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Both sides had been hit hard by the weather, but Heaton Stannington had already got their first game of the year out of the way a week earlier when they drew one-one with Carlisle City. Visiting manager Derek Oman spoke before the game of his desire to add to the squad before the trip to Gillford Park, and there were a couple of late additions to the squad in Scott Millin and Connor Marshall. Despite downpours all morning the pitch was deemed playable and, although heavy, it held up reasonably well. The boggy surface did play its part in a poor first half which saw both defences deal easily with everything that was thrown at them. One of the most notable incidents in the opening half was when Steve Skinner spotted the pacey run of Lee Otway and sent a pin point pass, but as Otway was about to pull the trigger onrushing Heaton keeper Shaun Backhouse slid forward feet first and appeared to upend the striker. Despite Otway's persistence, the match officials waved away his protests. As the interval approached Gillford went as close as they dared in the first half, when a good build-up saw Otway's header cleared off the line. A great passing move from the right culminated with Addison sending the ball across the park to Stuart Moffat, who in turn picked out Steve Skinner. He put in an excellent cross which Otway met perfectly, but after his header evaded the keeper ex-Walker defender Shaun Graham was on hand to drive the ball off the line. At half-time talk around the ground turned to the state of the pitch which was already cut-up pretty badly, and had hampered the neat attacking play which Gilly had demonstrated in games earlier in the season. However, when Gillford Park emerged from the tunnel to start the second period they looked a changed side, and first threatened just two minutes into the half. A move down the left from front to back saw Robbie Short send a good ball for Otway to run onto, and once again the forward ran rings around Daniel Thompson before the defender brought him down. The resulting free kick taken by Skinner went to the back post and was driven back across goal by Short after cannoning off a defender Addison was unlucky not to direct the ball into the net. A similar move two minutes later, again involving Palmer and Moffat, sparked a flurry of attacks and counter attacks as the game properly sparked to life. Lee Otway flicked the cross on to Skinner but his attempt was driven against a Heaton defender and bounced out to Ally Lang, who returned it to the melee. From the scramble a Heaton player eventually managed to get a foot on it and send it out to journeyman midfielder Dom Elliot, who covered 30 yards before his cross was well intercepted by Tyron Taylor, earning Gilly a throw. The ball was played to Butler who laid off a good ball to Skinner, just as Lee Otway was again clipped by Thompson. The free-kick was nodded on by Otway to Tyron Taylor, but for the third or fourth time he headed just over. All of this had happened within the opening ten minutes, and it was in the 53rd minute that the deadlock was finally broke. A quick exchange of passes set Steve Skinner off on a 25-yard run. With a good turn of pace and a delightful little shimmy, Skinner left three defenders for dead and coolly slipped the ball under the onrushing Backhouse from the edge of the six-yard box.
Heaton immediately looked to get back on
level terms and had chances through Chris Flynn and dangerman Gary Yates,
but the home defence held their nerve and controlled the advances of the
visiting side. Gillford manager Jimmy McMurdo replaced Lee Otway and Robbie Short with Gary Milne and Dale Armstrong, both previously of Northern Leaguers Penrith Town, and the substitutes earned Gilly a corner on the right side of the field. There is much confusion about the Heaton goal, and I have explained the differing views below. Not surprisingly, it was Skinner who sent the flag-ball in and defender Aaron Taylor (Celtic reckons it was Matty Starforth, but either way, it was Number 14) mis-hit his clearance. The ball spun across the goal out of the reach of visiting custodian Backhouse, and Ty was on hand to nod it into the back of the net. The goal was awarded to Taylor both by the referee and the stadium announcer, but at the end of the game the player himself said it wasn't he, but a Heaton defender, who had scored, and photos - which are online now - seem to back him up. The following stages of the gamed summed up the differences between the sides perfectly, as Heaton's young squad appeared to accept defeat with an apathetic and uncommitted shrug, and they finished the game with a whimper. Gillford's experienced defence closed the door and restricted Heaton to two long range shots, ensuring the three well earned points for the home side. Celtic's final thought: A long awaited return to football stuttered and spluttered in the first half. In the second, it sprang to life with the better passing and off-the-ball movement by the home side proving the difference on a terrible day and on a heavy pitch. Well done lads, bring back the spoils next week! |