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Tuesday 11th September - Frickley Athletic 0-0 Buxton

Frickley Athletic ended their four-match losing run with a battling performance against Buxton on Tuesday night which resulted in a goalless draw. Yet it could have been so much better for the Blues but Lee Morris saw his second half header come back off the crossbar with the Buxton goalkeeper well beaten. 

Both Morris and midfielder Danny Walsh return to the side after missing Saturday’s defeat at Kendal whilst striker Danny Davidson has left the club and joined Harrogate Railway. 

It was Buxton who started the livelier of the two sides with their pace from midfield causing the Frickley defence numerous problems. Andy Parton fired a foot wide from 18 yards after just 3 minutes and Paul Walker blazed over the bar 7 minutes later. However, they were lucky to still have their full compliment of players on the pitch after 15 minutes when Terry Bowker was only cautioned after stupidly throwing the ball at Morris after fouling the Blues’ striker. It looked as if the referee’s leniency was going to cost the Blues’ dear as Bowker headed in a cross from Anton Foster but the assistant referee had his flag raised for offside and the goal was disallowed. Two minutes later Michael Towey curled an 18 yard shot inches wide of Jon Hood’s right hand post. 

Billy Heath changed things around at half time with Chris Hilton and Richard Tracey making way for Carl Wood and Adam Pollock as the Blues switched to a 4-3-3 formation. This paid dividends with the Blues looking more of an attacking force than they had in the first half. They cam close to breaking the deadlock on 28 minutes when Morris flicked on Steve Ball’s free-kick from half way and Nathan Hotte darted in to head goalwards from 6 yards but Scot Hartley did enough to deflect the ball over the crossbar. Five minutes later Foster did brilliantly for the visitors as he cut in from the right almost along the goal line, evading 3 challenges, before firing straight at Hood from a tight angle from 6 yards. The ball struck Hood full in the face and rebounded to Parton but Dean Jones brilliantly denied him a clear shooting opportunity. Within a minute Jones repeated the feat as Parton threatened to break clear inside the box but Jones again snuffed out the danger. The Blues weathered the Buxton pressure and struck back with Ball firing just wide of the right hand post from 20 yards following a neat back-heel from Morris. On 71 minutes Danny Walsh sent over an inviting cross from the right which Morris met with a looping header which beat Hartley but came back off the cross bar and Chris White could only put the rebound over the bar. Within minutes it could have been 1-0 to the visitors when Foster broke clear but he shot tamely at Hood from just inside the box. Bowker did eventually receive his marching orders in the 86th minute when he pushed Phil Lindley in the chest following a challenge for a high ball and then had an altercation with Hood, who received a yellow card. As the game entered stoppage time Morris chased down a pass from White that Dan McPherson was trying to run out of play and appeared to win the ball off him fairly but just as Morris prepared to shot the referee pulled play back for an apparent foul by Morris.

Frickley Athletic : Hood, Ball, Gowen, Walsh, Lindley, Jones, Tracey (Pollock 45), Hilton (Wood 45), Morris, Hotte, White. Unused sub. Morton

Buxton : Hartley, Lennon, Agus, McPherson, Bowker, Foster, Hall, Towey, Parton (Foyle 87), Walker (Bingham 64), Riley. Unused sub. Brough.

Referee : P. Bramley

Attendance : 287