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   Prescot Cables 1, Salford City 3
by Andy Giblin
UNIBOND LEAGUE FIRST DIVISION NORTH CABLES COP FOR KEEPER CARDINGS ! A remarkable second half at Valerie Park saw Prescot Cables lose two goalkeepers to red cards on their way to losing the match to Salford City. That’s a fifth away win of the season for Ammies and the three points earned from a very decent performance should allow them to concentrate on a mid-table finish rather than worry about a relegation tussle. There were a few changes from the side that lost to Bamber Bridge at Moor Lane on Saturday. Craig Buckley started at right back, with Darren Hockenhull switching to the centre of defence in the absence of Cedric Ngakam-Laybou. Martyn Andrews was back in a five man midfield whilst Rhodri Giggs shouldered the attacking burden as City’s lone striker on the night (as well as retaining the skipper’s armband). There was little sign of the drama that would unfold in the second half during the first forty-five minutes of play. Both of these sides have struggled in front of goal this season, and with City’s five man midfield snuffing out much of Prescot’s attacking efforts chances in front of goal were rare to the point of being almost non-existent. That was in no way down to a lack of endeavour, however. Both teams looked to get forward when the midfield scrap abated for a while, and both employed similar tactics in an effort to force a breakthrough. There’s no shortage of passing ability in the Ammies midfield and Rhodri Giggs was joined in the chase for many a through-ball or long pass by wingers Astley Mulholland and Lee Neville. Similarly Cables looked to use the trickiness and pace of Phil Cooney, Karl Brown and John Couch in their pursuit of a goal and the home side’s forays did perhaps carry a little more menace during these early stages. A heavy pitch didn’t help but we had to wait until the quarter hour mark for the game’s first chance. Lee Neville got away up Salford’s left flank and his deep cross to the right hand side of the box sent Giggs scampering in chase. City’s top-scorer used his pace to get there first but the angle was tight and his ten yard snap-shot flew over Andy Paxton’s bar. Five minutes later Prescot were awarded a free kick just inside the Salford half, and left-back John Riley had spotted City keeper Andy Robertson off his line. The Cables defender tried an ambitious effort from fully 45-yards that gave Robertson an uneasy second or two before he moved across his area to make the catch. Prescot’s Dale Wright had picked up an early injury and was replaced by Tim Opajah, recently signed from League of Wales side Caernarfon Town. Neither side was looking particularly likely to score as the half drew to a close, but Salford’s wide men were beginning to look more effective as an attacking outlet. In the 32nd minute Lee Neville again found space on his left flank but his low cross into the box was too near to Paxton. Astley Mulholland’s cross from the right three minutes later found Martyn Andrews in a little space inside the box but he couldn’t make telling contact and the ball drifted out for a goal-kick. In the 37th minute Lee Neville showed anticipation to latch onto a Prescot defensive header, aimed vaguely for keeper Paxton. From the right hand side of the box Neville rolled an enticing ball across the six yard line but no Salford player was close enough to apply a finishing touch. The half limped to a conclusion, but in time added on City did construct a move of some quality. Robertson’s throw sent Lee Neville away on the left, and he pulled the ball back to brother Dave inside the box. The elder Neville held the ball up well and rolled an inviting pass into the path of Gareth Thomas just outside the area. His shot was powerful but in keeping with this low key half was blocked by a Cables defender. That was more or less it for the first half, and despite the effort neither goalkeeper had been forced into even a mildly taxing save. Little did the 161 strong crowd suspect what the second half held in store... HALF TIME : PRESCOT CABLES 0, SALFORD CITY 0 If the first half scoreline was perhaps predictable given the scoring record of the two sides, the events of the second could only have been dreamed up by a Roy of the Rovers story writer. At first the second half looked like following the pattern of the first, but in the 50th minute came the incident that would in effect decide the destination of the points. Giggs’ first-time pass from inside his own half caught the home defence square and Lee Neville beat the offside trap to sprint clear into Cables territory. Goalkeeper Paxton advanced outside his box and seemed to clip Neville as the Salford winger jinked around him on his way to goal. With the current laws of football in mind the referee had no option other than to produce a red card as a goal-scoring opportunity had been denied and Paxton was the last man. It’s easy to sympathise with the Prescot custodian, who cut a despondent figure as he tramped to the dressing room but perhaps City were due the rub of the green and the referee’s decision was undoubtedly correct. With the post-sending off protests settled and central defender Kristian Liptrot donning the number one jersey, Giggs lined up the free-kick. From dead centre of goal and maybe a foot outside the box Salford’s top-scorer clipped a shot goalwards and City enjoyed another slice of fortune as the ball took a deflection off the wall before spinning inside Liptrot’s right hand post. Prescot seemed fired by a sense of perceived (but technically incorrect) injustice after the goal, and began to commit men forward in search of an equaliser. In