Match report: Squires Gate 2 Padiham 2
Squires Gate 2 Padiham 2Gate picked up their first Hallmark Security League premier division point on home soil last night with a creditable draw against Padiham.Gate fought back from 2-0 down at half-time and could have won it late on.Gate manager Danny Penswick made several changes to the side that lost 5-0 to high-flying Runcorn Linnets on Saturday, with Ben Fletcher back in goal and striker Tarren Moxon recovered from injury. Gate’s first chance came after 10 minutes. Midfielder Nick Greenall picked the ball up on the edge of the box but fired over.The visitors thought they had opened the scoring but were denied by a double save from Ben Fletcher. The visitors took the lead on the break after 13 minutes, when Moxon’s teasing ball into the box was cleared and Padiham raced to the other end, where Kane Hickman fired into the bottom corner from 25 yards.Gate almost got straight back into the game when Gal Pett played a great ball into the path of Jack Williams but the striker fired over.The visitors extended their lead on 26 minutes when a corner was cleared only as far as Luke Holden, whose bullet header beat Fletcher. Gate made a promising start to the second half as Pett went close with a free-kick after Moxon was fouled.The pressure increased but Gate had to wait until the 77th minute to pull a goal back through Pett from the penalty spot This spurred Gate on but Moxon couldn’t quite reach a deep cross by Pett, who then saw his own back-post effort saved following Penswick’s free-kick. The equaliser Gate’s second half performance deserved arrived on 88 minutes, when Moxon burst past the defence and fired low into the net. Moxon had the chance to win it but his shot was saved, then at the other end Fletcher had to be alert to save a point-blank effort three minutes into stoppage time. Gate will be looking to take this positive result into their next game away to West Didsbury and Chorlton on Saturday.
Gate: Fletcher, Carroll, Higham, Rossall, Darnell, Thornber, Penswick, Greenall, Pett, Williams, Moxon. Subs: Moorhead, Ing, Colquhoun, Buchan, Hall.