In association with:
ALAN McLEAN FCMA CGMA
Chartered Management Accountant
Trafford 1-2 Blyth Spartans
Evo-Stik Northern Premier League
Shawe View
Saturday 21st April 2015
Attendance:
Spartans were almost handed the perfect start as Michael Richardson came within an inch of giving his side the lead in just the sixth minute. The midfielder found a yard of space on the edge of the Trafford area and managed to get a left foot shot away, however he could only curl it against the top of the crossbar.
There was to be no let off three minutes later and again it was Richardson who was at the heart of the action as he released Dan Maguire in on goal. The striker took a touch to settle himself before rolling the ball past the advancing Tom Read to give his side the lead.
However it was a lead they could only hold on to for four minutes as Liam Blake got the hosts back on level terms. Danny Parker was caught in possession by Trafford striker Mark Derbyshire and then won a challenge with Stuart Bramley. That gave the striker a chance to roll the ball to Blake and his first-time effort took a deflection off Bramley and looped over the helpless Nick Thomson before nestling in the back of the Spartans net.
Spartans could and really should have retaken the lead midway through the first half as Richardson and Maguire combined once again. This time it was striker Maguire who played the role of creator as he beat Chris Palmer down the left before rolling back to Richardson twelve yards from goal but he could only blast a left foot shot wide of the far post.
Richardson had another golden chance minutes later as a miskicked clearance from Adam Jones looped up on to the head of Robbie Dale. The Spartans skipper headed back into the Trafford area and that was met by a first-time volley by Richardson but he sent it over the bar.
Spartans were on top but were frustrated again on the half hour mark. Maguire was again lively and after being released down the left by Dale, picked out a wonderful cross to the back found that found the head of Damen Mullen but he was denied on the line by the hosts keeper Read.
Despite their dominance of possession Tom Wade’s side could have fallen behind shortly after Mullen’s chance. A scramble on the edge of the Spartans area saw the ball fall to Trafford right back Palmer and he rocketed a shot towards the top left hand corner but Nick Thomson was alert and parried to safety.
The Spartans pressure finally paid off three minutes before the break as Dan Maguire struck once again with a wonderful effort. The little striker worked himself away from two defenders before curling home from inside the area with the ball creeping just inside the near post.
With the clock ticking into injury time Maguire came within a whisker of his second hat-trick for the club as he rose to meet a Stephen Turnbull free kick from the left. The in-form striker flicked a header towards the far post and saw it drop agonisingly wide of the upright. That miss meant Spartans only took a one goal lead into the interval.
Trafford: Read, Palmer, Smart, Chalmers, Jones, Andrews, King, Doughty, Derbyshire, Blake, Pritchard Subs not used: Reed, Smith, Wassi, Riley, Black Goals: Blake 13
Spartans: Thomson, Mullen, Turnbull, Bramley, Parker, Hooks, Rivers, Richardson, Maguire, Wade, Dale Subs not used: Davis, Wearmouth, Lynch, Bell, Nicholson Goals: Maguire 9 and 42
Referee: T Parsons