Claregate 2 vs 3 DARLASTON ATHLETIC

One time division 4 whipping boys Claregate proved to be tough cookies as Darlaston claimed lots of possession but struggled to get past the hosts fortress of a centre back. The surface at Aldersley school proved just as much of a barrier , both sides struggling to string moves together in the swirling wind and uneven surface . Despite our early dominance , an innocent looking situation turned into calamity when defensive uncertainty handed Claregate an unexpected lead , cue to unbridled ecstacy for the home side , unaccustomed as they were to scoring a goal. Creditably we were seemingly unperturbed and a minor  defensive reorganisation  settled us slightly . We piled on the pressure and a liam Poll fed in Tom Brettle to release a thunderbolt shot . The keeper did well to block, but allowed the ball to rebound into the path of a furtive Squirrel who hit his 14th of the campaign to equalise . It was Wilson again who fluked our second (his 15th) , again from an overhit Poll through ball. The second half saw us dominate even more but shots on target were at a premium . When Robbo curled in a teasing cross, Liam Harpin flicked on a header which should have been easy for the keeper . A  fumble was enough however for the ever alert Tipton genius Ricky Owen to steam in like a train and force home our third goal . Our rotund manager , hoping to earn a new contract, was hoping this would open the floodgates , but Claregate gave him plenty of food for thought . A momentary lapse in concentration allowed their nippy striker a one on one which he slammed home to reduce the score to 2-3 . We dug in a bit and held on despite a last throw onslaught from the home side , Jake needing to pull off a great save in the dying minutes. Not our best display , the 352 experiment going wrong with Claregates long balls  bypassing  our midfield 5 . MOM ; LIAM HARPIN