Stafford Rangers — Clitheroe

REPORT

Knowing a victory could confirm survival, dependent on Sporting Khalsa and Congleton Town’s results, Graham Deakin named an unchanged side from the eleven who beat Lower Breck last Saturday, and with a bumper crowd in attendance again, the home side were required to start on the front foot.
The first chance though fell to the visitors in the 3rd minute following a foul by Jimmy O’Neill which resulted in Scott Moloney punching out a dangerously whipped free-kick by Ross Dent.

Moments later, the breakthrough arrived and it fell to Stafford. O’Neill found himself with time on the left hand side to send a cross into the box which found the onrushing Jack Birch, and he sent his shot past Zachariah Hadi and into the back of the net to give the home side an early lead with just five minutes gone on the clock.

Birch (grounded) opens the scoring against Clitheroe

However, before any chickens could be formally counted, the Rangers’ fans were brought back down to earth just three minutes later when Sekouba Sanogo found himself inside the box on the right hand side. He lifted the ball into the area where Joshua Briggs met the ball with a downward header that bounced into the ground before looping over the scrambling Moloney and into the net to quickly restore parity.

Rangers almost found themselves back in front in the 11th minute when John Atherton raced into the box, but his heavy touch allowed Clitheroe to get bodies around the ball, which eventually fell to Ash Fallon who fired at goal from six yards out, however Hadi was equal to it, diverting the ball over the crossbar.

As the game started to settle down, Rangers continued to have the better chances of a well-contested game, Joe Thompson coming closest to scoring in the 24th minute when he connected with an O’Neill throw-in, however his header went agonisingly wide of Hadi’s far post and to safety.

With a notably tense feeling around the ground, and the game heading to half time, there was still time for more incident, with the visitors going down to ten men following a rash challenge by Dent, who went through Fallon right in front of the home dugout, with all but three Clitheroe players getting involved in a melee which resulted in referee Daniel McDonald giving the Clitheroe captain his marching orders minutes before the break.

Half Time: Stafford Rangers 1 Clitheroe 1

With a man advantage, Deakin turned to his bench to introduce Dylan Scott, who replaced John Atherton for the second half, however Clitheroe settled back into the game quickly despite the shortage in numbers.

Attacking the Shed End, Stafford started to find opportunities, first in the 52nd minute, with Matt Hearsey sending his shot wide of the target, and then a minute later, Fallon lashed a shot into the side netting of the visitors goal.

Clitheroe put pressure on the home goal with a succession of corners, with home captain Andy Burns literally throwing his body everywhere to keep the visitors at bay, and then in the 66th minute, with Moloney beaten by a cross from Jake Carroll, Ben O’Hanlon found himself in his six yard box where his diving header almost sent the ball into the back of his own net, having the crossbar to thank and save any embarrassment to keep the scoreline level.

Andy Burns repels a Clitheroe attack

Regan Riley was introduced in the 68th minute, replacing the tireless Joe Thompson, and he was to be involved moments later as the home side looked to find the winning goal. It was fellow substitute Scott, who excellently controlled a ball over the top, before combining with Riley and then Hearsey who found himself in dangerous territory to the left of goal.

Matt Hearsey attacks down the left

He perfectly teed up that man Birch, who stroked the ball into the back of net yet again to score his 17th goal of the season, and sending the Stafford fans into raptures, with the lead once again regained.

Birch scoring the winner

A jubilant Jack Birch runs away to celebrate the winner

The drama was far from over though, first the home physio was cautioned in the 76th minute for delaying the restart of play, taking a shove from Carroll in the process, due to not returning the ball to the away side. Eight minutes later. Scott almost secured the victory when Birch found him in the area and he sent a shot inches wide, swerving just past Hadi’s post.

With two minutes left Deakin once again turned to his bench with Harry Flowers introduced to reinforce the backline, however his return lasted just ninety seconds when lining up to defend a free-kick he found himself in an altercation with visiting defender Baba Fernandes, and McDonald once again brandished his red card, and restoring the level playing field for the six minutes of added time which were to follow.

Those six minutes were to feel like sixty for the home fans, and you could have been fooled into thinking it was the visitors who were desperate for the points, sending every player including goalkeeper Hadi up for two set-pieces which came to nothing.

McDonald eventually brought the play to an end which resulted in jubilation from the home crowd with many fans entering the field of play, and home players lay out on the ground after an exhausting afternoon which still had time to spark back into life, when Fernandes reacted extremely angrily to something that happened, and McDonald showed the Clitheroe player successive yellow cards, and a red, meaning the visitors end the afternoon with nine men.

Players celebrate with fans in front of the Shed End after the final whistle

With results elsewhere going Rangers way, it means they secure survival before the final league game of the season at Vauxhall Motors next Saturday..

Full Time: Stafford Rangers 2 Clitheroe 1

Stafford Rangers: 1 Scott Moloney, 2 Andy Burns, 3 Ben O’Hanlon, 4 Ashley Fallon (15 Regan Riley 90m), 5 Adisa Osayande, 6 Callum Wilson, 7 John Atherton (16 Dylan Scott 46m), 8 Joe Thompson (15 Regan Riley 68m), 9 James O’Neill (12 Dan Cockerline 58m), 10 Jack Birch (14 Kaiman Anderson 90+3m), 11 Matthew Hearsey (17 Harry Flowers 87m).

Clitheroe: 1 Zach Hadi, 2 Jordan Windass (14 Michael Bartley 86m), 3 Jake Carroll, 4 Ross Dent, 5 Baba Fernandes, 6 Noah Halford, 7 Leon Creech (15 Lewis Trickett 86m), 8 Adam McCoy, 9 Harry Scarborough, 10 Josh Briggs, 11 Sekouba Sanogo (12 Luke Gill 78m). Unused Subs 15 Kaleb Parkinson, 17 Sean McConville

Referee: Daniel McDonald
Cautions: O’Neill 28m(Stafford) Carroll 90+3m (Clitheroe)
Sent Off: Flowers 89m (Stafford), Dent 42m, Fernandes (after final whistle) (Clitheroe)

Goals:

Stafford: Birch (2) 49m, 71m

Clitheroe: Briggs 8m

Att: 1031

Report by Craig Cartwright

Interview: Graham Deakin