Alsager Town 2-0 Shawbury United
Alsager Town have recorded a first home win since last August after a very strong second half performance against Shawbury.
First half
There was very little goalmouth action for much of the opening 45 minutes between Alsager and Shawbury, but the hosts managed to take control of the game. This was despite the fact the pitch had clearly felt the full force of heavy rainfall, which affected the bounce of the ball.
Alsager’s first real half-chance came late in the half when Daniel Guiver made a promising run and crossed the ball to Finley Rorke. The attacking midfielder attempted a header on target, but his connection was not strong enough to cause goalkeeper Jack Boswell any problems.
Although the Bullets had plenty of possession, movement proved to be a problem. There was a moment when Luke Nicholls got particularly frustrated as he held up the ball for an extensive period on the right wing, only for no one to offer him any support.
Despite this, Alsager continued to look like the most likely team to score and Nicholls himself had an opportunity shortly before the interval which was scuffed wide of the right post.
Half time: Alsager Town 0-0 Shawbury United
Second half
Things got a lot more exciting after the break and Shawbury almost broke the deadlock through an Ablay Sowe cross which narrowly missed the target. Nicholls could have had a similar chance moments later, but he was unable to connect with a decent cross into the box.
The visitors kept pushing for an opening goal and they were not far off with an effort struck from distance. However, it was Alsager who eventually went ahead when Guiver made use of a corner kick and headed home.
Moments later, the Bullets had the ball in the net again thanks to another header, but the referee made a poor decision to disallow the score after Boswell went down following minimal contact.
Alsager continued to perform at their best in spite of this setback and scored a second goal which counted this around. Unsuprisingly, it was a header which doubled their lead, this time from Tom Boyd who finished an attacking move which began with a free kick.
Substitute Taylor Swift later got on the end of a loose ball and had he got more power on his shot, it could have been three. Shawbury began to warm into the match from this point onwards, but it was too little too late, as the Bullets secured an important three points.
Full time: Alsager Town 2-0 Shawbury United
Alsager Town are out of the relegation zone
The Bullets had entered the bottom three due to postponed matches over the past couple of weeks. However, they have now leapfrogged Shawbury and sit in 16th place
Warren Jones’ men are back in action on Wednesday, when they will take on Barnton away from home in another crucial First Division South clash.
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