Two magic moments in a minute from Chris Robinson and Carl Grimshaw with 10 minutes of the game left gave Charnock a 2-1 win over Freckleton.
Charnock Richard 2 Freckleton 1
Saturday 13th February 2010, West Lancs Premier Division.
CHARNOCK RICHARD 2
FRECKLETON 1
Scorers : Robinson, C.Grimshaw.
TEAM: Kevin Baldwin, Damian Dashti, Andy Battersby, James Price, Phil Jackson, Alex Randell (David Prout 70), Andy Roberts, Jordan Wilson (John Sanderson 62) Chris Robinson, Liam Hayton, Carl Grimshaw. SUB (Not Used) Matt Mawdesley.
At 25 minutes to five on Saturday afternoon it appeared as if Charnock were heading for their third defeat in a row as they trailed to a Freckleton goal scored in first half injury time. The Villagers had only created one chance in the second half and it looked as if they were to pay the penalty of missing a series of golden scoring opportunities in the first half. Then two superb strikes in just over a minute completely changed the game and Charnock went on to collect the three points that their overall display had deserved.
The return of Damian Dashti, free from suspension at last, David Prout, Andy Battersby and Chris Robinson to the squad allowed manager Andy Westwell to boost his starting eleven. The unavailability of Jimmy King resulted in the team lining up in 3-5-2 formation with Liam Hayton reverting to his striking role. Dashti and Battersby came into the defence with Phil Jackson moving up into midfield. John Sanderson and Matt Mawdesley dropped to the bench alongside David Prout.
It was cold and cloudy when Charnock kicked off playing towards the Lane End. It was the Villagers who made all the early running and their pressure saw Carl Grimshaw played clear in the fifth minute, his shot had power rather than direction and it rebounded off the keeper straight to Liam Hayton but he hit his shot wide. It was an early let off for the visitors and there were plenty more to come. Only a minute later Freckleton trying to pass their way out of defence gave the ball to Robinson but with only the keeper to beat he shot wide. Charnock continued to have the majority of the possession although the visitors were full of running and with two strong central defenders who won most of the balls in the air they looked a far better side than their league position would suggest. There was another clear opportunity for Charnock to take the lead after 21 minutes with the Freckleton defence moving up Alex Randell sprung the offside trap and went clear only to hit his shot hopelessly wide as the keeper advanced. Alex Randell then had yet another great opportunity when the visitors’ defenders gifted him the ball but this time his shot hit the advancing keeper and spun wide. It was not all one way however, as Freckleton produced several quick raids but they failed to penetrate the home defence with, when necessary, Kevin Baldwin leaving his area to deal with the through balls. Randell on 33 minutes got to the bye line on the right of the penalty area and produced a low centre but Robinson failed to get a foot on the ball as it fizzed across the goalmouth. As often happens when one side have missed a number of chances the opposition goes down and scores and this was the case in the 46th minute. Three Charnock midfielders were beaten on the half way line, out on the left, and the resulting lack of cover gave Charlesworth the opportunity to shoot from distance and his drive dipped under the bar to give Freckleton the lead at the interval. It was the only shot that the visitors had on target all the game. In all honesty the game should have been out of sight by this stage with Charnock having improved their goal difference considerably.
The second half, initially, turned out to be a disappointment for the home supporters as Freckleton, obviously gaining confidence from their lead, produced a hardworking, hard fought performance to protect their slender advantage. They closed the home players down quickly and although theoretically Charnock had the numerical superiority in midfield it did not show with Freckleton picking up most of the loose balls in the centre of the park. Charnock failed to re-create their momentum of the first half and too many passes went astray. John Sanderson replaced Jordan Wilson and then when Alex Randell went down injured David Prout came on in his place. At last Grimshaw was set up with a free header immediately in front of goal but his downward header hit the keeper’s leg and bounce clear another golden opportunity missed. With only 10 minutes remaining Charnock had created just that one chance in the second half and it looked as if Freckleton were going to pick up three points and boost their chances of avoiding relegation. However, in the space of 90 seconds, the game was turned on it’s head, firstly, Prout fed CHRIS ROBINSON who got the better of the full back and fired a powerful shot into the net from 15 yards. Almost immediately CARL GRIMSHAW from almost the same position held off a defender to fire another lethal shot past the keeper and suddenly Charnock were in the lead. It should then have been 3-1 when Grimshaw headed a Hayton centre home but the referee disallowed the goal for a foul on the keeper, a very dubious decision, as it appeared to be the keeper jumping onto Grimshaw rather than the other way around. Charnock were now rampant as the visitors obviously were shaken by the amazing turnaround in the game and they maintained their pressure on the opposing defence to collect all three points.
Another game that Charnock, with all their neat football, should have won at a canter but their failure to convert pressure into goals continues to dog their efforts to retain the league title.
