24th September 2005

Euxton Villa 3 Barnoldswick 0

Gutteridge Grabs the Glory Again!

The Villa lads reacted in the best possible fashion to the nadir of last week’s debacle by bouncing back to winning ways and producing during the second half some of their best team football of the season so far. Barnoldswick have had a positive start to their season, determined no doubt to show that last season’s low finish was out of character. But this was not to be their day. Sam Bolton has been solid all season, and with his partnership with the experienced Darren Davies beginning to bed in, very little got through to trouble Justin Johnston in goal.

In fact, although entertaining enough, the first half produced very few incidents of note, save for an outstanding team goal of exquisite simplicity. A quarter of an hour into the match, Andy Farley won the ball on the right, slid a perfectly weighted ball to Ryan Lilley running through the inside right channel. He in turn controlled, beat one man before looking up and picking out Alf Gutteridge who side footed home from ten yards out.  Barnoldswick’s one real chance came from a curiously awarded free kick just outside the Villa box. A well rehearsed move straight from the training ground resulted in a powerful low drive, but the defence were alert to it and it was well blocked.

The second half saw the home side take control of the match, and David Heald was unlucky to see a powerful header cannon back off the bar as early as the fifth minute. The reprieve for the visitors was short lived however. Less than five minutes later, Gutteridge gathered the ball from a throw in on the right, turned inside and fired a devastating left footer in off the far post.

Clearly enjoying his run of form, Gutteridge again went close shortly after, firing just over after Davies had found him with a forty yard diagonal. Then with fifteen minutes left on the clock, Gutteridge’s persistence won a corner on the right. Jon Salisbury slipped it short to Farley, and he swung a precision cross onto the box where Damien Stewart met it with a towering header which keeper Danny Woodhead could do nothing about. 

 A great all round team performance, with the back four working well as a unit, Lilley grafting tirelessly up front, and once again Gutteridge at his best. Mark Mc Donnell and his coaching team deserve their share of the credit for lifting the lads to produce such a pleasing display. With four more new signings waiting in the wings, he will be faced with some very tough selection issues in the very near future.

Villa Line-up: Johnston, Farley, Davies, Bolton, Dowling, Gutteridge, Heald (Pennington 79), Loughlin, Swift (Stewart 60), Curwen (Salisbury 67), Lilley.