1874 Northwich v Silsden

Recap

1874 continued with their 100% win record in their home games in 2016 by overcoming a strong and resilient Silsden side on Tuesday evening and, as was the case in the other two 2016 home wins, it was leading scorer Matthew Beadle who got the second important goal of the game.

The visitors are languishing in the “bottom three” of the league table but they certainly didn’t play like a side who have only managed 5 league wins this season with just one of them being on their travels. They certainly came determined to get something out of the game.
There is an old saying that “there is a good time to score a goal” whilst others might say that there is never a bad time but 1874’s two successes against Silsden both came just minutes before the referee’s whistle to end the 45 minutes of each half.
Greg Hall in 1874’s goal had to be alert throughout and indeed made a couple of good saves, whilst his handling throughout was exemplary. However his counterpart in the opposite goal might not want to reflect too much on his performance- especially as on a good day he would have expected to save both of 1874’s goals.
In the first half both sides struggled to get a hold of the midfield area and chances were sparse but in the 43rd minute Neil Chappell managed to score the opener when the ball was knocked down to him in the box and his left foot strike crept into the net just inside the post.
After the interval both sides were looking to attack as much as possible but the uneven surface wasn’t helping as towards good football being served up and it was very much a case of adapting to the conditions as best as possible.
The visitors were desperate to get an equalising goal but came up against a mean 1874 defence with Thomas and Mitchell strong throughout in front of Hall but in the 68th minute a rare mistake in defence allowed Daniel Forrest to net the equaliser with a good finish from 12 yards after his teammates’ brilliant shot from outside the area rebounded off the bar.
So once again it was “game on” as both sides didn’t want to settle for a share of the spoils and much to the delight of the home crowd it was 1874 and “that man Beadle” again who netted the winner with his 19th league goal of the season after he collected a pass 25 yards out from goal, turned well and hit a left foot shot that travelled quite slowly before going the right side of the post before nestling in the back of the net to secure all the points for his team.
FULL TIME – 1874 Northwich 2 1 Silsden – Attendance – 206

1874 – Hall, Connor, Mitchell, Thomas, Woods, Chappell, Matt Woolley (C), Jackson, Edwards, Wellstead, Beadle
Subs: Ward replaced Wellstead (68 minutes) and Brandon replaced Woods (81 minutes)
Unused Subs – Riley, Jack Woolley and Brooks.