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Saturday 5th April - Stalybridge Celtic 3-1 Frickley Athletic

On today's performance it looked as though the heroics of the past month had finally caught up on the team as the Blues' play looked sluggish almost throughout the game.

Phil Sharpe made a couple of minor changes to the line-up with Gary Hatto staring off partnering Adam Russell up front whilst Lee Morris dropped back deeper into midfield. Chris Gowen started on the left of midfield whilst Phil Lindley was dropped to the bench.

The home side started brightly and made their intentions known after 7 minutes when Kevin Parr shot wide of the left hand post from 20 yards. But, after weathering early pressure Frickley rather unexpectedly took the lead on 22minutes. Mark Hancock's free-kick into the box caused confusion as the ball was headed up into the air. Russell was first to react as the ball bounced near the left hand post and his cross-cum-shot was headed into his own net by Gregg Pearce (although for some reason Antony Jackson was credited with the goal!) A minute later Lee Morris broke from midfield and played in Russell who looked to be getting clear as he neared the box but he was scythed down by Terry Bowker who was immediately sent off. Hancock and Gary Hatto then proceeded to make a mess of the free-kick as Hatto eventually shot over from 20 yards. The sending off seemed to lift Celtic who threatened more with ten men than they did with eleven. ON 38 minutes Colin Potts got his head to a deep cross from the left but Mark Samways reacted quickly to claim the ball almost off Potts' head. Two minutes later the Blues had a golden opportunity to extend their lead when Danny Caldecott gave the ball away to Morris in the Celtic box. Morris fed Russell who cut inside  Pearce before shooting straight at Craig Dootson when Duncan Richards was better placed to his right. Frickley were made to pay on the stroke of half time when Kenny Mayers equalised, shooting past Samways from just inside the box, although Samways and the rest of the Frickley defence stopped as they appealed for a hand-ball infringement.  

The scoreline got worse within ten seconds of the second half starting as Celtic went in front almost immediately after kicking off. Potts was played in by Phil Eastwood and beat Samways from 15 yards to give the home side the lead. At half time Hancock was forced off through injury and was replaced by Curtis Bernard as Frickley reverted to four at the back. Shortly afterwards Lindley replaced Kieran O'Brien and Steve Robinson replaced Lee Morris. The home side enjoyed large amounts of pressure but created very little to trouble Samways at the end of it and it was Frickley who came close to adding to the scoreline as on 75 minutes Gowen sent over a cross from the left that was flicked on by Hatto to Robinson but his angled 12 yard shot just cleared the bar. A minute later Bernard sent over a cross from the left which somehow found its way through to Steve Woolford at the back post but the ball struck him and bounced kindly for Dootson to collect. Frickley went closer still on 86 minutes when Hatto's left wing corner was bundled against the right hand post by Lindley but Celtic hacked the ball clear and when it was returned Dootson flapped at it, only for Jackson to swing at it and miss whilst Russell's lunge put the ball into the side netting. A minute from time Robinson was sent off for a terrible tackle on Celtic sub. Chris Denham whilst 2minutes into added time Denham wrapped up the points for Celtic when he fired past Samways from just inside the box but almost immediately Celtic were reduced to nine men when Nathan Wharton struck Hatto and received his marching orders for a second bookable offence. 

Frickley Athletic : Samways, Richards, O'Brien (Lindley 53), Woolford, Jackson, Marquis, Hancock (Bernard 45), Gowen, Morris (Robinson 55), Russell, Hatto 

Attendance : 415

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