City and Warrington share points on glorious summer’s evening at Giant Axe

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Evo-Stik Northern Premier League

Lancaster City 2-2 Warrington Town

Clark 66, 90+3       Jerome 12

Hine 80

A late goal from Gavin Clark meant that Lancaster City shared the points with Warrington Town in their first home game of the season at Giant Axe. The visitors took the lead early on through Ruben Jerome. Clark cancelled out Jerome’s goal 20 minutes into the second half with a good effort from the left, before Josh Hine regained the away side’s lead with a preventable header. Gavin Clark then got his second of the game in the third minute of added time, with a brilliant effort to secure a point for Phil Brown’s side.

The first half was all Warrington’s as it was full of chances for the visitors. In the sixth and 11th minutes respectively, they had free kicks in very similar positions. The first one was headed wide on the end of it by James McCarten and the second forced keeper Chris Cheetham to tip Tony Gray’s header over the bar.

Moments later, the Cheshire side were in front through Ruben Jerome. Liam Hynes worked really well on the right to beat Gavin Clark and he played a cracking ball to Jerome, who was able to bury it past the home keeper with the defence not able to track his run.

Tony Gray nearly doubled the visitors’ lead in the 15th minute with a good-looking volley but it went wide of the mark. Lancaster defender Josh Westwood then had a lapse in concentration as he headed backwards and it nearly beat his keeper. Instead it went out for a corner.

Chances were few and far between for the next 20 minutes or so in the game until Josh Hine came close again. The winger cut in from the right-hand side after beating Clark with ease, and his shot forced a brilliant save from keeper Chris Cheetham to his right.

Warrington Town led 1-0 at half time.

Lancaster started the second half better than they did the first, but the half wasn’t without Warrington chances. Oliver Wood managed to get past ex-City keeper Tony McMillan with a lob two minutes in but it was covered by the visiting defence. Ruben Jerome then nearly doubled the visitors’ lead but it was cleared off the line by Gavin Clark, shortly before Wood was denied by the Warrington keeper to the left and the ball was cleared away.

Ten minutes later, Billy Akrigg’s attempt went over the bar but then in the 67th minute Lancaster had an equaliser coming from an unlikely source. Left-back Gavin Clark beat his man and then his long-range effort beat McMillan to his right.

Warrington were back in front around twenty minutes later through Josh Hine. The winger took advantage of the loose ball and headed past Cheetham – who was off his line.

New Lancaster shot-stopper Chris Cheetham appeared out of his box more than once, and he nearly conceded another goal as a result. Substitute Dylan Vassallo attempted to exploit the keeper’s vulnerability off his line, but his effort went over the bar.

Lancaster’s best chance without scoring came in the 84th minute. Billy Akrigg’s pinpoint corner reached the head of captain Ricky Mercer who could only head onto the post.

Phil Brown’s side piled on the pressure in the last five minutes of the game. Substitute Hannu Tam found himself one-on-one with McMillan in the 87th minute but he was prevented from taking a shot.

Gavin Clark headed over from a corner in the second minute of added time, but he made up for this later on with a brilliant goal. Similarly to his first goal, the former Morecambe trainee made a great run along the left flank before striking the ball brilliantly with his right-foot into the top-left corner to send the home support wild and grab a late point.

The result means that Lancaster move up to 5th ahead of their clash at home to Mickleover Sports on Saturday whilst Warrington are 4th ahead of their trip to Coalville.

Lancaster City: Cheetham, Steel, Westwood, Mercer(c), Clark, Wills, Winder, Akrigg, S Bailey (C Bailey 57), Harries (Tam 85), Wood (Kilifin 85).

Subs not used: Dugdale and Sumner

Warrington Town: McMillan, Richards, McCarten, Goulding, McKeown, Williams, Hine, Hynes (Vassallo 72), Hughes (Mwasile 63), Jerome, Gray (Barnes 54).

Subs not used: Ashcroft, Carden.

Attendance: 260

 

 

 

Z Clark Scores Four As Lancaster Thrash Ossett Albion

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Lancaster City 6-1 Ossett Albion

Z Clark 2, 61, 66, 82 Brunt 15
Akrigg 58
Langford 90

Lancaster won for the first time in nearly a month today with a big win against fellow play-off hopefuls Ossett Albion in a game full of goals, as the scoreline suggests.

Phil Brown’s side made an excellent start to the game, as Zach Clark found himself one-on-one with Brett Souter in the Ossett goal. His first shot was saved by the legs of the keeper, but he soon netted the rebound without much opposition from the Ossett defence.

Just minutes later the away side grew into the game and looked very impressive going forward, making some quick passes and playing some free-flowing football. They came very close to equalising in the 11th minute when young right-back Declan Dawson hit a powerful shot from around forty yards out, hitting the cross bar and bouncing out. It had all but beat Mike Hale in the Lancaster goal.

Four minutes after Dawson’s spectacular shot, Ossett got the equaliser they’d been looking0 for after Connor Brunt found space and slotted the ball past Mike Hale six yards out.

Zach Clark almost restored the lead of the home side but his 22nd minute shot went just wide. The remainder of the first half was very evenly matched with both sides having chances,  and consequently the two sides went in level at the break with it still all to play for in the second half.

City started the second half brightly, and had some early chances with Jacob Davis heading just over the bar following a Ryan Winder corner in the 52nd minute.

Five minutes later the home side took the lead for the second time of the day, after Billy Akrigg got past Ossett’s defence and rounded the keeper before slotting the ball into an open net.

Shortly afterwards City doubled their lead through striker Zach Clark, who shot from the left hand side just before going to ground.

The former Kendal man was looking hungry for goals, and got his hat trick in the 66th minute to extend the home side’s lead to three goals.

Clark wasn’t finished there though, as he found enough energy to score his fourth and Lancaster’s fifth of the game in the 82nd minute. Ossett struggled to contain the attacking threat that the striker posed for the majority of the game, and the body language of captain Danny South summed up Ossett’s day.

New signing Bobby Langford came on as a substitute and impressed in his first appearance for the Dolly Blues, scoring the final goal of the game in the 90th minute to give the City fans a good first impression.

Phil Brown’s side now sit in 9th, two points off the play-offs, and travel to Harrogate Railway next Saturday.

Lancaster City: Hale, Gregory, Marshall(c), Mercer (G Clark 44), Davis, Watson, Winder, Carney, Akrigg, Carlton (Langford 67), Z Clark (Shearwood 84).

Subs not used: Cummings and Rodgerson

Ossett Albion: Souter, Dawson, South (c), Nicholson,  Thompson, Sharry (Jones 69), Muller (Hardaker 59), Paylor, Matthews, Eyles (Bordman 74), Brunt.

Subs not used: Potter and Lyn

Booked: Dawson

Attendance: 222