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| Luke Daly scored our second from the penalty spot |
Following on from a defeat versus Huddersfield and participation in the annual tournament at Carrington we lined up against Cat 2 side Sheffield Wednesday today in Padiham. The sapping heat must have had a hand in the decision to allow roll-on roll-off subs today and it allowed for most of the lads to get an even spread of minutes on the pitch.
The starting line-up gave me a 1st look at Brandon Wilson following his move from Down Under as he took up a position in midfield next to Nathan Lowe. He looks combative and mobile, confident on the ball, and should complement the squad we already have quite well.
We kept a calm control of the game in the 1st half, with the visitors given very little encouragement. However, we didn’t truly stretch ourselves as we felt our way back into action after the summer break. We managed a goal in the 1st 45 though, with Wilson heading in from a right wing corner, and seeing his effort allowed following linesman intervention after the ball had been hooked away.
In the 2nd half changes were more free flowing, but rather than disrupting us it seemed to give us impetus. The livewire Jamie Frost danced into the box and was felled, allowing Luke Daly to step up and send the keeper the wrong way from the spot.
Our football quality was high and there was a 3rd goal as Andreas Bianga coolly side footed home after sustained pressure and a slick passing move. Striker Ntumba Massanka also got in on the act with a towering header back across the keeper following a drifted left wing corner.
More overlapping play led to Waqas Azam being hacked in the box to give us another spot kick and it was Lewis Nuttall who dispatched this one to give us a well-deserved 5-0 lead. It could have been more with an audacious Massanka chip from 35 yards bouncing back from the bar, but as we took our foot of the gas the visitors grabbed a consolation with a header past Conor Mitchell from a right wing cross.
All in all an enjoyable game to watch – I just wish I’d found out about it through something other than luck, with a distinct lack of communication on the fixture from the club.