[Chief Rum]

Sunday, September 29, 2002

Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Nationwide Conference Wrap Up

Leigh RMI 1, Burton Albion 0 Leigh went into Elton Field in Burton-on-Trent and got a key road win Saturday. Striker Scott Fitzgerald scored his fourth goal of the season--and extended a three-match scoring streak--in the 80th minute of what looked to end up a tough scoreless draw to that point. Burton Albion spent much of the match with control of the ball, but it was Leigh that got the shots off, winning the shot tally 7-4. It ended up being one shot too many for the Brewers, as they finally faltered in the end.

Doncaster 1, Dag & Red 0 Prior to the season, it could be argued this would have been the premier match of the early season. The Daggers haven't held to expectations, though, and came into this one in 11th place. It was the perfect set up for Doncaster, which has turned 1-0 road wins into an art form. Winning their third such victory in three weeks, the table-topping Rovers got the key goal from an unexpected source in defensive midfielder John Doolan in the 32nd minute. The match at Victoria Road in Dagenham was as close as it seems--only nine shots were taken, with Doncaster having the 5-4 edge.

Farnborough 3, Stevenage 1 The meeting of the Boros didn't go so well for Stevenage Saturday. The match at Cherrywood Road in Farnborough was Stevenage's second straight 3-1 defeat on the road, where it hasn't been as strong as it is at home. The story of the day was reserve Farnborough forward Leroy Griffiths, getting his first start of the season. Griffiths scored a hat trick, getting two early goals in the 12th and 26th minutes, and then finishing it off with one in the 84th minute. A late Stevenage goal by striker Charlie MacDonald did little to change the final result, as the loss drops Stevenage from the top of the table.

Gravesend 3, Morecambe 1 Saturday's match at Stonebridge Road in Northfleet was as notable for injuries as it was for football. Play was stopped no less than four times to remove injured players from the pitch, although, fortunately, none proved to be very serious. Morecambe striker Robbie Talbot and defender Jim Bentley were both removed for minor injuries close to the end of the first half, although neither is expected to be out for more than a day. On the other side, the Fleet had more serious injuries near the end of the game, with Zimbabwean international forward mifielder Tostao Kwashi leaving the match in the 82nd minute with a twisted knee, and then top forward Mark Bentley in the 90th minute with a shoulder strain. Kwashi is expected to miss a wekk, and Bentley two. Oh, yeah, and there was football, too. The Fleet put it away early, with three first half goals, including one by Bentley, his fourth of the season. The other goals were contributed by part time striker Kevin Budge--his second of the season--and midfielder Robert Owen, with his first.

Halifax 4, Barnet 1 As expected in a matchup between a top five Conference side and the dead last team in the table, a club was dominated today. Unexpectedly, it was Barnet. The Bees played much more like Halifax had been playing, and the Shaymen limited them to an abysmal two shots in the match at The Shay in Halifax. Meanwhile, Halifax pressed well enough to get 11 shots off, and even put the Bees so much under pressure that they accidentally scored an own goal. Making the match all the odder was the fact the Shaymen had scored just twice all season so far--twice in seven matches! And they were playing without their top striker, Simon Parke, who had to sit this one out after being sent off last week in Morecambe. Striker Ian Fitzgerald, starting in place of Parke and owner of one of Halifax's two goals coming into the match, scored to get things going in the 16th minute. In the 40th minute, regular starting striker Neal Tolson got his first score of the season to make it 2-0. Barnet forward Lee Feeney, who has certainly made an impact since his signing via free transfer earlier this month, got the Bees within one with his fourth goal of the season in the 44th minute. But it wasn't enough. The Shaymen got a third talley from reserve striker Brain Quailey, and then a little help from the Bees when young defender Chris Cashman accidentally scored an own goal.

Hereford 2, Forest Green 0 If there are any insomniacs near Edgar Street in Hereford, they missed out on a brilliant opportunity to get some shut eye. The Bulls and Rovers combined for just four shots the entire match. Four! The home ground Bulls had three of them, and made two of them count, which shows that maybe the pitch play put Forest Green keeper Ellis Glassup to sleep, too. The goals were scored by midfielder Paul Parry, his second of the season, and reserve Portuguese striker Albano Correia, both in the second half. Another reason to sleep through this one? This was a matchup between the 18th and 20th-placed sides in the Conference.

