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   Clitheroe 2, Salford City 0
By Andy Giblin
UNIBOND LEAGUE FIRST DIVISION NORTH CLITHEROE KIDS TAKE THE POINTS In the end this was to be a fairly clear cut win for Clitheroe, but the match could well have turned out differently if Salford had made the most of some early opportunities in front of goal. Not the best of perfomances though, and City really do need to develop more attacking threat if real progress is to be made. Unexpected 3-1 wins for both Harrogate Railway Athletic and Rossendale United mean that the Ammies cannot yet relax their efforts to draw clear of the division’s basement. Salford adopted the 4-5-1 formation that eventually served them well at Prescot on Tuesday, although Gareth Thomas started today at right back with Craig Buckley swapping into central midfield. New faces Bobby Jones and Kiefer Greig took their places on the bench, but otherwise it was a case of ‘as you were’ for the Ammies. The early stages were very encouraging for Salford, and they very nearly took the lead before a full minute had been played. Rhodri Giggs picked up possession inside the Clitheroe half and on the right before playing an incisive cross-field ball that released Lee Neville into the box. The left winger’s fierce shot cannoned into Blues keeper Danny Hanford and out for a corner, and a great early chance to nick the lead had been spurned. The Ammies were by no means discouraged and continued to look lively when in possession of the ball. Nevertheless it was a route one approach that provided their next chance when with five minutes on the clock keeper Andy Robertson launched a long ball into the Clitheroe half. Giggs had anticipated well and broke clear of the defence but the ball refused to sit up for him inside the area, and after being closed down by Hanford the Salford top scorer could only prod the chance wide for a goal-kick. Clitheroe showed a first glimpse of their own attacking credentials in the next minute when Louis Mayer nicked the ball away from Craig Buckley outside the Salford box and his shot on goal was blocked. The rebound fell nicely for Gavin Lee Ellison but the ex-Leigh man’s low 22 yard effort bobbled wide of the diving Robertson’s left hand post. City were soon back on the offensive, and an intelligent first time lobbed pass from Martyn Andrews sent Giggs clear on the right flank. With team-mates arriving in the box and the Clitheroe defence looking stretched Giggs could only direct his cross into the arms of Wales Under 19 international Hanford and the chance was again lost. The match had got off to an entertaining start, and it was the home side’s turn to press again in the 9th minute. Striker Louis Mayer broke clear on the left flank and his inviting low ball across the box just evaded the inrushing Nathan Taylor who would have had a clear sight of goal. Right winger Zach Clarke has a history of causing problems for Salford and three minutes later he used the eccentric Shawbridge slope to bundle past Alex Mortimer on the right before heading for the line. The low cross was a good one, but Gareth Thomas got to it before Taylor, although the City right back was forced to concede a corner. A somewhat breathless start, but the game began to settle a little as the action was confined to the midfield for a while. City were still looking neat, but their forays into Clitheroe territory were perhaps growing fewer. Nevertheless the defence seemed comfortable enough when the Blues tried to exert some pressure and the signs were still quite good for the Ammies. In the 26th minute a rare mistake from the usually solid and composed Billy McCartney almost gifted Clitheroe a goal. The City centre-half dwelt too long in possession outside his own box and the alert Mayer nipped in to steal the ball away. With the goal opening in front of him Mayer pulled the trigger from 15 yards but Robertson did well to push the fierce rising shot over his crossbar. That chance seemed to spur the Blues on, and gradually Salford were forced onto the back foot as Clitheroe used pace and width to apply considerable pressure on the City penalty area. Worryingly Giggs was beginning to look isolated up front as Lee Neville and Astley Mulholland were forced to drop deeper as the home side cranked the pressure up. It did look as if the Salford defence largely had the measure of their opponents at first, but a fifteen minute spell leading up to half time saw that delicate balance shift considerably. In the 31st minute the Blues really should have taken the lead when Taylor latched onto a pass into the area, and from the left nudged the ball past Robertson. That effort was badly directed and drifted well wide of the keeper’s left hand post but Taylor continued his run and was able to reclaim possession before the ball went out of play. This time he picked out his skipper on the edge of the box and Jason Jones’ low shot wasn’t too far outside Robertson’s left hand post. Clitheroe continued to probe for openings and five minutes later they succeeded in unlocking Salford’s defence. Clarke picked up the ball inside the Clitheroe half before embarking upon a driving run that took him almost to the edge of the Salford box. The winger flicked a pass out right where Taylor was advancing on goal, but his powerful low shot came back off Robertson’s legs. Taylor was the first to get to the loose ball, and from almost on the dead ball line he zipped a low pass into the Salford six yard box. The ball evaded a cluster of City defenders and Mayer was on hand just inside the far post to stoop and nod home from very close range. The Ammies looked a little ragged in the aftermath of that goal and Clitheroe were certainly in the mood to take advantage. Five minutes after Mayer’s goal Clarke was again the instigator as he advanced up the right flank, swapping passes with Danny Williams as he went. The ex-Rossendale man curled a cross towards the far post where Mayer did well to nod the ball back into the danger area from almost on the line, and skipper Jones was hand to flick a neat finish across Robertson and into the net. After a bright start and a spell of determined defending Salford were now in deep trouble, and went looking for a goal to pull themselves back into contention before the break. Their efforts were largely in vain as the early uncertainty that had affected the Clitheroe defence had long since been