November 11th  by Highroadwellian

First Half

A strong and pacey Telford United had the better of the Shaymen in the first half. They could have been 2-0 up and cruising along. Town were playing 4-3-3 with Killeen and Mallon wide leaving Lee alone to spearhead the attack.

06 Telford stated their intent as early as the sixth minute when Simpson played Murphy in for a shot which was well saved by Cartwright diving to his left and palming it away for a corner.

10 Sandwith made a telling tackle to deny Moore a shot just outside the Town box.

12 Speculative lob from Hockenhull over the Telford bar.

20 Midgley free kick on the left finds Lee’s head, good header bottom right of MacKenzie, who makes a good stop.

27 Lee Mills wins a far post header, Ball goes to Murphy unmarked just inside the box, Murphy blazes it over the bar with the goal begging. 

Second Half

47 Cartwright saves angled shot from Mills on the right, following a quick Telford break.

51 GOAL 1-0 After a Sandwith free kick had been cleared, a long Town ball from deep is headed on by Quinn to Lee who fires hard and low into the net.

54 A Midgley free kick blazed over the bar.

60 Killeen’s shot goes straight to keeper MacKenzie when he was clear through in the box. I thought he could have done better.

78 PENALTY Quinn pushing/holding the lively Grant in the box. Telford awarded a penalty. Lee Mills steps up, is delayed a little and fires hard and over Cartwright’s cross-bar.

82 Mallon shot from distance easy catch by the Telford keeper.

85 GOAL 1-1 Murphy finds himself unmarked eight yards out, gets on the end of a Lee Mills flick on and strokes it calmly into the Town net.

86 Grant shot wide right of Cartwright’s goal.

87 Cartwright makes a full length diving catch from Challis’s 35 yard thunderbolt.

90+3 Sagare who added pace since replacing Lee plays to Mallon, who quickly tries to reach Killeen inside the box, Killeen can’t get anything on the ball and MacKenzie saves.

A point apiece was a fair result on the night. The late addition of substitutes Grant and Blackwood added extra pace to make the point for Telford.

My personal Man of the Match Steve Bushell for a tigerish performance in midfield. Kevin Sandwith deserves a mention for some good timely tacking and some good interlinking.

Cartwright, Hockenhull, Sandwith, Bushell, Mallon, Midgley, Lee (Sagare 72), Killeen, Quinn, McCombe, Hudson.

Unused Subs: Senior, Dudgeon, McAuley, Hoyle.

Yellow Cards: Sandwith (38 mins), McCombe (48 mins)

Telford United 1 (Murphy 85)

MacKenzie, Clarke, Challis, Howarth, Whitehead, Simpson (Blackwood 77), Mills, Lavery, Ricketts, Murphy, Moore (Grant 65).

Unused Subs: Naylor, Williams, Taylor.

Yellow Cards: Howarth (63 mins)