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15/3/2008 VODKAT LEAGUE DIVISION 2 CHEADLE TOWN 3 DARWEN 3

It was all change again for Darwen as they appointed their third manager this season. Former player Dennis Hill took over from Wayne Watkins, and as most of the current players left with Watkins, Hill was left with the task of trying to put a side together for this fixture in the space of a few days.

Only Paul Walker, Matt Haworth, Joe Darwin, and Nathan Worrell were in the squad for the previous match against Padiham a week ago. Matt Anderton returned from injury. The club also welcomed back Paul Mashiter and Richard Fogarty. Liam Denning and Louis Wilkes transferred from Nelson and Padiham respectively. Phil Fogarty (brother of Richard), Michael Newton, and Dean Clarke were new registrations.

Cheadle created an opening within two minutes, as a ball from the left wing was put across to the right and returned into the Darwen penalty area. Riley rose above everybody to get a good head on the ball, but should have done better than put it just wide of the post.

The home side did go ahead ten minutes later. A Darwen move broke down in the Cheadle half, and the clearance found Buchanan on the shoulders of the last defenders. He outpaced his opponents, and as Joe Darwin rushed from goal to narrow the angle, Buchanan coolly lobbed the ball over the keeper’s head and into the net.

Cheadle should have increased their lead two minutes later, as Roberts anticipated a ball over the top. He side-stepped Matt Haworth, but with only the keeper to beat, pulled his shot wide of the left post. A minute later, a cross from the right by Riley was cleared at the last minute for a corner.

Moores in the Cheadle goal had to wait until ten minutes before the interval to be alert to Darwen’s first attempt on goal, a thirty yard effort from Matt Haworth, which went by the right hand post. Five minutes later, Moores dropped a ball that had been floated into the area, but no Darwen player was on hand to take advantage.

The home side beat the Salmoners offside trap twice before the interval. Hussain was clear on goal when he stepped on the ball, bringing the attack to a halt. But a minute later Buchanan’s break through the defence gave him run a clear on goal, and although Joe Darwin tried to narrow the angle, the Cheadle striker comfortably slid the shot past him and into the net.

The home side then seemed to lose concentration as Darwen pulled a goal back within a minute. A free kick by Liam Denning on the left, found Dean Clarke, who had ghosted into the area to side foot into the left corner.

On forty five minutes, from a free kick on the left, Cheadle’s Brockenbrow headed over keeper Darwin, but Matt Haworth was backing up to clear off the line.

The visitors then equalised into injury time. Paul Walker made a run down the left wing, then put a deep cross over to the right post, where Richard Fogarty had arrived unmarked to tap the ball in.

Half Time: Cheadle Town 2 Darwen 2

The first goal chance of the second half fell to Darwen after five minutes. Matt Haworth outpaced the Cheadle defender down the right flank, and put over a pinpoint cross onto the head of Louis Wilkes. He put the effort directly into the Moore’s arms, when either side would have resulted in a goal.

Buchanan then connected with a strike from the edge of the Darwen box that stung the hands of Joe Darwin.

The Salmoners created another chance after twenty minutes. Louis Wilkes floated a ball into the box and found Dean Clarke unmarked. With only the keeper to beat, he put the ball over the bar.

Cheadle were then unlucky as a lob over Joe Darwin’s head by Riley hit the crossbar. The ball rebounded to Fallows, who with an open goal, proceeded to blast his shot over the bar. A few minutes later a well hit effort from Brockenbrow was pushed round the post by the Darwen goalminder.

With ten minutes to go, a cross from Richard Fogarty was headed over by Dean Clarke.

The home side created a move which should have brought about another goal. A cross field pass found Brockenbrow, who beat the defender, and then rounded the onrushing keeper. He struck the ball towards what looked like an empty net, but somehow Matt Anderton had got back to clear off the line.

In the eighty fourth minute, Cheadle were then awarded a free kick five yards outside the area. Roberts struck the kick right of the Darwen wall and into the top corner of the net to regain the lead in the match.

