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This was my first visit to the college facilities and although the general set up was very good the pitch was not the best. During the warm up it was clear to see that the surface was very bobbly and adding this to the gusting wind blowing right to left, you got the impression that this wasn't going to be much of a viewing spectacle. As the ref got the game underway the heavens took that as their cue to open ensuring that I was in for another soggy 90 minutes.
The first real chance came around the ten minute mark, as good interplay between Michael King and James Taylor saw them work an opening. Taylor was the one who took the shot, attempting to place the ball past the keeper through a crowd, but it was saved by the stoppers legs. A further ten minutes in and it was Taylor once more who was unlucky with a snap shot that followed a corner routine from the training ground. Oliver Devenney fired a ball to the edge of the D where Dave Lynch was waiting. His volley though was smashed into the ground and bounced up. Taylor was alert and hooked goal wards but the effort just cleared the bar.
To their credit, Stanley are looking much better than in previous years. In particular they were looking strong down their right. The full back was giving very little joy to arguably our best player and their pacy right winger was severely troubling Jake McEneaney at left back. It was the winger who had the hosts' best chance of the half, as he surged in to the box and fired a shot in at the near post. Danny McDonald though stood tall and beat the ball away.
Just before half time it looked as though Taylor may have to call an early halt to his morning as he crumpled whilst attempting to divert the ball past keeper and defender. Fortunately it came just on the stroke of half time so he was given ample time to recover following treatment.
The second half was only 5 minutes old when we were awarded a penalty. Jackson took advantage of a dithering defence to sneak goal side. The centre half knew he was in trouble and bundled him over, leaving the ref in no doubt as he pointed to the spot. King stood by the penalty spot waiting for the ball, but Jackson shooed him away. The striker stepped up but hit a weak spot kick which the keeper saved. He was also first to the rebound but the keeper diverted this wide also. I think that the penalty taking responsibilities will no longer be a matter for debate. If King was disappointed it didn't last long though. Devenney floated the corner in to the far post and the winger rose unmarked to power a header past the keeper.
Stanley were still looking dangerous breaking with the ball but were suffering from a distinct lack of bite up front. With the wind in our faces we found ourselves having to soak up the pressure and then hit on the break. One such occasion ended with Jackson stabbing a shot just wide at the far post after a lovely raking cross from Lynch.
With twenty minutes remaining we made an enforced substitution as McEneaney was fouled clearing a ball. With no defensive options on the bench we had to reshuffle, with King dropping to left back and Tom Taylor entering the fray. This was Tom's first appearance of the season following an injury picked up in pre-season. Not too soon after both of our strikers also left the field to be replaced by Liam Newman and Ross Wilson, who have also been missing with knocks recently. It was the three subs combining to allow Tom Taylor to get an effort in on goal but he couldn't quite capitalise.
With the Stanley attack being nullified by our defence we simply ran the clock down for the final 10 minutes. We had no more clear cut chances and neither did Accrington, and while the game was by no means a classic it was very much a case of job done.
Team:- Danny McDonald, Ed Williams, Jake McEneaney (Tom Taylor), Curtis Woods, Tom Anderson, Dom Knowles, Oliver Devenney, Dave Lynch, Michael King, James Taylor (Liam Newman), Joe Jackson (Ross Wilson)
Subs not used:- Cooke, Joe McKee.