League Play-Off

Snailbeach and Stipe
Spectators: 40 (Terracing: 31, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) Leon Simms hit a great freekick 4 minutes into the match. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Jeremy Carpenter in the 6th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Matty Gibbons prevented the ball from getting in the gole. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Adam Harrison during the 7th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. A collision led to Snailbeach and Stiperstones City getting a freekick after 7 minutes play. Adam Harrison hit a great ball. Russ Mansfield took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Crispin Bagshaw, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Crispin Bagshaw received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 14th minute. Russ Mansfield tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. If Lennie Litchfield had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 15th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. With his leg Matty Gibbons managed to avoid a goal in the 18thth minute, when Snailbeach and Stiperstones City's Denny Little fired away a shot with a lot of spin towards his right hand side. Denny Little's shot straight on target was not completely harmless. The ball had pretty good speed, but Matty Gibbons firmly grabbed it by the left post. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Jeremy Carpenter in the 21st managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Matty Gibbons saved Basildon from getting behind. Denny Little sent away a hard shot on goal in the 26th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. After some fancy dribbling in the 31st minute, Jeremy Carpenter managed to get in a good position for a shot. Snailbeach and Stiperstones City's supporters rose to their feet, but Jeremy Carpenter was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Matty Gibbons breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Denny Little fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 47th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Matty Gibbons having to interfere. The first half was very even, with the score at 0-0 when the whistle went for half-time. The players welcomed the break and quickly retired to the dressing rooms.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Crispin Bagshaw to make the kick off. Lennie Litchfield received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 55th minute. Russ Mansfield tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Denny Little kicked well hit freekick during the 57th minute of the match. Crispin Bagshaw was really disappointed when he shot the ball just outside the right post instead of scoring a goal in the 62nd minute. Basildon's manager could be seen on the sidelines shaking his head and muttering to himself as his team had just wasted another chance. Mark Rush's late challenge caught a Basildon's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Mark Rush helped the player get up and apologised. After a rather tough play, Snailbeach and Stiperstones City's Mark Rush got a free kick in the 63rd minute. Antony Legg kicked well hit freekick during the 66th minute of the match. In the 68th minute, Denny Little ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Matty Gibbons was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-0. After some fancy dribbling in the 70th minute, Denny Little managed to get in a good position for a shot. Snailbeach and Stiperstones City's supporters rose to their feet, but Denny Little was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Matty Gibbons breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. In the 72ndth minute of the game Jeremy Carpenter who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Basildon's Matty Gibbons was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. After some fancy dribbling in the 73rd minute, Lennie Litchfield managed to get in a good position for a shot. Basildon's supporters rose to their feet, but Lennie Litchfield was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Russ Mansfield breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. 77 minutes into the game, Antony Legg was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Basildon's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Snailbeach and Stiperstones City the free kick. After a rather tough play, Basildon's Antony Legg got a free kick in the 77th minute. Denny Little fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 85th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Matty Gibbons having to interfere. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered when the referee blew the final whistle. Snailbeach and Stiperstones City had won after a very even match.