UniBond Premier Division - Saturday November 17th 2007
WITTON ALBION 2 OSSETT TOWN 0 att. 410
TEAM: Kennedy; Coo, Pritchard, Kearney, Spearritt (Brownhill 68); Peers (Crowe 82), Lloyd, MacPherson, Brodie; Warlow (Dillon 86), Thornley. Star Man MARK PEERS
Not surprisingly the pre-match billing of the clash of the two meanest defences in the league lived up to its reputation at Wincham Park as these teams, who’d produced a scoreless draw back in September at Ingfield looked set to repeat events.
It was always going to take a special goal to break the dead-lock and so it proved when with twenty minutes left on the clock it was the Town keeper Piotr Skiba who had to pick the ball out of the back of the net. Albion’s manager Jim Vince just two minutes earlier introduced the England “C” international left back Liam Brownhill, who’d returned from Finland, to the proceedings. Brownhill’s first touch was to play the ball down the left to MARK PEERS, the flying winger looked up and judged perfectly to send a 25 yard shot just over the keeper’s head and under the crossbar.
Disappointingly for the visitors, only seconds before Carl Fothergill really should have profited following a rare slip by right back Cavell Coo when Scott Jackson dispossessed him. Instead the striker sent the ball wide of the far post. Albion then went on to claim a second goal in the 80th minute to sew up the three points and made it eight from eight at home for the season. With results elsewhere going in their favour the Cheshire outfit extended their lead at the top of the league into double figures. The goal came following a deftly placed high cross from the right wing by Steve Brodie, with the ball between central defender Robert Tonks and keeper Skiba, leading scorer ADAM WARLOW jumped bravely to get enough power on his header to send the ball over the keeper and onwards 15 yards into the now unguarded net.
Virtually all of the first half goal area action came as the period entered stoppage time. Skiba saving with his legs from Dave MacPherson after Peers had crossed. Following the corner both MacPherson and then Warlow saw their headed attempts rebound back off the crossbar to leave Town mighty relieved to not be chasing the game.
Throughout the opening half it was mainly Peers who was unlocking the Ossett defence. Daniel Meadowcroft just got in as Warlow was lurking following a diagonal cross. Next following a jinking run, cutting in from the left he lifted the ball onto the roof of the net and then Lee Stratford stuck out a foot to deflect his low shot out for a corner.
Following the restart Damien Dunne went close for the visitors before defender Lee Stratford was very fortunate not to be carded for a lunging challenge on MacPherson, Stratford was even luckier when the match officials missed completely his stamp on the Witton player after MacPherson had challenged Skiba. From a Peers free-kick defender Ian Kearney stole in behind the defensive wall but clipped his shot just wide of the target whilst Brian Pritchard forced Skiba into making a diving save to keep his 63rd minute effort out. Dunne again went closest to scoring what would only have been the 9th goal against Jon Kennedy, making his 100th Albion appearance, in this season’s 17 matches.
Another well earned three points taking us over the 40 mark that JV says ensures we should not fear relegation now! The tenth clean sheet for JK to celebrate on reaching his century. No player cautioned with just a couple of niggling injuries for Kearney and Warlow to overcome before next week’s real cup-tie.
