Maine Road 6 Squires Gate 1: Match report

Gate suffered a thrashing in Manchester, conceding four goals in the opening half-hour, including two penalties.
Mark Buchan tries a shot for Gate  Picture: ALBERT COOPERMark Buchan tries a shot for Gate  Picture: ALBERT COOPER
Mark Buchan tries a shot for Gate Picture: ALBERT COOPER

Hoping to bounce back from their midweek home defeat to Barnoldswick, Gate made the worst possible start as Paul Carroll was adjudged to have fouled a Road winger in the box and Callum Broady sent Josh Woods the wrong way with a fifth-minute penalty.

Gate responded on 11 minutes, when Ric Seear burst into the box and shot into the side-netting,but the home side continued to look dangerous, shooting narrowly wide after breaking clear from a Gate corner.

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Gate went close to an equaliser on 20 minutes, when Mark Buchan’s shot from 12 yards was palmed away by the keeper but the angle was too tight for Seear to convert the rebound.

And the hosts double their lead three minutes later, when Gate were again caught on the break and striker Richard Williams tapped in following an overlap and cross on the right.

And it was 3-0 on 26 minutes, when the unmarked Josh Tinker headed a free-kick into the top scorer.

Broady again made no mistake from the penalty spot four minutes later, when Woods came out for the ball and was ruled to have taken the man.

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Gate had two good chances in the final five minutes of the half, though Brett Dawson’s volley and Seear’s header were both straight at the keeper.

The visitors brought on Anthony Stayte and Paul Thornber for the second half and it was from the latter’s shot that Seear fired high and wide.

Gate continued to create chances, with Joe Noblet’s effort from the edge of the box narrowly missing the top corner, Ryan Riley’s shot bobbling into the keeper’s arms and Seear flagged offside from Buchan’s toe-poke.

But it was the home side who scored a fifth on 78 minutes, substitute Saul Henderson battling past Danny Penswick to drill his low shot past Woods.

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Jamie Roe completed the home side’s half dozen four minutes later, though at least there was a last-minute consolation for Gate as Noblet converted the game’s third penalty after player boss Penswick was fouled.

These back-to-back defeats have seen Gate slip into the lower half of the Hallmark Security League premier division table.

MARK ASHMORE

Gate: Woods, Richards, Carroll, Bamba, B.Seear, Penswick, Noblet, R. Seear, Riley, Dawson, Buchan. Subs: Higham, Thornber, Tanser, Stayte.

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