THIS WAS A CRACKING GAME FROM THE START WITH THE RESULT IN DOUBT RIGHT UP TO THE FINAL WHISTLE (SOME MIGHT SAY EVEN BEYOND). SALTS DOMINATED THE EARLY STAGES FORCING BRONTE INTO GIVING AWAY FREE KICKS. ALDERSON HEADED THE FIRST OF THESE CLEAR BUT A MINUTE LATER INDECISION IN THE HOME DEFENCE FOLLOWING ANOTHER FREEKICK ALLOWED THE SALTS STRIKER TO WALTZ IN UNOPPOSED AND SLIDE THE BALL INTO THE NET WITH ONLY 4 MINS. GONE. ANOTHER SET PIECE, THIS TIME A CORNER, AND SALTS ALMOST MAKE IT 2-0 BUT THIS TIME THE DANGER IS CLEARED. BRONTE THREATEN ON THE BREAK AND BLACKA HAS A LONG RANGE EFFORT BUT SEES IT GO WIDE. WANDERES GET THEMSELVES BACK IN THE GAME WITH A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE. ALDERSON’S FREE KICK IS MET POWERFULLY BY A DEFFENDR BUT HE ONLY SUCCEEDS IN HEADING INTO HIS OWN NET 1-1. ANOTHER CHANCE FOR SALTS AS IN COMES A CROSS BUT THE STRIKER HEADS WIDE.
BUTCHER AND NELSON WIN THE BALL AND GIVE IT TO RITSON WHO CROSSES TO ARMSTRONG BUT HIS TAME SHOT IS EASILT GATHERED BY THE KEEPER. ANOTHER CHANCE FOR ARMSTRONG AS HE AND NELSON OPEN UP THE VISITORS DEFENCE BUT AGAIN HIS SHOT FAILS TO TROUBLE THE KEEPER. SALTS CONTINUE TO PRESS BUT OFTEN PLAY INTO MAUDES HANDS WITH LONG ARIAL BALLS THAT HE DEALS WITH CONFIDENTLY.
BAILEY CREATES A CHANCE FOR BUTCHER BUT HE BLASTS WIDE, ANOTHER CHANCE GONE. ALDERSON STRIKES A LONG RANGE EFFORT BUT THIS TOO SAILS OVER THE BAR. BY NOW BRONTE ARE TAKING CONTROL OF THE GAME AND IT IS SALTS LOOKING TO COUNTER. BAILEY’S CONTINUED EXCELLENT DELIVERY FROM CORNERS CAUSES HAVOCK IN THE SALTS DEFENCE BUT NO FINISHING CONTACT IS MADE ON TWO FURTHER OCCASIONS.
A QUICK BREAK FROM SALTS AND THEIR NO 10 HAS A GREAT CHANCE BUT HE FLUFFS HIS EFFORT UNDER PRESSURE FROM BRONTE DEFENDERS. HALF-AN-HOUR GONE. THEN A GREAT MOVE INVOLVING RITSON, ARMSTRONG AND NELSON SEES RITSON’S CROSS TO THE FAR POST VOLLEYED IN BY ARMSTRONG 2-1 TO BRONTE. SALTS TRY TO REPLY QUICKLY BUT A LONG RANGE EFFORT GOES HIGH AND WIDE. TAYLOR WHIPS IN A CROSS AND BAILEY UNMARKED IN THE BOX MUST SCORE. SADLY HIS HEADER FLIES OVER THE BAR. BAILEY THEN SLIDES IN A FREE-KICK TO ALDERSONT AND FOLLOWS UP. ALLDERSON LAYS IT BACK TO BAILEY BUT AGAIN HE FIRES WIDE. IN THE FINAL MINUTE OF THIS HALF SALTS ONCE AGAIN BREAK AND GET IN BEHIND WANDERER’S DEFENCE BUT ONLY SUCCEED IN FIRING INTO THE SIDE NETTING.
THE SECOND HALF STARTS AS THE FIRST FINISHED WITH BRONTE PRESSING AND SALTS BREAKING. A PROMISSING MOVE FROM BRONTE ONLY ENDS WITH BUTCHER BLASTING HIGH AND WIDE. SALTS BREAK DOWN A BRONTE MOVE AND SWEEP INTO THE ATTACK BUT THE TOO ARE GUILTY OF WEAK FINISHING AS ALLMARK GATHERS EASILY. BUT A MINUTE LATER YET ANOTHER BREAK FOLLOWED BY A PINPOINT CROSS FROM THE RIGHT SEES THE SALT’S STRIKER, UNATTENDED, GUIDE HIS HEADER PAST THE KEEPER, AGAIN WITH ONLY A FEW MINUTES OF THE HALF GONE 2-2. YET ANOTHER LONG RANGE EFFORT FROM THE VISITORS BUT ALLMARK GATHERS WELL.
BAILEY MAKES ONE OF HIS TRADE MARK RUNS AND DRIVED THE BALL ACROSS THE BOX BUT SOMEHOW IT ELUDES EVERYONE AND GOES OUT FOR A GOAL-KICK. A BRONTE FREE-KICK AND BAILEY WINS A CORNER. BLACKA MEETS HIS CROSS BUT THE KEEPER PUSHES HIS HEADER OVER THE BAR. THE SECOND CORNER THIS TIME IS MET BY NELSON BUT HIS HEADER SMASHES AGAINST THE POST AND IS CLEARED. ARMSTRONG MEASURES A CROSS TO NELSON WITH RITSON MOVING IN AT THE FAR POST UNMARKED. NELSON MUST SEE HIM AND PASS. NO HE SHOOTS AND DRAGS IT WIDE.
