UniBond League – Premier Division - Tuesday October 9th 2007
WITTON ALBION 6 PRESCOT CABLES 1 att. 362
TEAM: Kennedy; Coo, Barras (Kearney 77), Pritchard (Brownhill 72), Spearritt; Peers, Lloyd, MacPherson, Brodie; Warlow, Crowe (Proffitt 64)
Man of Match : Rob Lloyd n/b Dave MacPherson
At half-time, with just the slender one goal advantage courtesy of BRIAN PRITCHARD’s sublime looping 15 yard header scored in the 13th minute, it looked, with Cables then proving to be the best team Albion have encountered to date, that maybe a case of déjà vu would follow. The visitors did get the ball in the net a minute before the goal but Karl Connolly’s crisp finish came from an offside position. Dean Crowe fluffed a good chance after Rob Lloyd had superbly beaten Prescot’s offside trap and following good approach work between Steve Brodie and Mark Peers this time Adam Warlow was off target with his headed attempt.
The second-half started off in thunderous style when in the opening seconds a ball from the right was flicked on by Warlow to the onrushing debutant DAVE MacPHERSON whose sheer delight was plainly evident as he smashed the ball past the former Barnton and Albion keeper Richard Mottram. On the 50th minute though Cables were thrown a life-line courtesy of referee Paul Graham, Tony Barras had timed his action perfectly when playing the ball out for a corner, the attacking Cables player’s momentum carried him over the prostrate Barras but with the linesman in a far better position and not indicating any transgression the man in the middle decided otherwise and awarded a penalty kick with Jon Kennedy outmanoeuvred as Thomas Moore sent the spot-kick to the keeper’s left.
The 64th minute though saw a masterstroke produced by Jim Vince when the disappointing Crowe was withdrawn. Three minutes later James Dever scythed MacPherson down and Lloyd’s perfectly flighted ball over the wall saw substitute DORRYLL PROFFITT produce a diving header to notch his first goal for the Albion. On 71 minutes it was 4-1 following sensational footwork from ROB LLOYD and a wondrous finish past the crestfallen Mottram.
Pritchard was substituted following the goal and with Albion readjusting Moore brought an excellent save as Kennedy got up to tip his good effort over the bar. The 74th minute again saw Lloyd produce a dazzling (or should that read dozzling?) move before prodding the ball into DORRYLL PROFFITT’s path with the reprieved striker going on to slot the ball past Mottram. Vince then was afforded the luxury of withdrawing Barras and three minutes later, again following a free-kick, his replacement IAN KEARNEY breached the shell-shocked defence to head home.
Mottram managed somehow to get his fists to a vicious MacPherson shot whilst the absence of a goal agony for Warlow was fully evident when his rasping shot cannoned down off the crossbar and then in stoppage time he slid in perfectly to meet Liam Brownhill’s cross but the ball ended narrowly wide of the upright.
All in all though a good day at the office, the earlier F.A.Cup reverse now a distant memory, the lead at the top extended to four points, no players’ cautioned and a very healthy goal difference of 21 to take to Leek Town on Saturday afternoon.