Silsden AFC 1 v 0 Norton United (North West Counties Premier League)
High flying Norton United arrived at the Angel Telecom Stadium yesterday having lost only one of their first eleven North West Counties Premier League matches.
Norton lost top scorer Dan Brown in the pre-match warm up to a hamstring injury, in the end they lost the match to a battling Silsden team who grew in confidence as the game progressed.
Norton United just about shaded the first half on the number of chances, but it was a fairly even half, with both sides playing some excellent one touch football in midfield.
It was Norton United who had the first real chance on goal, when Lee Talbot chased a ball through the middle only for his shot to be blocked by Silsden’s Daniel Fagan, with an excellent last ditch tackle.
The same two players were involved again about ten minutes later, when Norton’s Talbot cut inside the Silsden penalty area only to see Fagan block his shot for the second time.
On about thirty minutes, Silsden started to gain some confidence and had a few attacking moves of their own. Following some excellent work on the left, Anthony Lynch crossed to an unmarked Chris Wademan, his header went just over the Norton bar.
Chris Wademan then had Silsden’s best chance of the half, when he chased a Mathew Moses ball over the top of the Norton left-back. Wademan then cut into the area and shot from the right-hand angle of the six yard box, only to see his shot hit the Norton crossbar.
At the start of the second half Leigh Skellern headed an effort just wide from a corner with Silsden goalkeeper Edward Hall well beaten.
Silsden then went close with a well controlled volley from 30 yards, the ball dipped at the last minute and had Norton goalkeeper Daniel Roberts scrambling back to his line, where he just managed to tip the ball over his bar for a corner.
After about an hour the Norton United players started to feel the game slipping away and as a result their controlled passing seemed to leave them.
In the final thirty minutes, Norton goalkeeper Daniel Roberts plus defenders Tom Winkle and Richard Smith were all lucky not to see red cards for a number of unsavoury off the ball incidents.
Silsden’s patience paid off on seventy-one minutes when Nathan Egan beat the Norton off-side trap to run clear at goal, before squaring a ball to Chris Wademan who scored from the edge of the area.
In the final five minutes of the game, Norton threw everything at Silsden who’s defence stood strong. The visiting goalkeeper arrived in the Silsden area for every free-kick and corner but it made no impact.
Silsden deserved their hard fought victory, if not only for the way they stood up to an unsporting second half display by Norton United. The management, club officials and supporters should be proud of the way Silsden AFC conducted themselves.
Match Details
Silsden AFC – E.Hall, Moses, Hargreaves, Gleave, Fagan, Hill, Wademan, Crabtree, Egan, Storrie, Lynch (Subs) M.Hall, Trickett, Gill
Norton United – Roberts, Bradbury, Clarkson, Smith, Winkle, Beaumont, Talbot, McDonald, Cropper, L.Skellern, Green (Subs) Dorson, J.Skellern, Baker, Fogg, Dundas
Goals – (Silsden AFC) Wademan (71)
Attendance – 114
Chadwick Media 