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THAT'S ALL FOLKS

FC Buxton have now completed all of their fixtures for the 2011/12 season - we'll be back in August for Pre-season Training.

JLS SCORES.... THEN PLAYS FOR FC!

Crewe Alexandra 1 - 1 FC Buxton

Despite a dominant performance, FC Buxton had to settle for a draw from their visit to Crewe on Saturday morning.

Missing several key players including Andrew Gould, Redburn, Hollins and Betts, FC player-manager Carl Taylor was left in something of a quandary, as he sought to find the right starting XI to suit a tricky looking match. His dilemma was aided by the return of verstatile defender James Staff, who lined up on the right of the back four. 'Fresh' from a steamy night in Stockport, Jimmy 'JLS' Wright took charge between the sticks, as Taylor plumped for the following line-up: Wright. Staff. D Bainbridge. Corbett. Love. Gilbert. Drennan. Keane. D Gould. Sheppard. Hill. Subs for FC were Taylor and Davies, scorer of a last-minute winner the last time the two sides met.
On a big pitch, FC had been urged by their manager to use the ball well, or risk tiring themselves out trying to retrieve it, and the messsage seemed to be taken on board as the away side started with a purpose.

With only five minutes on the clock, Buxton carved out their first chance, with a smart interchange between Will Drennan and Dan Gilbert sending the former clear through on goal. Eliot Bishop in the Crewe net reacted well, however, bearing down on the FC midfielder and forcing him into a rushed effort which went narrowly over the crossbar. Stud.

Three minutes later and FC were in again. A high ball forward grazed the head of the re-born Daymo Sheppard (Fred) and sent strike (and dancing) partner Chris Hill (Ginger) through one-on-one with the keeper. He wasn't going to score again was he? Of course he was, a calm finish stroking the ball into the bottom right, when all behind him had gone back to the half-way line expecting a Crewe goal-kick.... 1-0.

FC were fluid and even Dan Gould was impressing on the left of midfield. His ability to cross with either foot, whether coming inside on his right or crossing from the channel with his left, was causing real problems for an unsettled-looking home defence. One such cross found the head of Gilbert, who was inches away from grabbing his first goal for the club.

Keeper Wright spent most of the half as a spectator (a far cry from his Friday night activities), with only a hopeful free-kick, which he had to tip over the bar, causing any concern in an otherwise quiet half for the young lothario.

Sheppard, ever growing in confidence since his return to the FC attack, twice went close to adding to last week's hat-trick in the closing 10 minutes of the half. His first chance arose when put in on the right by Gilbert. The bald wanderer danced his way round the Alexandra left-back on the by-line and brought another smart save from the home keeper from a tight angle. His second chance was a blocked effort from six yards out, with Fred perhaps guilty of choosing the wrong option on this occasion, as the unmarked Ginger screamed for the ball.

HT 1-0.

The strong wind had been in FC Buxton's favour in the first half, and the key challenge going into the second period would be to maintain the impressive football seen so far, with the need to take care of passes becoming even more important against the gale. With no changes made at the break, the side was encouraged to keep carving out the chances, confident that this would bring another goal.

As the second half began, though, FC appeared to struggle to come to terms with the change in wind direction and passes began to go astray. The home side sensed their chance and began to grow in confidence, forcing a corner, from which an effort had to be cleared off the line by captain Robbie Keane.

Minutes later and Alex' were level. A cheap free-kick from just inside the Buxton half was pumped into the box and, as Wright looked set to collect with ease, his attempt to gather spilled the ball to the feet of the Crewe striker, who had the simplest of finishes from close range. Wright's perma-smile turned into a frown for the first time since Friday night. 1-1.

FC needed to react quickly and get back on their game, and a Crewe cross from the right which got taken by the wind onto the visitors' crossbar only served to emphasise this point.

Despite the increased pressure from the home side, the FC Bucks were still getting a lot of joy down the right side and this served to invigorate them as they grew back into the game. A period of pressure culminated in the best passing move of the match, when Gilbert found Hill in the box, whose instinctive first-time pass found Sheppard with the goal at his mercy. He hit the target but Bishop was again equal to it, palming the ball out for a corner. "Shexy Football", as Steve McClaren might say.

Time for the penalty shouts, as FC had two fair-looking appeals turned down within the space of 10 minutes. The first came when Hill brought the ball down in the box. As he looked to turn, a tug (steady) from the defender brought him down, but the referee was uninterested.

The second was what is known in the industry as a 'stonewaller'. With Taylor now on for the exhausted Gould on the FC left, his corner to the near post was flicked on and 'caught' by the Crewe centre-half, who let the ball run down his arm before flicking it away from danger. Surely a pen? "Chest" said the referee. Bet he was s*** at 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' as a kid....

Stewart Davies came on for Sheppard for the last 10, with FC now back on top in their search for the winner. Hill got called offside as he attempted to score from close range and, amid a furious appeal, missed again from the rebound with the ball dead... and still carried on appealling.

With time running out, Davies forced a couple of opportunities to steal the show once more. The first a diving header from a Gilbert cross, with the second a half-chance when neither he or Keane could work a shooting opportunity as the ball was diverted to safety.

The best chance of the closing stages fell to old-timer Dave Bainbridge, however. When a cross from the left found him at the back post, the rest of his team-mates could have been forgiven for thinking they had grabbed the winner. Unfortunately, the centre-half/right-back/right-midfielder/striker got his angles wrong and shot wide.

FT 1-1.

Despite one of their most impressive attacking performances of the season, FC's lack of prolificacy in front of goal had cost them on this occasion. A promising performance nonetheless.

Ratings: Wright 7. Staff 7. D Bainbridge 8. Corbett 7. Love 8. Gilbert 8. Drennan 9. Keane 7. D Gould 8. Sheppard 8. Hill 8. Subs: Taylor (insert rating here). Davies 8.

Manager's MOTM: Will Drennan - an energetic performance from the FC midfielder. Supported defence and attack well throughout and unlucky not to get on the scoresheet.