Middlewich Town vs 1874 Northwich

Recap

Manager Ian Street rang the changes for this friendly game at Middlewich on a hot and balmy evening that would test the stamina and fitness of both sides.

The game started at a lively pace and it was quickly evident that the hosts hadn’t simply turned up to make the numbers up as they confidently took the game to their visitors. As a result 1874’s keeper Fossdyke had to be on his toes to make two good saves in the opening quarter whilst Danny Thomas and Mike Aston started to look solid too at the heart of the defence.

Both teams had half chances and indeed the home keeper also had to make a couple of good saves early on but on 25 minutes 1874 took the lead when Ryan Steward hit a low drive into the bottom corner of the net. In all honesty the home keeper, who got his hand to the ball, would have been disappointed not to have saved the shot.

So at the interval the score was 0-1

The excellent playing service at Middlewich must have had Matty Ward bursting with the enthusiasm to take the field and when he did he quickly demonstrated why he is rated so highly by both the management team and the 1874 supporters as he turned on a master class of ball control, dribbling skills and total awareness of the players around him.

To their credit the home side did not result to rough tactics in an attempt to stop the creative diminutive play-maker, but as it, quite often, needed two or more players to shadow him space was created for Ward’s colleagues and from one such sortie Daley Woods and Paul Connor combined to create a chance for Joe Igenoza, who greatly accepted the chance to put his side 2-0 up

Manager Street continued to shuffle his pack and the introduction of Matt Woolley into the proceedings provided another dash of class as the midfielder started to stamp his authority into midfield and indeed he created a number of chances before an inch perfect pass from in into the path of the on-running Igenoza resulted in the third goal as the striker fired home from ten yards

So all in all a good workout for the 1874 squad against a keen Middlewich, side who never gave up. For 1874, as well as Ward and Woolley, Aston. Thomas and Bailey all looked well set for good seasons with the 1874 set up

1874 team: Fossdyke; Trialist; Trialist, Thomas, Aston, Hamer, Woods, Bailey, Brandon, Igenoza and Stewart

subs: Beadle, Farnworth, Ward, Connor, Woolley and Mitchell

Goals Stewart, Igenoza, Beadle