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Saturday 20th April - UniBond Premier Division
BAMBER BRIDGE 0-2 FRICKLEY ATHLETIC
The Blues eased to a comfortable two goal victory after
controlling almost all of the game at bottom club, and already relegated, Bamber
Bridge. Gary Marrow made one change to the starting line-up as he brought Andy
Evans back in place of Leroy Chambers.
The
Blues started brightly and went close to snatching the lead in the third minute
as Rory Prendergast's cross from the left was headed powerfully goalwards by
Evans only for goalkeeper Cyril Sharrock to block his effort. Frickley proceded
to dictate the play but without really putting the home defence under much
pressure until just before the half hour when Evans broke clear but Sharrock
again pulled off a great save to block Evens' shot from the edge of the box with
his legs. The home side managed their best attempt of the game on 36 minutes
when a snapshot from the edge of the box by Simon Burton was well saved by Mark
Wilkinson, who otherwise had a quiet afternoon. On the stroke of half time the
Blues twice came close to getting their noses in front when first Prendergast
saw his low 16 yard shot blocked by Sharrock with the ball hitting Graham Lewis
and being cleared out to the left of the box where Evans hit a low shot which
was again blocked and then scrambled clear.
At half time the Blues made a double substitution with Jon
Wordsworth and Leroy Chambers replacing Dean Jones and the largely ineffective
Graham Lewis. The introduction of Chambers made the Blues more incisive going
forward and this almost paid dividends straight after the restart. Evans was
brought down some 25 yards from goal with Simon Collins seeing his well taken
free-kick tipped over the bar by Sharrock. From the resulting corner Collins
headed dow n
to Chambers who saw his overhead kick sail narrowly over the bar. On 53 minutes
the Blues got the breakthrough they deserved when a cross by Prendergast was
handled by Lee Pryers in the box and STEVE PRICE stepped up to convert the
resulting penalty. Less then sixty seconds later Chambers thought he had doubled
the lead as he headed in from close range but it was disallowed for offside
against both Chambers and Chris Gowen. Chris Gowen was then forced off and
replaced by Pete Myers with Price moving to left-back and Matt Russell dropping
basck to right-back
but this didn't hinder the Blues at all. On 74 minutes Chambers saw his header
from 15 yards tipped over the bar but he finally got his reward two minutes
later when a good run down the right of the box by Collins saw him cut the ball
back to Evans who in turn fed CHAMBERS who drilled a low shot past Sharrock from
15 yards. Then, on 90 minutes Chambers got on the end of a cross from the left
by Prendergast but Sharrock again pulled off a good save to deny him.
Frickley Athletic : Wilkinson, Collins, Gowen (Myers
59), Hanby,
Place, Jones (Wordsworth 45), Russell, Price, Evans, Lewis (Chambers 45),
Prendergast.
Attendance : 218
Referee : Mr. K. A. Lawton (Merseyside)
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