THEN AT LAST A LONG RANGE EFFORT FROM SALTS FINALLY PAYS OFF AS IT FINDS THE TOP CORNER OF THE NET TO GIVE THEM THE LEAD, SOMEWHAT AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY. IN WHAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST MOVES OF THE GAME, BAILEY AND TAYLOR SLICE THROUGH SALTS DEFENCE AND TAYLOR LINES UP TO SHOOT ONLY TO HAVE NELSON TAKE THE BALL OFF HIS TOES AND SHOOT HIGH AND WIDE. ALDERSON GIVES AWAY POSSESSION IN MID-FIELD AND SALTS COUNTER QUICKLY. THE BALL IS CROSSED IN BUT THE VOLLEYED CHANCE GOES WIDE. ANOTHER BREAK BUT AGAIN A WEAK FINISH SEES SALTS MISS ANOTHER CHANCE. BLACKA HAS A DECENT EFFORT BUT HIS SHOT ALSO GOES WIDE.
20 MINS OF THE SECOND HALF GONE AND MAKINSON REPLACESTHE STILL NOT FULLY FIT BUTCHER. BLACKA PUSHES FORWARD INTO MID-FIELD. AS BRONTE TAKE TIME FOR THESE ADJUSTMENTS TO SETTLE SALTS TRY TO PRESS THEIR OPPORTUNITY. ALLMARK (AKA KASPER) FINDS HIMSELF FACING A ONE-ON-ONE SITUATION. WILL HE BREAK UNDER THE PRESSURE OF HIS FIRST APPEARANCE IN THE FIRST TEAM? NO LIKE A VETEREN HE GOES DOWN LATE AND BLOCKS THE SHOT AND SEES HIS DEFENCE CLEAR THE DANGER.
ANOTHER CORNER SUPERBLT DELIVERED BY BAILEY (YES JAMES IT MUST BE FRUSTRATING) SEES MAKINSON GLANCE HIS HEADER JUST WIDE. AS BRONTE CONTINUE TO THREATEN SALTS CONTINUE TO COUNTER. A STRONG DRIVEN CROSS FORCES ALLMARK TO PARRY FOR A CORNER. THIS IS AGAIN PARRIED BY THE KEEPER BUT THIS TIME HE NEEDS HELP FROM HIS DEFENDERS TO CLEAR THE DANGER. WITH 10 MINUTES TO GO SALTS FIND THEMSELVES DOWN TO 10 MEN DUE TO INJURIES. CAN BRONTE TAKE ADVANTAGE? BAILEYS CROSS GIVES THEM THE FIST CHANCE BUT AGAIN NO CONTACT AT THE FAR POST CAN BE MADE. THEN SALTS HAVE A CHENCE TO SETTLE THE GAME BUT A DECENT CROSS IS HEADED WIDE.
YOUNG SMITH NOW COMES ON FOR TAYLOR. SALT’S NO9 TORMENTS BRONTE’S DEFENDER AND ALLMARK FINDS HIMSELF FACING ANOTHER ONE-ON-ONE. YET AGAIN HE MAKES A GREAT SAVE WITH HIS FEET TO KEEP BRONTE IN THE GAME. AT LAST BRONTES CHANGES BEGIN TO SETTLE AS BLACKA TAKES CONTROL OF THE CENTRE OF THE PARK. MAKINSON MAKES THE PASS OF THE GAME TO FIND SMITH OUTWIDE RIGHT. SHOWING NO FEAR OF GOING FORWARD SMITH WHIPS IN A CROSS RIGHT ONTO ARMSTRONGS HEAD-HE MUST SCORE! IF ONLY HE HAD HEADED THE BALL DOWN A LITTLE-THE KEEPER WAS BEATEN BUT RELIEVED TO SEE THEEFFORT CLEAR HIS CROSSBAR. RITSON FLIES PAST THE SALTS DEFENCE AND CHIPS THE BALL OVER THE KEEPER BUT BAILEY, ALMOST ON THE LINE JUST FAILS TO MAKE ANY SOLID CONTACT AS IT SEEMS HE MUST NOD INTO AN EMPTY NET. NELSON DELIVERS A FINE THROUGH-BALL TO ARMSTRONG WHO NONCHALANTLY LOBS THE KEEPER TO LEVEL THE SCORE AT LAST.
SALTS THOUGH ALMOST HAVE THE LAST WORD. THEY BREAK, YET AGAIN, AND FORCE A FREE-KICK. MAKINSON CLEARS FOR A CORNER. THIS IS CLEARED OFF THE LINE AND THE FINAL WHISTLE GOES-WHICH IS FORTUNATE AS SOME HOW THE BALL SUBSEQUENTLY FINISHED IN THE BACK OF THE BRONTE NET. AN EXCELLENT GAME BUT ONE IN WHICH BRONTE SHOULD RUE THE CHANCES MISSED