Woodley Sports 1 Skelmersdale United 0
Skelmersdale lost an unbeaten away record stretching back to September on this trip to Stockport writes Neil Leatherbarrow
The difference between the sides was two magnificent saves by Woodley keeper Liam Higginbotham. Skelmersdale were reduced to ten for more than an hour and struggled for half the game to come to terms with Woodley’s artificial pitch. They might well have overcome all that had it not been for Higginbotham.
It didn’t take long for things to start going wrong for Skelmersdale, in the sixth minute they went behind to a well worked goal and a clinically executed finish. Woodley defender Rob Parsonage was put away down the right by Liam Hogan, Parsonage’s cross in to the penalty area was swept past United keeper Damien Eastham to give Woodley the lead.
Inside a minute Skelmersdale should have levelled, John Cass was slipped through behind the Woodley defence, but screwed his shot just wide of Higginbotham’s left-hand post.
In the 18th minute, Higginbotham pulled off the first of his two great saves. Michael White swung in the ball from the right side, Houghton latched onto it, but was floored by a clumsy challenge from Parsonage, who surprisingly was not booked. White stepped up for the penalty and hit a venomous shot high to Higginbotham’s right, but with the ball destined for the roof of the net, the keeper somehow got a hand to the ball. It wasn’t a perfect penalty, but it wasn’t that bad and the save was pure instinctive.
In the last six weeks Woodley have beaten both Lancaster City and Colwyn Bay on their home pitch by three goal margins, so it is fair to say it gives them an edge, it certainly restricted Skelmersdale’s passing game in the first-half and both teams became embroiled in a battle for possession rather than a feast of skills.
Matters took another turn for the worse from Skelmersdale’s angle in the 25th minute. Aaron Turner tussled with home number seven Mark Haslam as play switched up the pitch via a long ball, Haslam went down holding his face and referee Mr Waters waved an instant red card at Turner, some say a butt was involved, but that’s debateable as even the camera man filming the game missed the incident as he and the crowd followed the ball up field.
The first 45 minutes had really been a stagnant affair, so the second period had to be better, surely? It was, but not remarkably so.
Skelmersdale opened well, but still couldn’t find any sustainable tempo. White and Paul Woolcott combined well on the right before White put a crisp ball across the pitch to Cass, but the striker’s snap shot was straight at Higginbotham.
In the 56th minute, Houghton beat the Woodley offside trap, but Cass couldn’t get a telling touch to Houghton’s ball into the box. Then Cass headed over from Karl Ledsham’s cross.
After 67 minutes, Cass saw another shot saved, before Shaun Foster found the net, but was well offside.
Time was running out on Skelmersdale. Ledsham had a shot deflected wide, then Kevin Towey had a go.
With five minutes left, it clear it was not going to be Skelmersdale’s night. Towey laid the ball back to Woolcott and his shot was ferocious, Higginbotham sprang from one side of the goal to the other and palmed the ball away, Skelmersdale were astounded, and it was a goal from the moment the ball left Woolcott’s boot.
The game petered out in the remaining few minutes. United had dominated possession after the interval, but again chasing a game was difficult, however, it might have been easier against any other keeper but Higginbotham and the result was rough justice.
Skelmersdale get a break from league action on Saturday, when they play Belper Town at home in the Presidents Cup semi-final. Belper are not in the best of form themselves, so it might just be a good opportunity for Tommy Lawson’s men to get the show back on the road, with no pressure.
Woodley Sports: Higginbotham, Hogan, Sellers (Jarrett, 65), Parsonage (c), Cotton, Sarcevic (Dickinson, 83), Haslam, Gee, Dennis, Browne, Walker Subs (not used) Elmore, Towns
Skelmersdale United: Eastham, White (c) (Towey, 81), Foster, Burke, Akrigg, Turner, Ledsham, Wade A., Cass (Wade R., 68), Houghton (Armstrong, 64), Woolcott Subs (not used) Loughlin, Bathurst
Referee: J. Waters
Attendance: 101
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