Squires Gate left to rue missed chances as Evans’ men fall to a narrow home defeat

It was a nightmare start for Gate as Winsford took the lead inside the first minute.

Bartram and Welsh both failed to clear their lines and the visitors fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the box via a deflection, giving young debutant goalkeeper Pascal Jungo no chance.

Gate scrapped to get themselves back in the game, but fell further behind on 16 minutes.

An unfortunate slip from Westwood allowed Winsford to break in behind the Gate defence with a clever back heel teeing up the striker to bury the chance from just inside the area.

Luke Evans’ men came close to pulling a goal back just two minutes later with a header from Westwood cleared off the line.

The Gate skipper did well to meet another corner just minutes later, but his header was straight at the goalkeeper.

Gate were growing into the game and went agonisingly close on 34 minutes, with Nathan Cliffe rattling the bar after being played in behind by James Boyd.

It was Boyd though who got Gate a goal back before the break, tapping home at the back post after Theo Ball did brilliantly down the left to fire a low effort across goal.

Despite Gate’s strong end to the first half, the visitors started the second on top and extended their lead on 54 minutes.

A short corner and cross wasn’t cleared by Gate, with the loose ball fired into the bottom corner.

Ball was the first to go close for Gate in the second period, with his low effort beating the keeper, but it was cleared off the line after a brilliant run by Riley.

Cliffe got Gate’s second goal of the game to get them back in it on 70 minutes, unloading an incredible strike on his weak foot from distance that flew into the top corner.

Gate took momentum from this and continued to dominate, and somehow didn’t equalise from a corner.

The initial header was saved, with rebounds from Boyd, Welsh and others all incredibly cleared off the line from close range in the space of ten seconds.

Westwood was then denied an equaliser, with his brilliant header into the bottom corner denied by the offside flag. Gate continued to push but just couldn’t find the equaliser.