The home side were then reduced to ten men after Brockenbrow was sent off for a second bookable offence. Even so, the home side had a glorious opportunity to seal the match when Buchanan latched onto a clearance, with the Darwen side upfield pushing for an equaliser. With only Joe Darwin to beat, the keeper made it more difficult by narrowing the angle and pushing the striker wide. Buchanan got round the keeper but hooked the ball wide.

They were made to pay for the wasted opportunity deep into stoppage time, as Darwen were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area, and Cheadle had another player, Hussain, dismissed. Dennis Hill, who had just brought himself on as substitute, took the kick quickly as the home defence were lining up their wall. The ball went low round the wall and into the bottom left hand corner, with Moores in goal rooted to the spot.

The Cheadle players angrily remonstrated with referee Mr Worthington about the decision, but the goal stood, and the match was over a minute later.

Full Time: Cheadle Town 3 Darwen 3

ATTENDANCE: 36

GOALS:
Cheadle Town: Buchanan (13, 41), Roberts (84)
Darwen: Clarke (41), R Fogarty (45), Hill (90)

REFEREE: A Worthington (Winsford)
ASSISTANTS: C Slinger (Haslingden), W Slinger (Haslingden)

MAN OF THE MATCH:
Cheadle Town: John Hussain
Darwen: Liam Denning

TEAMS:

Cheadle Town

1. Steven Moores
2. Scott Clarke
3. Ben Roberts
4. Neil Logan
5. Brad Fallows
6. Barry Cotterill
7. Arron Riley
8. John Hussain
9. Andrew Lindon
10. Carl Buchanan
11. Brad Brockenbrow
12. Aidy James
14. James Mcdonnah

Darwen

1. Joe Darwin
2. Matt Haworth
3. Phil Fogarty
4. Matt Anderton (Capt.)
5. Michael Newton
6. Paul Mashiter
7. Paul Walker
8. Liam Denning
9. Louis Wilkes
10. Dean Clarke
11. Richard Fogarty
12. Dennis Hill (Replaced Mashiter, 85 minutes)
14. Nathan Worrell

Interview with Dennis Hill

How did the job come about?
I have a kids’ football team and Ted (Ward) is always talking to me about junior football, and when he contacted me, I thought it was something to do with that. So I met him and he sat me down and said he had made a mistake employing Wayne (Watkins) as manager, and could I take over the reins. I was shocked and said that I needed at least twenty four hours to think about it as I knew I had no players. I rung a few people I know in the game and they said give it a go, you’ve nothing to lose. So I told Ted that I would give it my best shot and see where it takes us.

So you had a job but didn’t have a team?
Basically for the last two days I’ve hardly seen my family. I’ve been on the phone, chasing players up, going to their houses, and signing them up. Ted thought there was no chance of us raising fourteen players to play this game and was considering having the fixture cancelled, but I managed to get a squad together just in time.

It’s not the team I ultimately want, but we have to start building for next year. In the next few weeks I hope to get a few more players in to see out the fixtures for this season, and hopefully kick on for next season.

There are some tough matches to come, five away and only two at home and a lot of these games are against top of the league clubs. Seems like a baptism of fire?
It is, and the players I’ve brought in have not played a lot in the last few weeks and in the last fifteen minutes of this match, some of the legs were starting to go.

What were your tactics for this particular game?
To keep it tight for the first twenty minutes. Have four at the back in a 4-4-2 formation. Get the ball down, as it’s quite a big pitch here at Cheadle, get it wide and get some crosses in. It was difficult as I had to put out a side that had not played together before, and teamwork takes time. This accounted for the way the goals were scored, but in the first half, I thought their second goal came against the run of play. I thought 3-3 was a fair result on the day.

There was quite an end to the game, with you coming on in your first game in charge with five minutes to go and scoring the equalising goal, but in controversial circumstances?
I scored a goal quite similar to that earlier on in the season against Penrith in the Vase. I just asked the referee could I take a quick one as they were lining the wall up. He said “Yes if you want”, and that was that. You are within your rights to do this.

Then the whistle went. Not a bad start to your first game in charge?
Yes, a good result. I was proud of every one of the players. They gave 100%, and you can’t ask for any more than that.