banished. A chance did arrive in the last minute of the half after a long ball from Thomas came off Giggs on the edge of the box but Dave Neville’s 20 yard snap shot flew over Hanford’s bar. The whistle went soon afterwards, and the Ammies trooped off to the dressing room well aware that they were up against it in this one. HALF TIME : CLITHEROE 2 SALFORD CITY 0 Chairman Darren Quick and Mark Molyneux have assumed managerial duties until the end of the season following the recent improvement in results and performances. Unsurprisingly the duo decided to make a half time change here and Buckley was replaced by promising young defender Alex Kemp. Thomas was moved forward into midfield to make use of his tenacity and hard-work in the centre of the park whilst Kemp took over the right back role. City spent the first few minutes of the second half knocking the ball around nicely whilst not managing to make any impact on the Clitheroe goal. In the 49th minute the Blues adopted a more straightforward approach and a quick break ended when Williams burst into the Salford box on the left. His shot was powerful, but lacked direction and flew a yard or so outside Robertson’s right hand post. The Ammies almost found a way back into the match two minutes later when they won a rare corner. Lee Neville’s delivery from the right was a good one and Mulholland almost managed to apply a finishing touch before Hanford made the claim. One of Clitheroe’s strengths is their ability to move the ball forward quickly and accurately, and this quality almost gave them a third goal in the 54th minute. The ball was worked out to Taylor on the left, and his cross to the far post found the head of Mayer but the effort flew over Robertson’s bar. Two minutes later a long punt out of defence was cleverly flicked on by Dave Neville, and for a second younger brother Lee seemed to have got clear of the Clitheroe defence. However Blues centre half Simon Garner showed an impressive turn of pace to muscle his way to the ball and the first signs of Salford’s frustration began to show as Lee Neville conceded a free-kick. The second half had brought a slight improvement from the Ammies, and Dave Neville was now providing Giggs with some support up front. Thomas was chasing everything in midfield and Kemp was looking decent at the back, but chances were still not appearing and Hanford had disappointingly little to do. At the other end Robertson was having a far less leisurely time and did well on an afternoon when not many of his team mates managed to shine. Clitheroe continued to look much more threatening going forward, and in the 63rd minute burly substitute Alan Coar did well to flick a header into the path of Mayer. He sprinted away up the left before launching a cross into the box that Ellison just failed to make contact with. Another Blues substitute initiated the next attack two minutes later when Mitch Bailey’s through ball sent Coar goalwards. He held off McCartney’s challenge before trying his luck from the edge of the box only for Robertson to deflect the ball clear. In the 69th minute Williams curled a corner in from the right, and the ball bounced off the top of the Salford bar and out for a goal-kick. The Ammies made a double change with 20 minutes left when wingers Mulholland and Lee Neville were withdrawn in favour of Bobby Jones and Kiefer Grey. Jones took a berth in midfield, with Thomas pushing out to the right whilst Grey went up front alongside Giggs. For a little while Salford perked up, with Grey in particular looking capable of making something happen. Unfortunately for the Ammies however, very little did in an attacking sense and Clitheroe continued to look the more likely side. As the game entered its final quarter of an hour City began to pick up a few bookings with Giggs, Kemp and Greig joining Thomas in the referee’s notebook as frustration became increasingly apparent. There seemed little way back for Salford in all honesty and with ten minutes left Clitheroe’s Jones tried an overhead kick from fifteen yards out that wasn’t too far over Robertson’s crossbar. In the 86th minute the home side constructed another good move involving Clarke, Joe Roberts and Jones before the latter’s powerful goal bound shot from 20 yards was blocked by a Salford defender. Substitute Bobby Jones was shown the yellow card in the final minute for a slightly cynical challenge on the impressive Clarke, and the final chance of the match came three minutes later. Clitheroe left back Conor Kavanagh cut in from the left and rode a couple of challenges before slamming an 18 yard shot over the bar. That was about it, and the three points deservedly went to today’s hosts. Salford will wonder if those early chances might have changed the course of the game but in truth they didn’t do nearly enough in front of goal over the full ninety minutes. There were some hardworking performances for the Ammies but it will need more than endeavour to prise a reward from opponents of this standard. Not that Clitheroe looked like world-beaters, but they were quick to break forward, had width and physical presence up front and that was more than enough today. City were a little lucky not to come away nursing a heavier defeat, and a more clinical side might well have enjoyed a field day. One to write off today for City, but with results going against them elsewhere Tuesday night’s game at home to Harrogate Railway Athletic takes on more significance. A good performance and a win from that one would boost confidence and provide a platform to finish the season on a high note. CLITHEROE 1) Danny Hanford 2) Liam McManus 3) Conor Kavanagh 4) Ryan Fisher 5) Simon Garner 6) Jason Jones (c) 7) Zach Clarke 8) Gavin Lee Ellison 9) Louis Mayer 10) Nathan Taylor 11) Danny Williams 12) Kevin Brown 14) Mitch Bailey (for Ellison, 64th min) 15) Alan Coar (for Taylor, 59th min) 16) Joe Roberts (for Mayer, 79th min) 17) Konstantin Televinov SALFORD CITY : 1) Andy Robertson 2) Gareth Thomas 3) Alex Mortimer 4) Darren Hockenhull 5) Billy McCartney 6) Martyn Andrews 7) Astley Mulholland 8) Dave Neville 9) Rhodri Giggs 10) Craig Buckley 11) Lee Neville 12) Bobby Jones (for Lee Neville, 70th min) 14) Barry Massay 15) Kiefer Greig (for Mulholland, 70th min) 16) Alex Kemp (for Buckley, half time) 17) Graham Vaughan Attendance : 287 Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. 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