Silsden AFC 3 v 2 Alsager Town (North West Counties Premier League)
Alsager Town arrived in a wet and windy North Yorkshire with injuries to five key players, but despite all their efforts it was Silsden who controlled the game from start to finish.
Silsden AFC started the game stronger of the two sides, when after only two minutes Chris Wademan broke clear of the Alsager defence before rounding Stuart Heeps in the Alsager goal, only to see his shot go wide.
On five minutes Ben Crabtree went close for Silsden when he collected the ball at the edge of the penalty area before firing a shot over the Alsager crossbar.
Michael Hall then started what was an excellent day for the striker, when he scored after twelve minutes following a long ball over the top of the Alsager defence. Hall ran onto the ball and chipped it over the on rushing Alsager goalkeeper into an empty net.
Just three minutes after falling behind, Alsager drew level when Chris Lunn collected the ball on the half way line and ran to the edge of the Silsden area before his shot was saved by Edward Hall.
Jordan Flattley collected the ball from Hall’s save and from the left-hand side of the Silsden penalty area, he then curled the ball into the far top corner of the Silsden goal to make 1-1.
The next real chance fell to Andrew Hill who struck a blistering free-kick from the edge of the area only to see it hit the Alsager crossbar.
On forty-two minutes Michael Hall collected his and Silsden’s second goal, when a Chris Wademan shot was saved by the Alsager goalkeeper, only for the ball to land at the feet of Hall who side footed it into the goal.
The second half started in much the same vein as the first as Silsden continued to dominate the game with some excellent passing football.
On fifty-six minutes a long ball over the top of the Alsager defence left a one on one chase for the ball between Michael Hall and Alsager’s Prince.
Hall won the race and then placed the ball past Heeps in the Alsager goal to score his hat-trick and give Silsden a 3-1 lead.
Silsden then seemed to easy off and allow Alsager back into the game and on eighty minutes Alsager took advantage of this when they scored a second goal, when Gleave put an Alsager cross through his own goal.
The second Alsager goal seemed to bring Silsden back to life and they again controlled the final five minutes on the game to hold onto a 3-2 win.
Match Details
Silsden AFC – E.Hall, Moses, Hargreaves, Gleave, Fagan, Hill, Wademan, Crabtree, Hall, Storrie, Lynch (Subs) Egan, Trickett, Gill
Alsager Town – Heeps, Hedley, Best, Prince, Lee, Hughes, Errico, Stafford, Lunn, McDonald, Flattley (Subs) Gould, Pero, Smith,
Goals – (Silsden AFC) Hall (12, 42, 56) (Alsager Town) Flattley (15), Gleave (80) og
Attendance – 146
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