Squires Gate 5 Barnoldswick Town 2: Egidi hammers hat-trick and Akrigg scores on debut

Squires Gate 5

Barnoldswick Town 2

Ricardo Egidi bagged a second-half hat-trick as Gate won for the first time in five Hallmark Security League games.

There was also a goalscoring debut for Billy Akrigg, signed from Kendal Town last week, while Ryan Riley and Dean Ing came in for the suspended Dan Gray and Ric Seear.

Midfielder Akrigg looked sharp from off, winning the ball back and finding James Boyd but the midfielder shot straight into the keeper’s arms.

Akrigg then won the ball back again and found Ing but he shot wide.

The visitors took the lead from the penalty spot after 12 minutes. Adam Sumner committed the foul and Zac Dale stepped up to beat Ben Fletcher.

Ing came close to scoring a spectacular equaliser after 20 minutes, when he spotted the keeper off his line but his shot from halfway flew just over the bar.

The goal of the day came from Akrigg, who opened his account for the club on the half hour.

Ing was again involved when he flicked the ball into the path of the debutant, who ran straight through the Barnoldswick defence before firing low into the bottom corner to make it 1-1 at half-time.

Gate took the lead two minutes into the second half, when a clever ball bisected the Barnoldswick defence and Egidi kept his composure to slot past the keeper.

The visitors replied with their second penalty four minutes later.

Sam Staunton-Turner’s shoulder -to-shoulder challenge was deemed too heavy and the referee pointed to the spot, Dale beating Fletcher for the second tame.

Gate came close to regaining the lead when Ing headed the ball into the path of Boyd, who could only find the side-netting.

Makeshift striker Ing then couldn’t keep his header down when Akrigg found him in the box.

Egidi showed how it was done on 68 minutes, curling his shot round a defender and past the keeper for his second and Gate’s third.

Both sides ended the game with 10 men as first Barnoldswick defender Shaun Airey and then Gate’s Joe Booth were shown a second yellow card.

Victory was wrapped up with two goals in stoppage time.

First Egidi rounded the keeper, who was way off his line, and slotted the ball into the empty net to complete his hat-trick.

Then in the last minute Boyd was brought down in the box and dusted himself down to score the game’s third penalty.

Gate remain ninth in the premier division, now just four points behind Barnick.

Gate: Fletcher, Riley, Sumner, Rossall, Bamba, Staunton-Turner, Akrigg, Booth, Ing, Egidi, Boyd; subs: Reader, Clarkson, Burgess.