NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE – MIDLAND DIVISION

Chasetown 4 St Neots Town 0

After their long 200 miles round midweek journey St Neots made a slow start to this match conceding an early goal to their hosts and gifting them a second on the half hour. Not an impressive first half then, but worse was to follow because St Neots hardly competed in a very poor second half performance and may have been lucky only to concede only two further goals to a very well organised host side. The two sides had met at the Premier Plus Stadium on the opening day of the league season and St Neots had snatched a point with a late goal in a 1-1 draw whilst reduced to ten men. Manager Pete Gill was extremely unhappy with the performance of his team and immediately ordered extra training prior to their next match also away in the Midlands at Sporting Khalsa.

There was little goalmouth action in the early stages of the game but Chasetown took the lead with the first goal attempt by either side after ten minutes.They won a left sided corner which was only partially cleared and when the ball was returned to the penalty area defender Kris Taylor was left unmarked to direct a header wide of the visiting goalkeeper. St Neots responded with Joe Rider seeing a shot blocked after neat work by Brandon Njoku and a lengthy Aaron Smith throw headed on was cleared off the line by a defender. However, St Neots attempt to get back into the game was further blunted by an uncharacteristic error by goalkeeper Jamie Greygoose who appeared to misread a back pass by a defender and his miskick gifted the simplest of finishes to home striker Ryan Boothe who made the score 2-0 on the half hour. Njoku looked to be the most likely visiting player to bother the home defence and he brought a save from the home keeper before attempting to play Trey Charles in but the striker was ruled narrowly offside. Home striker Boothe had two chances to extend his sides’ lead before the break but he fired his first effort high over the bar before shooting straight at Greygoose after a defensive error.

CHASETOWNFC (A)31-01-2023

What St Neots wanted was a positive response after the break but instead just four minutes after the restart they conceded a third goal as full back Ollie Hayward joined the home attack to add a third goal. Reduced to speculative shooting from distance both Rider and Charles had efforts comfortably saved and with Robbie Mason on for Njoku there was little progress for the visitors. After just six minutes on the pitch Mason picked up a second yellow card in successive matches as St Neots’ offered little in the shape of attacking play.They attempted to boost their approach with the introduction of substitute Manny Osei but the ball was too often in the St Neots half for their attacking ideas to be exploited. St Neots only serious second half attacking effort was a lengthy shot by Liam Hook comfortably gathered by the home keeper and had Jack Langston and Daniel O’Callaghan put simple looking chances away St Neots could have been overrun. O’Callaghan did see another effort rebound from the bar before Ryan Boothe rounded off the scoring three minutes from time.

St Neots Town: Greygoose, Lewis, Smith, Anderson, Dickens, Sylvester, Duncliffe, Hook, Charles, Rider, Njoku

Subs: Mason (for Njoku 58 mins), Osei (for Sylvester 71 mins), Barnett, and Stallard

Cards: Mason (Y – 64 mins)

Goals: none

Chasetown: Pond, Hayward, Evans, Taylor, Wynter, Wilding, Lund, Langston, Boothe, O’Callaghan, Atherton

Subs: Yates (for Lund 40 mins), Ashford (for Atherton 66 mins), Melbourne for Evans (73 mins) Shaw, and Bailey.

Cards: none

Goals: Boothe 2 (30 & 87 mins), Taylor (11 mins), Hayward (49 mins)

Attendance: 251

Referee: Jack Shepherd (Dudley)

John Walker

Sporting Khalsa 2 St Neots Town 0

The West Midlands have become a no-go area for St Neots. Four trips to the Birmingham area have so far yielded no points, no goals scored and sixteen conceded. Their hosts last weekend was Sporting Khalsa, themselves struggling for form despite being fourth in the league table, because four of their last five league matches prior to St Neots’ visit had ended in draws. However, a goal in each half was sufficient to see them return to winning ways leaving St Neots still searching for a second away league victory this season. Without the injured Panny Boxer, St Neots were forced into leaving their strike duo of Trey Charles and Brandon Njoku on the bench, both recovering from midweek knocks, although they made second half substitute appearances. With Steve Sylvester unavailable, there was a return to the starting line-up for Robbie Mason and Manny Osei and a welcome return to the side for Charlie Stallard whose injury had kept him out of the side since 1st October – coincidentally the home match with Sporting Khalsa. The defeat might have been much greater but for a man-of-the-match performance by Saints keeper Jamie Greygoose who produced a string of outstanding saves.

He was first in action after just five minutes diving full length to turn a lengthy effort from Harry Cunningham around a goalpost. St Neots responded with a Callum Anderson close range effort that was blocked on the line by a defender and the home goalkeeper then had to smother at the feet of Manny Osei who had gone clear. St Neots best first half move came after 20 minutes when Joe Rider and Robbie Mason linked to set up Aaron Smith whose volley was comfortably gathered but from that point on in the first half the home team dominated. A James McGrady free kick was won in the air by Miracle Okafor forcing Greygoose into a second significant save and the same home player went past Greygoose, but the angle was too tight, and the opportunity wasted. It was Okafor again who was proving to be a major thorn in St Neots side, as he headed over the goal after a fine run by Toumani Sidibe and the pressure paid off for Khalsa three minutes before the break when a deflected shot by Sidibe gave the home side a half time lead.

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It was Okafor who continued the tormenting of the visiting defence upon the second half restart. He first beat two players on the left but saw his shot blocked and then the overworked Greygoose had to dive bravely at his feet after good work by McGrady. Charlie Stallard joined the St Neots attack to see a shot blocked by a defender and with almost an hour gone, St Neots Manager Pete Gill played his trump card sending on his two semi-fit strikers for Stallard and Mason. St Neots did seem to enjoy a greater share of the play after this change and Joe Rider had a looping header easily saved but the defining moment of the match came after 63 minutes when Miracle Okafor stamped his authority on the match as he picked his spot to claim Khalsa’s second goal after the visiting defence had failed to clear. Brandon Njoku tried hard to get his side going but when he was brought down on the edge of the area the free kick from Liam Hook was sent harmlessly over the bar.Two more saves by Greygoose from Sidibe and Okafor kept the score at a reasonable level but St Neots must know that a lack of credible openings in their attacking play is not going to enhance their chances of picking up much needed points.

St Neots Town: Greygoose, Duncliffe, Stallard, Anderson, Dickens, Lewis, Osei, Hook, Mason, Rider, Smith

Subs: Charles (for Mason 55 mins), Njoku (for Stallard 55 mins), and Goumou. Cards: none

Goals: none

Sporting Khalsa: Arnold, Francis, Cunningham, Fulloway, Robinson, Whittaker, Armstrong, McGrady, Okafor, Sidibe, Williams

Subs: McKenzie (for Sidibe 78 mins), Parsons (for Robinson 83 mins), Campbell for Cunningham (90 mins), Birch and Singh.

Cards: none

Goals: Sidibe (42 mins), Okafor (63 mins)

Attendance: 165

Referee: Duncan Critchlow (North Staffordshire)

John Walker