the 57th minute the ball pinged towards the Salford goal following a midfield scramble and Prescot’s Lee Smith suddenly found himself in possession on the edge of the Ammies box. The Cables man snatched at the opportunity a little and Robertson was able to make a comfortable save but this was a reminder that the game was not yet over. City were looking to make the game safe though, and within sixty seconds the action had switched to the other end. A neat passing move saw the ball worked out to Mulholland on the right and his low cross into the box looked a good one until Riley hacked the ball out for a corner. Lee Neville floated the set piece in from the right and Billy McCartney got up well at the far post to send a downwards header goalwards. Couch was defending his post well, and thumped the ball clear from almost on his own goal-line to deny the City centre-half. The game had certainly woken up now, and Prescot initiated a break that saw a neat one-two set up the busy Cooney on the edge of the box. His shot was miscued, and flew harmlessly wide of the relieved Robinson’s left hand post. The Ammies were otherwise defending solidly, and despite picking up a couple of fussy bookings began to look more comfortable after Prescot’s brief flurry. Nevertheless the Cables carved out their best opportunity of the match in the 68th minute when Brown’s short corner on the right found Cooney, and his cross into the edge of the six yard box was a good one. Tom Spearritt had pushed forward for the attack and was left with a free header that flew over Robertson’s bar from six yards out. A let off for Salford, but six minutes later they gave themselves some breathing space courtesy of another set piece. Lee Neville swung in a free-kick from the left flank and McCartney demonstrated the art of heading by guiding a six yard effort past a helpless Paxton to double Salford’s lead. City were playing some good football at this stage, with their three man central midfield taking a grip on the middle of the park and the two wingers stretching the Prescot defence. Two minutes after that second goal Mulholland and Buckley swapped passes from a right flank corner and the former played a low cross into the box that Giggs almost managed to nudge past Paxton. Salford were looking comfortable as the match entered its final stages, and Alex Kemp and Barry Massay replaced Buckley and Giggs. Prescot hadn’t given up though, and a quick breakaway following a couple of City corners ended with a shot that flashed narrowly wide of Robertson’s right hand post. There were four minutes of time added on, and we were in the third of these when Prescot were awarded a penalty. A flurry of attacking play ended when Dave Neville (I think) was penalised for tripping Cooney (I think) on the edge of the box and the referee rather harshly awarded a spot-kick. Substitute Phil Green stepped up to slam the ball straight down the middle and suddenly Salford weren’t so comfortable any more. Cables pressed forward with purpose and almost worked a way through a couple of times as Salford’s travelling supporters began to fear the most unlikely of comebacks. Any such worries were proved groundless a full five minutes into injury time after Salford had successfully cleared their lines. Substitute Massay picked up possession and played Mulholland clear with a great pass that split the Cables defence wide open. Salford’s nippy winger headed for goal, and sidestepped the advancing Liptrot before being tripped by the stand-in keeper. Mulholland gamely tried to keep his feet in an attempt to claim the open goal for himself, but gravity won that tussle and the referee duly awarded the penalty. Liptrot became the second Cables keeper to see red this evening and Dave Neville sent the second stand-in the wrong way to secure a 3-1 win for the Ammies. The first sending off was undoubtedly the turning point in this one, but there can be no real arguments over the validity of the referee’s decisions. Those are the rules of the modern game, and on this occasion Salford were the beneficiaries. Darren Quick may be a little concerned at the way Prescot almost fought their way back into the match, but ten man sides are notoriously awkward to play against and in the end City did enough. Particularly pleasing was the largely solid defensive display that almost secured a rare clean sheet, and the impressive performance of the midfield who to a man performed their roles well in a hard fought encounter. Giggs gave his all upfront and claimed his thirteenth goal of an impressive season, and Salford have suffered too much misfortune this season to feel too guilty about any good fortune they enjoyed in this one. A good win, and one that makes a push for respectability a more realistic prospect than a serious struggle against the drop. That’s certainly progress, and Ammies fans will look forward to more wins as this season reaches it busy end. Job well done for Salford. TEAMS : PRESCOT CABLES : 1) Andy Paxton (sent off 50th min) 2) Tom Spearritt 3) John Riley 4) Kristian Liptrot 5) Rob McIntosh (c) 6) Lee Smith 7) Phil Cooney 8) Dale Wright 9) Karl Brown 10) Jamie McCulloch 11) John Couch 12) Phil Green (for Brown, 68th min) 14) Che Morgan 15) Steve Williams 16) Tim Ojapah (for Wright, 25th min) 17) Chris McGann SALFORD CITY : 1) Andy Robertson 2) Craig Buckley 3) Alex Mortimer 4) Darren Hockenhull 5) Billy McCartney 6) Martyn Andrews 7) Astley Mulholland 8) Dave Neville 9) Rhodri Giggs (c) 10) Gareth Thomas 11) Lee Neville 12) Jamie Bates 14) Alex Kemp (for Buckley, 79th min) 15) Graham Vaughan 16) Barry Massay (for Giggs, 83rd min) 17) Anthony Hogan Attendance : 161
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