On a windy freezing cold morning we pitched up
at Glossop North Ends Cemetery Road home for a Tameside Challenge Cup Quarter
final. Ladybridge had 12 players
available to pick from and Jack recovering from a "Bieber" snub
started on the bench. The playing conditions
underfoot and weather wise were some of the worst that Ladybridge have ever had
to endure and Glossop, playing against the wind started really well. Glossop took a deserved lead on 8 minutes when
their No 14 made a strong direct run on the right and fired an unstoppable
drive low and hard past Conor to make it 1-0 to the home team.
Glossop should have doubled their advantage 3
minutes later when the No 14 found the No 32 in space and from 20 yards out he
fired in a good shot that Conor did well to parry and push out for a corner. Nathan had Ladybridge's first effort on goal
on 15mins when he picked up the ball from our 2nd corner of the game and forced
a good save from the Glossop No 1. The
No 14 for Glossop again found Conor in good form when he saved well from him on
25mins. The Glossop keeper then made two
tremendous saves from Jack's initial drive from 30 yards out and then Nathans's
follow up from close range to see him and his side into the interval 1-0 up.
Half Time Glossop 1 – 0 Ladybridge
It was nip and tuck in the first ten minutes
of the 2nd half with both teams having chances to score but fluffing their
lines with just the keeper to beat. However it was Ladybridge who struck first
when Ben's accurate pass split the Glossop defence and Josh gratefully ran on
to it and rounded the keeper to score 1-1 after 45 minutes.
Ladybridge should have scored again a couple
of minutes later when Bayley's free kick into the box found Ben in space but
his snap shot cleared the bar. Nathan
set up Ladybridge's 2nd goal after a rampaging run down the right and he
delivered a vicious cross which was parried well by the keeper but Josh reacted
quickest to the loose ball to bag his 2nd goal on 50mins 2-1 Ladybridge.
Josh was denied his hatrick by an excellent stop
by the Glossop keeper on 55mins. Glossop's equalising goal came with ten
minutes of the game remaining when the No 7 blasted home from 20 yards out to
set up a frantic last ten minutes of Cup football 2-2.
A defensive mistake between the Glossop keeper
and defender handed Nathan a chance to prosper from 10 yards out and he slotted
the ball home to edge Ladybridge ahead with 5mins to go 2-3.
I thought Glossop had equalised again with 3mins
remaining from a corner but Conor was able to clear the ball from his goal line
to keep Ladybridge's slender lead intact. The last offensive move by Ladybridge in the
game would seal the match for the away team when Josh found Dion on the right
and his through ball to Jack in space in a central position 25 yards out was
hit sweetly by his left foot and past the keeper to make the final score 4-2 to
Ladybridge.
Glossop today pushed us very hard throughout
the game and an inspired performance by their keeper kept us at bay on numerous
occasions in both halves. The Glossop
team put in a performance, which was in complete contrast to our comfortable
victory against them last week at Tempest Road. They battled the conditions and us well and
almost forced the draw but for our 2 last-gasp goals in the final 5mins of the
match.
Ladybridge had to survive the tough conditions
and a very determined team to progress through to the Semi-Finals of the
Challenge Cup this morning. All the
squad put in 100% this morning and never stopped working for each other for the
full 70 minutes - well done lads.
Gordon
