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First Team
Dalton 1 Euxton Villa 1
If this had been a Commonwealth Games
boxing match, no doubt Villa would have edged it on points.
But of course in football it’s goals that count, and David
Heald’s late, late strike served only to cancel out a Dalton
penalty, conceded after an individual mistake in an otherwise
impressive display from a defence missing three of their key
components.
Most of the clear-cut chances fell Villa’s
way, the first coming inside the first minute, when Brad
Dowling floated a well weighted ball into the feet of Aidie
Briggs, but he shot well wide from close range. Before twenty
minutes had elapsed, Villa saw several other chances go
a-begging. A Briggs effort from a free kick rebounded to
Stuart Bingham who narrowly missed the target. Ryan Lilley put
Neil Bretherton through, but his shot was weak, and
Brtetherton again shot over from a Briggs flick.
Justin Johnston in the Euxton goal had only
one fairly routine save to make in the first half, and Briggs
had another golden opportunity to put his side ahead on the
half hour, but headed into the keeper’s arms after good work
from Lilley and Bingham again.
The second half saw more of the same.
Bingham had a whipped free kick headed off the line early on,
and Jamie Pennington fed Lilley who in turn laid on for
Dowling to shoot over on the run. Briggs had another shot fly
wide, before David Heald came closest of all, striking the
foot of the upright having been put in by Bretherton.
Then, twenty minutes from time, a defensive
error allowed a Dalton break away, and a despairing attempt to
halt the progress saw Sam Bolton upend the advancing attacker,
allowing the home side to take the lead from the spot.
This spurred Dalton into their best spell
of the match. Johnston had to call on all his experience to
block a certain second after an unchallenged header came back
off the bar. Jon Salisbury fired in a rasping long ranger,
but yet again just wide. Then, with stoppage time looming,
Lilley took the ball to the bye-line and cut back for Heald to
fire his side level from close range. No more than Villa
deserved, but all was almost undone when Dalton went straight
down the other end and forced yet another top drawer save from
Johnston.
However, draw specialists Villa landed yet
another point, and now look ahead to the last fixture of the
season, home to local rivals Charnock Richard on the 15th
April. One not to be missed!
Footnotes:
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If you’ve been out injured for five
months and desperate to get back, why wait until you’re back
fully fit to go on holiday?
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Does the ten minutes appearance as sub of
Frank Goltz constitute the shortest ever career in a Villa
shirt, given that he returns to his native Germany later
this week? (pity, he showed some lovely touches!)
Villa Line-up: Johnston, Pennington (Salisbury 72), Bolton,
L.Chambers, Dowling (McFarlane 85), Heald, Bingham, Loughlin,
Bretherton, Briggs (Golz 80), Lilley.
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