Chorley  v  Tamworth

Tue 20 Feb - 19:45 National League North

Chorley

1-0

Tamworth

Match Report

Saturday’s goalless daw with Hereford at Edgar Street extended The Lambs unbeaten run at the top of the Vanarama National League game to 13 games, and the cleansheet record stood at 898 minutes (9 games + 88 minutes) as The Lambs made the journey to Lancashire to take on 4^th placed Chorley.

After an afternoon downpour, a nervous pitch inspection an hour before kick off, and with no rain forecast, declared the game could go ahead at Victory Road as planned, and so Andy Peaks made xx changes to the side that ran out at the weekend with two changes as Munashe Sundire took the place of an injured Ben Milnes, and Dan Creaney returned after suspension for Nathan Tshikuna who took a place on the bench.

The Lambs kicked away from the clubhouse end of the ground in the first half and the Magpies got the game underway and a foul on Finn in the middle of the Chorley half on 2 gave him a freekick to Tonks which he drilled into the area but saw it headed away.
A long Tonks throw on 4 eventually fell to Finn on the edge of the area but he shot leaning back and found the terracing over the top of Dearney’s goal.
Sundire did well to shepherd the ball out away from danger on 6 but had to concede a corner in the process and Smith met it with an unmarked volley but like Finn put the ball high over the target.
Another Tonks missile was loaded on 9 but Dearney rose high at the near post to pluck it away from Creaney and Chorley broke up field. The ball stuck slightly as it was played around, and when Sundire lunged he was penalised for a foul as no advantage was forthcoming so Blakeman struck it but curled it away from the right hand post.
Then on 12, a long range shot from Johnson could only be pushed away by Singh at his far post and it was mopped up by Ubaezuono who finished with aplomb. (1-0, 12 mins / cleansheet record = 910 mins)
Chorley continued to press and a foul by Willets gave Maguire a sight of goal but he opted to float the ball into the box and Willets headed it away so Chorley loaded their own long throw into the box and Singh was forced to pluck it out of the air of the head of Sampson.
Creaney nearly got onto a pass through from Arlott-John on 28 but Dearney was quickest out of his area and from the throw, Johnson was released by the home defence and he sprinted into the right of the area and struck for goal, but failed to test Singh or hit the target.
A foul on Arlott-John eventually brought a booking for the Chorley man on 32, but not before The Lambs had attacked down the left and Cockerill-Mollet had forced Dearnley into a very good save low to his right.
Finn was able to get a header away after good work by Arlott-John down the left on 37 but it dropped onto the roof of the net and Creaney headed on target from a Dolman flick on from Tonks’ corner on 39 but Dearney pushed it onto the post and out.
From that corner it was headed behind for another, on the opposite side and Tonks ball ino was headed away at the near post but when it was whipped in again, another corner resulted and Tonks had another go from the left which the Chorley defence headed behind for another!
Tamworth continued to press, and Finn headed on target from 12 yards out with a looping effort over the defence, but it was tipped against the crossbar by the keeper and booted away and only when another Tonks throw was headed over the bar by Creaney on 42 did the home defence get some respite.
One minute added time was shown at the end of the first half, and the home side took their advantage into the dressing room.

HT 1-0

With National League TV broadcasting once again, Tamworth got the match back underway with areas of brown mud now clear through the green grass and it was Singh who was first in action as Sampson picked up a back heel from Johnson on 48 and parried his low shot before smothering it.
Sampson was penalised for a late challenge on Cockerill-Mollet in the centre-circle on 50 and told to keep his boots down by there referee, before Curley sent the deadball in and Willets headed it on only for Dearney to collect.
And Horbury himself on a booking, then clashed with Tonks in a similar position, leaving the Tamworth man needing treatment, and Curley’s long freekick into the box came to Deacon 18 yards out but his low strike was gathered by the keeper.
On 58, a flowing move out of midfield between Arlott-John, Tonks and Deacon ended when the latter tried a shot from 18 yards but he didn’t get it on target and Darney was happy to watch it go out.
Cockerill-Mollett took a ball to the head on the hour, and needed treatment on and off the field, and before he was replaced by Bullinane-Liburd, did that a foul by Donowa on Arlott-John earned him a booking and Tonks freekick was headed behind for a corner. The flagkick came in and Dolman’s header came agonisingly back off the crossbar for Sundire whose goalbound header was thwarted by Dearney as Creaney bore down on it.
Another corner resulted when Cullinane-Liburd’s cross was headed behind by Wilson on 66 and Finn went through down the left of the area on 68 but his low strike was denied by Dearney too.
Wreh replaced Deacon on 77 and The Lambs used the change to gain some yards upfield, with Tonks throw from the left causing problems, and Arlott-John’s low shot from the left somehow finding a way through to, but not past, Dearney.
At the other end, Calveley just missed a header from a corner on the right on 81, and from it, Tamworth countered but a foul from a Tonks throw halted play.
Finn made way for Tshikuna with 5 to play and Wreh picked up a booking after jumping for a header on 88 as the minutes ticked down into the first of four minutes added time.
Tonks launched the ball in from the right on 91 and Dearney made sure he kept hold of it under his crossbar and when he hit the floor.
Hazlehurst was booked for play acting in the corner try to get a foul, and then when the ball came back towards the box in the next move, Singh had to leave his area to head the danger away under pressure from Sampson, but it fell to Hazlehurst and his shot past the last man also sneaked past the right hand post and the home side kept the ball by the corner flag until the final whistle blew on a first defeat in 14 games, helped a little with the knowledge that Scunthorpe had also lost away, at South Shields.

TEAMS

Chorley
Dearney, Donowa, Wilson, Smith, Blakeman, Calveley, Maguire, Horbury (Glynn 64), Johnson (Hazlehurst 70), Sampson (c.), Ubaezuonu (Ellis 85)
Subs: Shenton, Henly
YC: Horbury 32, Donowa 62, Hazelhurst 90+4

Tamworth
Singh, Curley, Willets, Dolman, Cockerill-Mollett (Cullinane-Liburd 63), Sundire, Tonks, Finn (Tshikuna 85), Deacon (Deacon 77), Arlott-John, Creaney
Subs: Reily, Phillips
YC: Wreh 78

Referee: Mr. Gareth Thomas
Assistant: Mr. Mark Bates, Mr. Taylor Metcalf

Att: 655