UniBond League – Premier Division - Tuesday September 4th 2007
BUXTON 0 WITTON ALBION 2 att. 560
TEAM: Kennedy; Coo, Spearritt, Pritchard, Brownhill; Peers (Turley 77), Dillon (Kearney 55), Brown, Brodie; Warlow, Proffitt (Crowe 62).
Man of Match : Tom Spearritt
Albion made it 5 wins on the bounce as well as 4 matches not conceding a goal nor a caution when they renewed their acquaintance after a gap of 10 years with the delights of Silverlands. One really felt like we’d actually gone back even further in time with some of the moronic chants and songs coming from sections of the un-stewarded crowd some of whom also hung back menacingly long after the final whistle. We also stepped back in time when it came to the match referee, after pouring praise on all the previous whistlers this term up popped Mr Trevor Massey again to remind us what refereeing sadly can be about – namely, just like at Marine last season – the man himself.
Albion took the game, up the slope, to Buxton from the off, Steve Brodie and Mark Peers linked well in the 7th minute and it needed right back Ashley Foyle to block Peers’ shot out for a corner. In the 10th minute Adam Warlow found good space but didn’t really get in a powerful shot, nonetheless, not for the only time in the match, goalkeeper Scott Hartley made a meal of the save and again Albion earned a corner. This time John Dillon’s flag-kick floated over the crestfallen Hartley and there was BRIAN PRITCHARD to head powerfully home and duly celebrate the fact that it was at Buxton, twelve years to the very day that he made his away match debut for Albion – oh by the way he didn’t finish the match that day picking up 2 yellows as Witton won 4-0.
Halfway through the opening period and following a period of some very good possession Alex Brown, who was the pick of the midfield this evening, saw his shot just curl past the right post. Warlow very nearly capitalised when, in the 33rd minute, he timed his jump to block Hartley’s clearance, the ball rebounded past the stricken keeper but with just enough pace on it to roll out for a goal-kick before the striker could latch on to it. At the bottom of the slope 5 minutes later Jon Kennedy was called upon to make his first real save of the evening from Michael Towey. By now Mr Massey was making his presence known, he failed to at least caution Anton Foster when he appeared to slap and then with Witton advancing with the ball stopped play and awarded us a very rare free-kick.
Witton stood back in the opening 20 minutes of the second period the defence absorbing quite comfortably the pressure the home team were applying, Dillon and Dorryl Proffitt, both of whom hadn’t really got to grips with proceedings, were substituted with Ian Kearney giving bite in mid-field and Dean Crowe providing the know-how in setting up attacks. An off the ball incident then saw Dan MacPherson, totally pre-meditated, raise his hands to Cavell Coo, Mr Massey’s decision just a yellow card!
Albion’s lead was extended in the 70th minute, at first it appeared that Peers had turned the wrong way when he passed to Brodie wide on his right with team-mates better placed, however when the sprightly mid-fielder left his marker for dead before flashing a shot to the near post all that central defender TERRY BOWKER could do was slide in and direct the ball past his own keeper. Five minutes later and Peers let fly himself only for Hartley to produce the save of the night, Pritchard finding the ball coming quickly at him could only slash his shot that only got cleared as far as Brown who drove the ball a whisker past the right upright.
Peers eventually gave way, after again a Foster un-cautioned challenge, to give James Turley his debut. Crowe then produced a lovely centre that Warlow really should have hit firmer instead of what was a perfectly timed sweep of the ball that Hartley saved comfortably. However the miss of the match was left to, of all Buxton’s players, Bowker in the additional stoppage time when he ballooned the ball well over with the goal gaping.