop, following which the mother of all melee saw Fagbola force
the ball against the post , with
defenders charging about like so many headless chickens in the confusion!
That was a good effort, but so....so...disappointing, and a final punch out by
Coates ended the Welsh sides angst.
Lazenbury
and Dennis were unlucky late on when
their good work saw the latter skip clear to the by-line, but the liners flag
was up, and County were denied, and Airbus held out fairly comfortably until
the final whistle.
Game over
then.... but a useful work out in my view, against a side some weeks further
forward training wise than us, so nil desperandum!
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| Late run( top) & free kick from Dennis. |
See you
Tuesday at Glossop!
County line
up;
Hurst, Lees,Duxbury,Gregson,
Belezica ( Fagbola 64), Milligan, Moses ( Lofthouse 75), Sharp, Spencer(
Lazenbury 64), Dennis, Woolfe ( Churchman 52).
Airbus UK line
up;
Coates, L
Owens, McGinn, Spittle, Keraney, Rule, Barrow, Williams, A Jones, Wignall,
Wade.
Attendance ; 455
