Squires Gate 4 Hanley Town 4: Match report

Hanley got the better of Gate last time these two met with a 3-2 win and it was another thrilling game this time.

Gate made a good start to the game and, with a bit of luck, could have gone ahead after a minute.

A corner swung in was cleared away by Hanley after several Gate players had swung to shoot at it.

Hanley then had chances of their own; first they played a short corner but that was cut out by Richards before their winger fizzed a brilliant ball across the box but nobody could get a touch.

Against the run of play the visitors would take the lead as the ball was played inside to the unmarked Angelo Errico for him to unleash a fierce shot into the top corner.

As quickly as Hanley opened the scoring, Gate levelled it up.

Joe Noblet’s corner fell out to the feet of Andrew Richards and with shouts of offside from the Hanley players he slotted the ball under the keeper’s legs for his first of the season.

Gate then took the lead a minute after levelling; Ryan Riley, who impressed and scored in midweek against Chorley, continued his good form with a strike that almost broke the back of the net.

Gate then could have extended their lead on 19 minutes as Ric Seear was fouled just outside the box; Joe Noblet stepped up but fired just the wrong side of the post.

Noblet then had another chance four minutes later when Riley laid off the ball to him on the edge of the box but his drive was the wrong side of the post.

Just as Gate were playing some of their best football Hanley would level the game, Sean Mountford heading in after he was found unmarked.

Gate had several corners and free kicks but struggled to convert any of the chances they created.

The best of them came on 32 minutes when Ric Seear’s shot was blocked on the line and, from the corner, Seydou Bamba rose highest but headed just wide.

It would be Hanley Town who ended the half in the lead when the referee judged Ryan Stayte to have tripped a player inside the box; Errico scored from the spot.

Riley did well after the break to get behind Hanley’s defence but nobody could get a touch on his low cross into the box.

Two minutes later, Gate forced the Hanley keeper into a superb save as Bamba again rose highest to meet a corner.

The keeper somehow managed to claw the ball away into the path of Danny Penswick but his shot could only find the side netting.

Tanser almost made an instant impact when he entered the field on his birthday weekend but he was inches away from Jake Higham’s cross.

However, it would be Hanley who grabbed another goal to extend their lead.

Gate, piling men forward for a corner, were caught with a quick counter from their own corner with Jonathan Higham finishing for his third goal in three games.

Despite the visitors extending their lead, Gate’s heads never dropped.

They grabbed a goal back on 78 minutes through Seear who, back from injury, twisted and turned his way through the defence before curling the ball into the top corner.

Tanser then managed to grab a goal on his birthday weekend with five minutes left to play.

Fellow substitute Ben Seear’s superb cross found Tanser in the middle, where he got the lightest of touches to sidefoot the ball in and level the game.

The last 10 minutes were all one-way traffic for Gate but they could not make the breakthrough in a tense end to a brilliant game of football.