League

Stalybridge Stadium
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) Gus Westerby made the kick off and thus started the match. In the 6th minute, Crispin Lobb ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Damion Lonsdale was frozen by the shot and now it was 0-1. Damion Lonsdale showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Hugh Hollingsworth, who was totally free with the ball in the 12th minute. Charlie Hird took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Sidney Freeman, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Ralf Gibbons took a chance and fired a shot far from the goal in the 18th minute, but it turned out to be a dangerous situation for Damion Lonsdale. Stalybridge United's goalkeeper really had to stretch himself to stop the ball from crossing the goal line. In the 21st minute of the match Pierce Willoughby shot from a long distance. The ball could have gone into the goal to the right of the goalkeeper, but Damion Lonsdale showed his good shape when he easily got hold of the ball. 23 minutes into the match, Stalybridge United's goal looked a bit too open when Dylan Halliday came free, but Damion Lonsdale reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 25th minute Gus Westerby shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Charlie Hird saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. The referee blew the whistle for a penalty in the 28th minute of the game. One of Fakenham:s players had nearly got his shirt torn off by an opponent while getting free in front of Stalybridge United:s goal. The goalkeeper, Charlie Hird, was totally fooled by Stalybridge United's Gus Westerby, who 29 minutes into the game made a penalty shot that went in on the goalkeeper's left side. After 32 minutes of play, Fakenham's Dylan Halliday made it 1-2 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Damion Lonsdale was left in no man's land by his defense there! In the 36th minute, Gus Westerby got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. Russell Bentley sent away a hard shot on goal in the 38th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. 40 minutes into the match, Fakenham's goal looked a bit too open when Deon Porter came free, but Charlie Hird reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Damion Lonsdale came out of the goal in the 42nd minute to try and stop a shot by Fakenham's Hugh Hollingsworth. But to his dismay, Hugh Hollingsworth quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 1-3. If Gus Westerby had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 45th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 1-3.

When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Hugh Hollingsworth made a kick off. In the 53rd minute, Russell Bentley left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Fakenham fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 1-4. When Dylan Halliday came up free with the goalie in the 55th minute, the Fakenham fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Dylan Halliday couldn't finish the play. Charlie Hird didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Sidney Freeman went, in the 58th minute, to the upper right corner, 2-4 was the resulting score. After some careless play in the Fakenham defense, Deon Porter kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Charlie Hird. The Fakenham fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Charlie Hird should have stopped the shot. Stalybridge United's Deon Porter got a good chance for a goal in the 69th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Gus Westerby fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 70th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Charlie Hird having to interfere. Charlie Hird came out of the goal in the 78th minute to try and stop a shot by Stalybridge United's Callum Black. But to his dismay, Callum Black quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 4-4. A collision led to Stalybridge United getting a freekick after 81 minutes play. Albert Stockley hit a great ball. In the 82nd match minute, Stalybridge United was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Duncan Nicholls to maneuver through the defense. Russell Bentley could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 85th minute of the match, but Damion Lonsdale made a huge save. Damion Lonsdale was a little too slow when Hugh Hollingsworth got a fine hit on the ball which went right into the goal in the 92nd minute. The score was now 4-5. Sidney Freeman struck a weak shot in the 95th minute. Charlie Hird didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Stalybridge United.