GAZ LOVES TWO ASSISTStockport County 2 - 2 FC BuxtonFC Buxton were held to a draw for the third match in succession on Saturday morning, when they returned to action after their now traditional winter break, with this year's lasting seven weeks. Their first game of 2012 saw them face the Stockport County supporters' team at Cheadle Town's Park Road Stadium (well, the training pitch next to it!). With the lack of footballing action of late stimulating interest in this one, manager Carl Taylor had a strong squad of 15 at his disposal. With plenty of options to choose from, the gaffer opted for the following teamsheet: Moss. Staff. A Gould. Corbett. Love. D Bainbridge. Drennan. Keane. Taylor. Sheppard. Hill. Warming the substitutes bench for FC on this occasion were Kyle Hollins (his first appearance since mid-November), Dan Gould (who's New Year's Resolution to 'stop being so angry' lasted as long as the second verse of Auld Lang Syne when he punched a close relative for getting the words wrong), Stew Davies (who didn't get any hair for Christmas!) and Jimmy 'JLS' Wright (more on him later...). With the changing rooms unavailable until 9.30am for a 10am kick-off, FC were quickly changed, warmed up and into the fray. With fitness levels naturally a concern following such a long break (with several Christmas feasts in between), Merse encouraged his side to keep the ball, especially in the opening stages.  FC started brightly and had several opportunities to open the scoring in the early exchanges. The front two of Daymo Sheppard and Chris Hill were starting their third consecutive match together, which must be some kind of record by FC's standard. Their good link up play began to gel once more, and after good work from Hill, Sheppard found the goal at his mercy... unfortunatley he forgot to shoot. The match did turn on the half hour, when Will Drennan made contact with a County attacker just inside the area. Despite pulling out of the challenge and not upending his opponent, the man with the ball wanted to make more of it and tumbled seconds later. Penalty said the 'referee'. Down the middle. 0-1. FC were riled, none more so than Drennan and Taylor, who both received bookings in the aftermath. It took a top drawer save from goalkeeper Dan Moss to keep the now shaking Buxton in the game minutes later, as he plucked an attempt out of the air and pushed it round the post, when it looked as though a goal was a foregone conclusion. Fortunately, Buxton soon regained their composure and continued to find themselves enjoying the majority of the possession, with the pace of Taylor and Bainbridge down the flanks reeking havoc for the home side's full backs. After Hill had gone close with a header, Sheppard fired slightly wide. Moments later and the away side were level, and it was the quality of left-back Gareth Love that created the goal. When FC were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the area, it appeared a 'Love Rocket' was looming. However, the student shocked all as he curled a well-placed free-kick round the bottom of the Stockport wall. Unfortunately for him, it struck the post, but fortunately for FC, leading-scorer Drennan reacted quickest to the rebound (which appeared to spend an age in the air) before heading confidently into the empty net with the goalkeeper still finding his feet. 1-1. Buxton were well and truly back in control of the match and the same man Love was again unlucky not to grab his first FC goal five minutes later. With the ball breaking to the edge of the box, Love hit a low drive which took a deflection and forced another first class save, this time from the home keeper, who pushed the ball past the post for a corner. Dan Gould replaced the manager on the left of midfield. If the penalty decision had been somewhat debatable, there was no debating the error of the decision to award County's next goal, five minutes before the break. With the ball played through and FC linesman Wright's flag up quicker than you could say "JLS!", the offside striker (finding himself in a surprising amount of space...) finished well into the corner. 1-2. With the referee claiming to have only asked for "ins and outs" from his linesmen and, with the dog he usually has with him left at home for the morning, the goal stood, prompting an angry reaction from the normally unflappable Wright, who chucked the flag in the air before telling the referee exactly what to do... red card. FC down to 14. HT 1-2. Ever hopeful thanks to Buxton's clear dominance of the game, the manager asked that his players maintain the work-rate of the first half, whilst keeping their heads in the face of some rather odd decisions. The break saw just the one change, with Hollins making his return to the side at the expense of the unfortunate Hill, who had grafted hard with little reward in the first period. Old-head Bainbridge was employed as the second striker for the start of the second half, with Sheppard dropping to the left of midfield and Dan Gould switching to the right. The pace and action of the first half appeared to take it's toll in the second, as the game slowed. However, FC continued to press and experienced joy down the left side, with Sheppard and Hollins combining on a couple of occasions but to no avail. Hollins himself went close moments later as he fizzed an effort across goal, but beyond the far post. Bainbridge created some excitement of his own as his mis-control (he'll tell you otherwise) took him away from the full-back and towards the box, but again the cross came to nothing. It began to look as though Buxton might fall up short and be on the verge of losing their seven match unbeaten streak. Bainbridge looked to be clear in the centre, but an unfortunate bobble took the opportunity of a shot away from him and his attempt to play the ball inside was intercepted. Captain and newly-named Robbie 'Super Sperm' Keane perhaps spurned the best chance of the half, when the ball fell to him inside the box and he sliced over. Was his mind already on the impending sleepless nights? A moment of quality was requir  ed, and Love again obliged, as his deep free-kick from the right of the box found the shiny head of Sheppard at the far post, who looked to be almost out of play as he planted a bullet header into the opposite side of the net for his 5th of the season. 2-2.The game petered out towards a draw, another for FC but one which was welcome given the lack of match action in the last couple of months. Back in the groove, now to push on. FT 2-2. Manager's MOTM: Robbie Keane - Another MOTM performance from the captain. Tireless througout, with even more tackles on show than on his Stag Do in Dublin last Summer. |
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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. |