Alsager Town 0-2 Sandbach United
Alsager Town welcomed local rivals Sandbach United to Wood Park on Saturday in their first home fixture of the new year.
The Bullets were looking for their first home victory since October, when they defeated Foley Meir 1-0 thanks to a late goal.
First half
It was Alsager who had the first chance of the East Cheshire derby. A through ball was played forward to Sammy Imessaoudene, but he failed to make any connection, in what was a huge early opportunity to take the lead.
The Bullets spent little time on the ball after this as Sandbach took control of the game and had a number of chances. Despite testing Joe Lawton, they were unable to make a breakthrough for much of the opening half.
Not long after the half-hour mark, things got heated when Alsager captain, James Phillips, committed a heavy challenge on a Sandbach player. He escaped with a yellow card, much to the frustration of the visitors who demanded he be sent off.
Sandbach’s mood changed when play resumed, however, as they opened the scoring. A free kick was sent into the box and Alsager’s defence failed to clear the ball, which fell to none other than former Bullets skipper, Ryan Goodwin, who put his side ahead.
The visitors should have doubled their lead before half time. Ben Greenop had his effort saved by Lawton, but Stanley Tatters was able to shoot on the rebound. His shot was poor though and was struck over the bar.
Half time: Alsager Town 0-1 Sandbach United
Second half
After chasing the game in the first half, Alsager came out looking much stronger. They managed to have some possession in their opponents’ half and won a couple of free kicks in promising positions.
Sandbach did not allow this for long and made it 2-0 through Jake Pollard. Kieran O’Connell was afforded far too much time and space on the right wing and his well aimed cross presented a straightforward finish for the striker.
The Bullets continued to attack, often making use of the right wing and drilling the ball inside, but few clear-cut chances were created.
Throughout the half, Alsager were wasteful from set pieces. Too many free kicks either hit the wall or went straight out, while their corners were also ineffective.
One of Alsager’s best chances came when substitute Dylan Woods dribbled down the left wing and played a cross to Dillon Kirkman, who was standing unmarked in the penalty box. But the cross was too high and only skimmed Kirkman’s head as goalkeeper Andrew Jones continued to have a relatively quiet game.
The Bullets had one final chance when they had a number of players trying to get shots away from close range. Sandbach, however, defended well and blocked an effort from Edward Schryburt which would have been on target.
The referee blew his whistle to end the game and while there were chances missed at both ends, the score was a fair reflection of the afternoon’s proceedings.
Full time: Alsager Town 0-2 Sandbach United
Saturday’s defeat has seen Alsager drop outside the play-offs. They now sit in sixth place in the NWCFL First Division South, trailing Abbey Hulton United by two points. The Stoke-on-Trent outfit have three games in hand, however, making Alsager’s search for promotion all the more difficult.
The Bullets take on New Mills next Saturday away from home. The Derbyshire based side are currently ninth, seven points behind Alsager.
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