ATHERTON Collieries battled to a memorable 1-0 win over Greater Manchester rivals FC United of Manchester in a closely-fought contest at the Skuna Stadium.
Snowfall over the weekend and heavy rain throughout the game set up a fiesty clash in difficult conditions, with Jay Fitzmartin’s first half free-kick proving to be the difference for Brad Cooke’s side. To the visitors’ credit they pushed Colls all the way, despite being reduced to ten men in the second half.
Four changes to the Colls line-up saw Clive Smith, Gaz Peet, Oli Brown and Ben Hardcastle return to the side, the black and whites starting the game on the front foot with captain Danny Lafferty’s header forcing Dan Lavercombe into an early save down at his near post.
Jay Fitzmartin gave a glimpse of things to come with a free-kick that dipped narrowly over the bar, before Jack Lenehan saw an effort well-blocked from close range. Injury saw Colls forced into an early change when battling defender Luca Defreitas-Hansen was forced to make way for Marcus Cusani.
A clumsy trip on Jack Lenehan on the edge of the area set up another deadball opportunity for Jay Fitzmartin and this time the winger made no mistake, curling a superb effort around the wall and into bottom the right-hand corner, earning a booking for removing his shirt in the celebrations.
FC United grew into the game as the half wore on with Mackenzie Chapman called into action to tip Keegan Hartley’s long-range drive over the crossbar. Tempers frayed before the half-time whistle as Oli Brown escaped with a yellow card after a hefty challenge on Matt Van Wyk down by the touchline.
The game reached a flashpoint after the break with half-time subsitute Faz Sanagre receiving an early bath for kicking out at Marcus Cusani in front of the dugouts. The resulting fraccas saw heated exchanges between both sets of players and staff, with Danny Lafferty earning himself a booking in the process.
Despite the man disadvantage, FC United dug in and made life difficult for the Colls following the red card. Jay Fitzmartin saw a great chance to put the game to bed after Bailey Thompson slipped him in on goal, but his effort was well-denied by the feet of Dan Lavercombe from close-range.
With the visitors pushing for an equaliser as the rain hammered down, Mackenzie Chapman once again proved dependable between the sticks, turning Luke Griffith’s swerving free-kick onto the woodwork. Colls continued to threaten on the counter, Arran Pettifer blazing over after a promising break-away.
Both sides saw chances in the dying stages, with Paul Ennis denied by the in-form Mackenzie Chapman in the Colls goal before Jay Fitzmartin saw a pair of one-on-one opportunities thwarted denied in the final seconds. Ultimately it was Colls day, as they claimed a valuable three points and a memorable home-and-away double over their Greater Manchester rivals.
On Saturday, the stripes visit Ashton United, ko 3pm,
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