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Belper Town hit Warrington for six at rain soaked Christchurch
Meadow and completed the double over the Cheshire club who would have
wished that this game had never started.
The Nailers managed to stage their game against Warrington Town
despite the torrential rain that threatened to put it in doubt until the
last minute.
Lee Stevenson
and Anthony Wilson were both out suspended and veteran defender Gary
Middleton was still not 100% fit and was named as a substitute.
In came Pete
Smith and Richard Tracey while the successful defensive partnership of
Joe Appleyard and skipper Jon Hobson continued.
Sean Gummer
came back into the reckoning after being left out of the squad for the
last six games.
The first 10
minutes of the game gave no clue as to the final outcome as the visitors
showed up well and Anthony Filipeck had the game’s first shot on target
when he attempted an effort from 30 yards, but Adam Ogden collected
safely as the ball zipped along the wet surface.
Francis Smith
followed this in the 5th minute with a well-struck free kick
and once again Ogden had to be sure of his handling.
Ogden came to
Belper’s rescue in the 12th minute after Warrington broke
swiftly through Andy Potter and Karl Rendell got a foot to his pass into
the box, and the Belper ‘keeper had to make an acrobatic save to keep the
ball out.
Pete Smith
got free on the left in the 21st minute and tried to find
Richard Tracey unmarked at the far post, but a Warrington defender made
an important interception, after which the Nailers won three consecutive
corner kicks all of which were successfully defended.
Karl Rendell
made space for a shot in the 24th minute but he fired well
wide, then Danny Hudson’s volley a moment later went just wide.
Belper took
the lead in the 26th minute when Danny Hudson’s corner kick
was met by Pete Smith who nodded the ball past McWeeney and into the
net.
Tracey got
free in the 31st minute and struck a fierce shot straight at
Shane McWeeney as the Nailers began to stretch Warrington at the back,
but in the 37th minute he went one better when he got up well
to Scott Lowe’s free kick and glanced the ball into the far corner to
send Belper further ahead.
The Nailers
eased into a 3-0 lead on 44 minutes following some great work from
Richard Tracey who spotted Ross Hannah on his own and onside, and he
provided a perfect cross for the Belper striker to rifle in from 10
yards.
Tracey put a
46th minute header over the cross bar from Andy Rushbury’s
corner kick as the Nailers began the half on the offensive, but it was
Ogden who was the first of the ‘keepers to be in serious action when he
had to dive at full stretch to save Tony Daniels shot.
Richard
Tracey stunned Warrington with a brilliant goal in the 54th
minute when he turned on the ball 20 yards and dispatched a tremendous
shot around the ‘keeper and into the far corner.
It took Belper
just three minutes to make it five after Matt Elder made a present of the
ball to Andy Rushbury and after having two attempts stopped virtually on
the goal line he made no mistake with the third.
Hannah missed
a great opportunity in the 68th minute and moments later
Tracey put a similar chance wide as the Nailers ran rings around the
opposition.
Tracey should
have bagged his hat trick in the 71st minute after the ‘keeper
dropped the ball under a challenge, but the Belper striker put the
simplest of chances over the bar.
Hannah
skinned Tony Filipeck in the 76th minute and put over a great
cross into the six-yard box that Rushbury just missed as he slid over the
wet surface.
Scott Lowe
almost got in on the act in the 77th minute when his looping
header drifted just past the angle, and the Nailers were virtually
walking through the Warrington defence at will.
The Nailers
hit the sixth goal in the 85th minute after Ross Hannah
twisted and turned through the Warrington defence and fooled McWeeney
with a reverse shot that completely wrong footed him.
Rendell had a
golden opportunity to get a consolation in the 88th minute
when he was sent clear but Ogden came out bravely to block his shot, then
the Nailers had a great chance to hit a seventh deep in added on time but
McWeeney saved brilliantly front Mark Smith’s shot.
It was a
great display by the Nailers who are beginning to look serious play off
contenders and this result will raise a few eyebrows elsewhere in the
division.
Tim
Harrison’s Photo Gallery
Nigel Oldrini
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