League

Middleton Stadium
Spectators: 6743 (Terracing: 5000, Seating: 1743, VIP seats: 0) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Andrew McGovern got the match started through his kick off. In the 6th play minute Matty Corrigan came free and shot an unsuspected shot which went into goal from the right pole behind a surprised Johnny Beck. 1-0. After 11 played minutes, Hackney Downs United's Joseph Partridge shot from a long distance, and at first it looked like the ball was going into the goal, but the goalkeeper Verne Foley came through and got his fingers on the ball before it flew over the goal line. He then quickly gripped the ball tighter before the forwards in Hackney Downs United reached it. 13 minutes into the match, Matty Corrigan had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Johnny Beck. Hackney Downs United's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Matty Corrigan was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 2-0. Verne Foley took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Larry Atherton, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Andrew McGovern sent away a hard shot on goal in the 24th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. A collision led to Hackney Downs United getting a freekick after 25 minutes play. Brad Cummins hit a great ball. Middleton AFC's Verne Foley played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Larry Atherton in the 30th minute of play. Rex Hatcher fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 32nd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Verne Foley having to interfere. After 34th play minutes Rex Hatcher shot 2-1, a short shot which went by Verne Foley and just under the crossbar into goal. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Jonathan Fordham during the 38th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. A collision led to Hackney Downs United getting a freekick after 38 minutes play. Jonathan Fordham hit a great ball. Brad Cummins hit a great freekick 40 minutes into the match. In the 48th minute Larry Atherton shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Verne Foley saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. All the noise was coming from the home fans when the whistle went for half-time. The home team had fought hardest to put themselves in a deserved lead.

The wind increased when Larry Atherton made the kick off in the second half. When Romeo Blueman fell near the penalty area in the 52nd minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Middleton AFC's protests and gave Romeo Blueman a yellow card for diving instead. Romeo Blueman kicked well hit freekick during the 52nd minute of the match. After some fancy dribbling in the 54th minute, Rex Hatcher managed to get in a good position for a shot. Hackney Downs United's supporters rose to their feet, but Rex Hatcher was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Verne Foley breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Rex Hatcher received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 60th minute. Verne Foley tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. An unexpectedly hard shot by Matty Corrigan in the 78th minute of play forced Hackney Downs United's goalkeeper Johnny Beck to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. In the 79th minute of the game, Romeo Blueman landed unfortunately after trying to head the ball, and pulled a muscle in the back, so badly that he had to leave the field. When Jonathan Fordham was, once again, overly rough in his play he received his second yellow card and was ordered off the ground. 79 minutes had been played. If Matty Corrigan had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 82nd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Rex Hatcher in the 92ndth minute had a little luck and got a chance for a shot in front of the goal. Without hesitation aimed to the right of Verne Foley, who managed to lunge to the right direction and made a save. In the 93rd minute, Rex Hatcher 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. The Middleton AFC players were eager to celebrate when the final whistle sounded. They had somehow managed to win, even though the away team had held the majority of the possession.