Margate 0, Kettering 0 With starting goalkeeper Ian Bowling on the mend, the Poppies feared their reserve netminder Simon Ward might be in for a bit of unpleasantness in his first match of the season. As it turns out, the only thing unpleasant was Kettering's utter lack of offense. Margate dominated the shot tallies, with 10 shots to Kettering's two. Ward, as it turns out, was brilliant, as he was tested on a number of occasions, but preserved a hard-fought road draw at the Gate's home ground, the Crabble Athletic Field, in Dover. Making Kettering's lack of offense even more noteworthy was the odd circumstance of Margate having used their three subs when reserve striker Ian Pulman got hurt in the 75th minute. The result was that the Gate played a man down the rest of the way--and that was when they had some of their best scoring chances. Incidentally, Pulman's injury was serious--a torn groin muscle which will likely shelve him for two months or more.

Northwich 2, Telford 1 Northwich overcame an early deficit at Wincham Park in Northwich Saturday to get the home victory. Telford striker Peter Smith, who has been phenomenal thus far this season, scored his seventh goal of the season in just the 12th minute, and putting the home side on their heels. The Vics came back, though, tying it up on attacking midfielder Ben Simpson's first goal of the season in the 29th minute. Then just after halftime, striker David McNiven scored his second goal of the season to give Northwich the lead for good. The Vics ended up with the shot advantage, 11-6, but the two sies had matching six shots on net, so this match was far from an easy home win for the Vics.

Nuneaton Borough 3, Scarborough 1 Nuneaton was big on the pressure all match along, but going into the final minutes, it appeared that Scarborough midfielder Olivier Brassart's goal in the 46th minute would prove the difference in what would be a strong road victory at Manor Park in Nuneaton for one of the Conference's weaker sides. Alas, this is why they play 90 minute. The home Boro stunned the road Boro by storming back with three goals in the last five minutes of the match, including two that were virtually back-to-back in extra time. Striker Carl Alford tied it up with his third goal in the 86th minute. Then forward Gez Murphy got his first score of the season to take the lead in the 90th minute. And then, incredibly, Alford added his second of the macth shortly after. It was a shocking turnaround for Scarborough, which has struggled mightily this season to no avail.

Southport 1, Woking 1 This one was winding down to a shot-filled, but scoreless draw when things got really exciting. The Port's striker Paul Wheatcroft finally got past Woking goalkeeper Anthony Tucker in the 80th minute to give the home side the lead at Hoig Avenue in Southport. The Cardinals would not give up so easy, though, and returned things to draw-form with a goal by reserve Ivorian striker Rafaël Nade in the 84th minute against Southport keeper Steve Dickinson. Altogether, the two goalkeepers faced off 18 shots, although only eight were on target. One serious injury to note: Southport's young midfielder Gary Hornby, playing in his very first match at this level ever, suffered a broken bone in his shoulder, and will miss a month and change.

Chester 2, Yeovil 0 You would think Huish Park would be a friendlier place for home team Yeovil, but as it turns out, Chester's standout defeat of the Glovers is par for the course. Yeovil is, strangely enough, without a victory at home, with two draws and two losses--and they haven't scored a goal at Huish Park now since two matches ago (a 1-1 draw with Gravesend). Meanwhile, they have three wins and a draw on the road, includign a dominant 3-1 road win over Southport last week. Go figure. The Blues' defensive midfielder Paul Carden scored his first goal of the season in the 27th minute, and then super Irish striker Daryle Clare scored his sixth goal of the season in the 36th minute to wrap up the scoring.

INJURIES & BANS

It was a bloody day of football in the Conference. The damage from the Gravesend-Morecambe match alone beats most match days in this league. As noted, Gravesend midfielder Tostao Kwashi will miss a week with a twisted knee, and forward Mark Bentley will be out for two weeks after hurting his shoulder. The Gate's reserve striker Ian Pulman tore a groin muscle in their match with Kettering, and will likely be out until sometime in December. And Southport's midfielder Gary Hornby may well be the poster boy for today's action, since he broke a bone in his shoulder in his very first Conference football action ever. He will miss at least a month. Additionally, four other players had to be removed from matches for minor injuries, although the injuries won't affect them beyond Saturday.

No one was sent off in Saturday's action.