League Play-Off

the hawks nest
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) It was fairly windy and cold on the field when Al Crocker kicked off to start the match. Casey Cotterill made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Huey Meadowcroft in the 5th minute of play. Bishops Castle's Alastair Norfolk played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Al Crocker in the 9th minute of play. Brett Ferdinand might have been able to make a better finish in the 12th minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Casey Cotterill. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Brett Ferdinand ran back to his position shaking his head. After some fancy dribbling in the 21st minute, Len Carey managed to get in a good position for a shot. northwich's supporters rose to their feet, but Len Carey was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Alastair Norfolk breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Len Carey received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 23rd minute. Alastair Norfolk tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. After 26 minutes, Sean Nash mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Bishops Castle and the northwich players grew even worse after the yellow card. A collision led to Bishops Castle getting a freekick after 27 minutes play. Sean Nash hit a great ball. northwich's Joey Drake shoveled away a really nice long shot in the 27th minute of play. The shot was stopped by Alastair Norfolk but with some difficulty. In the 43rd minute, one of northwich:s players had the ball in front of the goal but got pushed and fell. The referee felt it was an obvious case and blew a penalty for northwich. The fans had the chance to grab some refreshments as the whistle went for half-time. The score stood at 1-1 after a close first half.

The hometeam waved at the audience when it was time for Huey Meadowcroft to strike the kick off in the second half. Len Carey recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 58th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. Casey Cotterill showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Huey Meadowcroft, who was totally free with the ball in the 59th minute. After 60 played minutes Bishops Castle got a freekick which was hit by Sean Nash. After some fancy dribbling in the 61st minute, Len Carey managed to get in a good position for a shot. northwich's supporters rose to their feet, but Len Carey was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Alastair Norfolk breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Al Crocker received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 62nd minute. Alastair Norfolk tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Alastair Norfolk showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Len Carey in the 63rd minute of the match. Al Crocker received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 66th minute. Alastair Norfolk tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Len Carey recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 68th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. When Bishops Castle's Brett Ferdinand in the 71st minute got a chance for a shot 71st didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye northwich's goalie prevented a goal. Brett Ferdinand received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 72nd minute. Casey Cotterill tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. After a defensive mix-up in northwich's zone, Huey Meadowcroft stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Casey Cotterill came out of the goal and Huey Meadowcroft tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. 75 minutes into the match, northwich's goalkeeper Casey Cotterill had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Brett Ferdinand. In the 78th match minute, northwich was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Bob Deighton to maneuver through the defense. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Sean Nash in the 84th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Casey Cotterill saved northwich from getting behind. An unexpectedly hard shot by Al Crocker in the 88th minute of play forced Bishops Castle's goalkeeper Alastair Norfolk to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 95 minutes into the match, Al Crocker notched a goal, 2-1, to the right of Bishops Castle's Alastair Norfolk. Alastair Norfolk was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. The referee blew his whistle, and the match came to a close. The players exchanged shirts and headed down the tunnel. The northwich fans cheered their team off the field, for while Bishops Castle had put up a good fight, they were unable to come out of the game with any points to show for their effort.