Matlock Town ease to victory at Wythenshawe

It was clear that the Matlock squad had kept up their fitness levels during the enforced Covid break as they dominated the game, putting their hosts to the sword with a full on energetic performance.

It was three nil by the interval, Sam Egerton, Ross Hannah on his return after a ten years absence and Reece Kendall finding the target. Then after a host of half time changes ,including a first appearance for Craig Carney, Paul Phillips’ men had made it a nap hand by the 52nd minute as Liam Hughes and Nathan Whitehead added to the tally.

Hannah started, as did Jon Stewart between the sticks after it had been originally announced that Shaun Rowley would be in the side, but Stewart lasted only six minutes, as he was closed down by a home striker as he tried to clear his lines. Stewart went down in a heap and had to be helped off with what looks to be a reoccurrence of his knee injury.

Prior to then, Matlock had already gone close twice, Hughes, partnering Hannah in attack, being a whisker away from converting a deflected Alex Byrne cross at the far post. Mark Lees then tried his luck from thirty yards, an Exocet of a shot flashing inches too high.

Declan Walker scrambled a cross from the left narrowly wide before the goal which had been coming since the start arrived on 17 minutes, Byrne’s free kick on the left after a foul on birthday boy Spencer Harris, being nodded home by SAM EGERTON.

HANNAH, busy and eager, doubled the lead eight minutes later with a controlled volley low into the corner from fifteen yards and he thought he had scored again in the 32nd minute as he burst through to slip his shot past the oncoming home goalkeeper, but the referee had blown up for what appeared to be a head injury to a Wythenshawe midfielder. As it turned out as Hannah said in the second half as he watched from the sidelines, he felt miffed as the player was only winded!

A calm controlled volley from KENDALL at the far post ended the first half goalscoring in the 40th minute, it was a pity the game was behind closed doors as their fans would have witnessed a great performance thus far.

Ryan Qualter and Osebi Abadaki did well to close down a home substitute who had worked his way into a promising position as the second half began, Rowley being expertly placed to mop up and collect.

Matlock were immediately back on the attack and a mix up between the home goalkeeper and a defender was pounced upon by HUGHES who slid in to push the ball into the vacant net as his opponents hesitated.

In the very next attack, WHITEHEAD almost burst the net with a crisply struck twenty five yarder and double figures for Matlock looked a possibility

Cesaire Lingouba drove too high and Abadaki had an effort chalked off for offside while Wythenshawe looked at their most dangerous when the game had well and truly passed them by. Jerome Wright narrowly failed to convert a far post ball after a good home move as Matlock, with Hughes now at centre half, stood resolutely firm to earn their clean sheet.

It was a useful workout and although Qualter and Callum Chippendale went off in the second half with knocks, both are expected to be ready to face Coleshill.

MATLOCK TOWN: 1 Jon Stewart (19 Shaun Rowley 6) 2 Adam Yates 3 Reece Kendall (17 Cesaire Lingouba 46) 4 Sam Egerton 5 Ryan Qualter (20 Kade Coppin 55), 6 Mark Lees (14 Nathan Whitehead 46) 7 Alex Byrne (15 Osebi Abadaki 46) 8 Spencer Harris (18 Craig Carney 46) 9 Liam Hughes 10 Ross Hannah( 16 Callum Chippendale 46 (21 Callum Dolan 70) 11 Declan Walker (12 Craig King 46)

REFEREE: Mark Reeves (Oldham).

ATTENDANCE: Behind Closed Doors,