Film Mill, Friday 19 April 2019, 3pm League 2.

Attendance 5177 with 107 from the Shrimps.

Roche Lavelle Old Sutton Mills Cranston Fleming Kenyon Mandeville Collins Bennett subs used Mingoia for Sutton 45, Conlan fro Kenyon 45, Oliver for Collins 71

Stags – Logan Benning Preston Pearce c Sweeney Bishop Mellis Walker Jones Hamilton Grant sub used Macdonald for Grant 71, Rose for Walker 77, Tomlinson for Bishop 80

Ref – Trevor Kettle, apart from two glaring error, by his own crap standard was relatively quiet. Booked Kenyon for a decent tackle on Bishop who rolled around like wounded dog, then spring top to take the free kick!!

Weather – cracking the flags, lovely day 20 degrees, pitch immaculate.

Sometimes, you have to put your hand up and say, this lot are good side and they outplayed us in every department, if it wasn’t for Baz being alert in goal it could have been 4 or 5 at half time. Today was such a day, chasing automatic promotion. the Stags were hungry, eager and on it from minute one.

We played our part, trying to match their 3-5-2 with a similar set up, we contained them, just, for half an hour, but Barry made three good saves in that time and we repelled four corners. Our play was neat and tidy but we seemed happy to pass backwards when pressed, and the Stags did a lot of pressing.

The dam broke on 30 minutes, Mellis found space on the edge of the box, with us all expecting a back post cross, he took a touch and hit a low shot through a crowd of players to open the scoring past a stranded Baz.

Then followed some concerted pressure with BAz pulling off a miraculous save from a Jones header just on half time to keep us in touching distance.

We switched to a back four as Conlan and Mingoia came on, and again it worked to stem the tide but we were not providing a threat as Bennet and Collins were isolated. As corner after corner was defended, there killer goal came from centre back Pearce, who turned neatly for big lad and smashed past an again unsighted Baz to relax the home team.

They turned on the style now and swarmed all over us. Hamilton was released, turned Old inside out in the box and smashed a shot  through Barrys legs three minutes later and the game was over as a contest.

Benning rubbed salt in the wound adding a 4th on 85 with a run and shot from outside the box, in truth it was no more than they deserved as they were rampant.

They do look a decent side, as good as footballing side as Bury with the harrying of Lincoln, and we were off colour. With results going our way, we find ourselves getting hammered and get safe for another season, funny game football!!

Freez