Alsager Town 1-0 Foley Meir
Alsager Town welcomed Foley Meir to Wood Park, as they looked to continue their unbeaten run in the NWCFL First Division South.
While the Bullets have struggled in cup competitions this season, losing 2-0 to Cheadle Heath Nomands in the Edward Case Cup in their last outing, their league performances have been strong, and they sat second in the table before today’s game.
There was more action to discuss on the sidelines than the pitch in the first half. Both team’s managers heavily criticised the referee for his decision-making, while the linesmen were not exempt from criticism.
Alsager had a lot of set pieces, but failed to do anything with them, including multiple corners which failed to even reach the players in the box before going out of play.
Although the Bullets were on top, playing much of the first half in Foley Meir’s half, they did not make the most of their time on the ball, and the scoreline was a fair reflection of the first half.
Half time: Alsager Town 0-0 Foley Meir
Alsager became more dominant in the second half, creating better chances compared with the previous 45 minutes.
And they should have taken the lead when Foley Meir goalkeeper, Andrew Walklate, came out of his net and missed the ball. Kieran Hamm allowed the ball to bounce three times before taking his shot, allowing the keeper to get back into position, as Hamm fired the ball high and wide.
While Alsager created more goal scoring opportunities in the second half, they continued to waste set pieces and it seemed like the goal might never come.
But with just five minutes to go, Matthew Argent-Barnes struck the ball brilliantly, from outside the box and into the bottom right corner, to give Alsager the lead.
The Bullets continued to control the game well, taking short corners to run the clock down. They were strong in defence when Foley Meir had a late free kick and some corners, and did enough to seal three points.
Full time: Alsager Town 1-0 Foley Meir
Today’s win keeps Alsager second in the league. Winsford United remain one point behind, after their 1-0 win over Abbey Hulton, while Stafford Town also have a game in hand, and sit top of the table on 40 points after their 9-0 thrashing of Allscott Heath.
The Bullets face Chester in their next match, in the Cheshire Senior Cup. The fixture takes place on October 21 at Wood Park and kick off is at 19:45.
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