[Chief Rum]

September 15, 2002

Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Nationwide Conference Wrap Up

Barnet 3, Margate 1 The Bees overcame an early deficit to pull out a closer match than the final tally indicates on their own pitch. Gate striker Phil Collins scored his fifth goal in six matches in the 21st minute to give Margate the early lead, and the side generally held its own under Barnet pressure most of the match. The Bees tied it up on Irish forward Lee Feeney's first goal of the season, but they didn't take the lead until a penalty by midfielder Lee Cook, who scored his third goal of the season on the play. Top notch reserve striker Toby Oshitola sealed the victory with a 90th minute score, also his third of the season.

Gravesend 3, Chester 2 The Fleet got some scoring from some unlikely sources to surprise Chester City on the road Saturday. The Blues got on the board quickly, moving from the kickoff circle to a quick strike score by forward midfielder Jon Brady, his first of the season. Gravesend quickly responded, though. Striker Simon Parker got his first goal of the season in the twelfth minute, and midfielder Ben White added his second to give the Fleet a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Defender Justin Skinner finished up the scoring in the 69th victory and sealed the victory as well. One bit of bad news for Gravesand--Simon Parker hurt his foot and will miss two weeks.

Doncaster 1, Kettering 0 Doncaster proved its worth with a big road win over the hot Poppies of Kettering, and allowing to move into a tie with Stevenage for first atop the Conference table. Irish striker Jamie Paterson scored his third goal of the season in the 18th minute to give the Rovers the edge. Superb play by the defense and by keeper Andy Warrington allowed the Rovers to survive a consistent Poppy attack that had several opportunities to score.

Leigh RMI 2, Fsrnborough 0 You just knew it wasn't going to be Farnborough's day when midfielder Gary Butterworth had to leave the match with knee problems in just the third minute. Sure enough, the Boro struggled against Leigh's defense, taking just two shots the whole game. Meanwhile, Leigh piled up nine, and pushing across scores by striker Scott Fitzgerald and midfielder Milligan.

Morecambe 3, Nuneaton Borough 1 The Boro's striker Mark Qualyle continued his hot play of late, scoring his thrid goal in two games Saturday. Unfortunately for Nuneaton, there was little else to cheer for. Morecambe striker Robbie Talbot scored his third and fourth goals of the season--including one just in the second minute of the match--and fellow striker Wayne Curtis scored his first goal of the season as well to give the Shrimps a strong home victory.

Scarborough 0, Dag & Red 0 Scarborough may be near the bottom of the standings, but try telling that to preseason Conference favorite Dagenham. The Daggers tried, but could not beat Scarborough keeper Andy Woods on his own pitch. The two sides traded five shots each, but neither could get a goal across. The Boro gain some respect points for holding out against a more talented club, and Dag & Red--the runner up in the Conference last season--continues on its way in what has been a hot-and-cold start for them so far this season. Scarborough got some bad news when forward midfielder Anthony Ormerod broke his arm in the 60th minute. He will be out for 4-5 weeks.

Southport 2, Burton Albion 2 The Port have to be tremendously disappointed to not come away with the win on this one. They dominated play, with 10 shots to Burton's three, but they couldn't stop Brewers striker Christian Moore, who scoed twice to keep his side apace with the home team. Moore has scored five goals in four matches now, with two two-goal matches. He gave the Brewers the early lead, but the Port came back to take the lead on goals by striker Robert Pell and midfielder Steve Soley. Finally, in the 76th minute, Moore scored his second goal and eventually forcing the draw.

Stevenage 2, Hereford 0 Stevenage regained some of its moxie in this home match after losing its first game against Dag & Red Tuesday. The Boro once again relied on super-striker Charlie MacDonald, who pushed acorss his sixth and seventh goals of the season to lead the scoring. His first goal came in the 18th minute to give the Boro the lead, and his late goal in the 88th minute, selaed the deal. Hereford managed just four shots against Stevenage's defense.

Telford 3, Halifax 0 The Shaymen were shut out for the fourth time this season already, this time by the Bucks of Telford. The Shaymen's pathetic offensive showing has resulted in just two goals on the season. Telford beat that mark in this match alone. Bulls striker Peter Smith did most of the scoring, getting his fifth and sixth goals of the season. His first goal was a penalty in the eighth minute. Midfielder Jacque Williams also scored, his first of the season. Halifax did not get one shot off on net--not a single one.

Woking 3, Forest Green 0 The Cardinals jumped to a 2-0 lead by halftime in their home match against Forest Green and never looked back. Midfielder Ian Hamilton and forward Chris Sharpling did the dirty work, each nabbing their second goals of the season. Star striker Warren Patmore put the finishing touches on with a second half goal, his sixth of the season. The Rovers barely got any shots off, putting two on net against the Cards' defense.

Northwich 3, Yeovil 0 Well, how about that? The Vics went into tough Yeovil and came out with a strong victory. Northwich dominated play, despite being the road side, holding Yeovil down to just two shots in the match. Striker Johnny Allan, who had a four-match sscoring string snapped Tuesday by Woking, returned with a flourish, nothcing two scores in qucik succession late in the first half. From there, the Vics rolled to an easy victory.

INJURIES & BANS

The most serious injury goes to Scarborough midfielder Anthony Ormerod, who broke his arm in the match with Dag & Red. He will be out until at least mid-October. Gravesend & Northfleet will have to do without the services of striker Simon Parker for a couple weeks after he hurt his foot in their victory over Chester City. Farnborough midfielder Gary Butterworth had to leave the match against Leigh RMI, but he is only expected to miss about a week with what was diagnosed as a mild knee sprain.

Maybe good behavior clauses in contracts actually work. For the second straight match day, no one was sent off for professional fouls or accumulating too many yellow cards in Conference action.