Stafford Rangers 1 Nuneaton Town 2
Blue Square Bet North
At: Marston Road
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Admission: £13; Programme: £2 (44 pages)
Mileage: 11.6 miles (longer route than normal)
Weather: rain
Attendance: 529
Duration: first-half: 45:36; second-half: 46:34
The local weather forecast that suggested either ‘rain’ or ‘heavy rain’ for this afternoon made the sensible destination today one with covered standing or seating. And Stafford Rangers’ home game with Blue Square Bet North leaders Nuneaton Town was the logical choice, especially in these days of sky-high petrol prices (125.9p per litre at Shell near Marston Road). Ettingshall Park Farm and Penkridge will have to wait for a drier afternoon.
Last time I was at Marston Road (0-2 defeat against AFC Telford United), Matt Elliott was in charge for what turned out to be his only game as Caretaker Manager before he was appointed as Tim Flowers’ replacement. His impact since the Telford game has been to end the goal drought with eight goals in the last four games with the only reward being a much-needed victory and three defeats.
Elliott’s men (13 points from 23 games) needed three points today as they went into this fixture, in the relegation zone in 20th position and six-points behind 19th-placed Hyde. But to do so they would need to defeat the league leaders (51 points from 24 games) sitting three points clear of Guiseley, just as Hyde surprisingly did 11 days ago at Triton Showers Community Arena (aka Liberty Way the home of Nuneaton Town).
The arrival of Nuneaton Town, former from the ashes from the former Nuneaton Borough though still nicknamed ‘Boro’, brought popular keeper Danny Alcock back to Marston Road. He was returning to league action after a one-match ban for his red card at Harrogate Town last month. Stuart Pierpoint was another returning old boy, though I never saw him in a Stafford shirt – nor did I today either in one of Nuneaton’s pink shirts.
Heavy rain in the hours before kick-off left the pitch ‘heavy’.
With floodlights on from the start, my thought when the visitors got the game under way attacking the Social Club end was that if Hyde can defeat Nuneaton away from home, then Stafford could do so at Marston Road.
Disaster struck for Stafford after just 202 seconds. A poor clearance by skipper for the day Andre Francis ended up at the feet of Kyle Storer who sent a deep inch-perfect diagonal ball forward into the Rangers area. It fell invitingly for unmarked Simon Forsdick to volley past Evans into the far bottom right corner of the net. 1-0 down in the fourth minute.
Rangers could have quickly levelled things up. Ben Mills pulled the ball back to Shane Benjamin on the edge of the area who couldn’t keep his well-struck shot down.
A heavy tackle in the 15th minute by Martyn Naylor on Mark Noon, forced the Nuneaton skipper out of the game and Kyle Storer took over the armband.
Rob Oddy sent a 25-yard shot flashing past the Rangers goal midway through the half. Almost 2-0 to the visitors.
There was hope for Stafford as the interval approached. A ball forward into the Nuneaton area fell to Danny Edwards. He couldn’t get in a shot but Mills saw his effort blocked by a defender. The ball was cleared and crossed back in to the area for Benjamin to head well wide. Benjamin had the ball in the back of the net in the 40th minute though the flag for offside was already raised when Mills set up the chance. Francis surged forward and slipped a pass to the feet of Edwards, in the area on the left who fired against the bar.
Despite this flurry of chances, Nuneaton dominated the first half and Rangers struggled to make an impact up front on what was becoming an increasingly muddy pitch.
Harry Shaw came up to the PA box at half time to give the winning number in the ‘Golden Gamble’ draw and also the attendance, which was 529. During the interval Levi Reid, suspended today along with Craig McAughtrie, received an award to mark his 100th appearance for the club.
As if to uncannily mark Groundhog Day (celebrated in the USA and Canada three days ago), Nuneaton scored in the fourth minute of the second half, just as they had done an hour earlier in the first half. James Armson fed Oddy who got to the right bye-line and crossed for Justin Marsden to head home.
As the second half wore on, there was little sign of a goal for Stafford. Behind me in the stand, the match sponsors started to deliberate on which Rangers player to select as ‘Man of the Match’. Francis was the popular choice though one of the group commented that it was ‘hard to pick one when the side is 2-0 down’.
Evans kept his side in with a sniff of gaining an unlikely point. The keeper reacted to push over a deflected shot from Armson.
The save took on some significant in the 87th minute. Substitute Tyree Clarke latched onto a ball down the right and hit a deep cross towards the far left post. Another replacement Tom Moss got in an initial shot that Alcock blocked on the line and Moss, himself, forced home the loose ball.
Hope for Stafford may be but, in reality, merely a consolation goal as the referee added barely a minute of stoppage time to try and secure an equaliser. And the Man of the Match was… Andre Francis for, in my opinion, his tireless effort and enthusiasm.
The defeat left Stafford firmly rooted in the relegation zone and now one point further away from safety than they were at 3 pm. Third-from-bottom Hyde moved up a place after winning 1-0 at bottom side Redditch United, who visit Marston Road on Saturday. So, 20th-placed Stafford are now seven points off safety and Gloucester, who now occupy 19th place, have no fewer than five games in hand on Matt Elliott's men.
So, for the fourth consecutive Saturday, my car hasn’t been more than four miles from home, though for two of them I was a lot further from home myself!
Stafford Rangers (black and white stripes / black / black): 1. Lee Evans, 2. Martyn Naylor, 3. Mark Dudley, 4. Jermaine Johnson, 5. Ashley Wooliscroft, 6. Andre Francis (capt), 7. Marco Adaggio (15 Tom Moss 79m), 8. Niall Maguire, 9. Shane Benjamin, 10. Ben Mills, 11. Danny Edwards. Subs: 12. Tyree Clarke (for Mills, 70), 14. Alex Forde (for Naylor, 85), 15. Tom Moss (for Adaggio, 80), 16. Danny Campbell (not used), 17gk. Tom Turner (not used).
Nuneaton Town (pink/blue/blue): 1. Danny Alcock, 2. Rob Oddy, 3. Simon Forsdick, 4. Mark Noon (capt), 5. Gareth Dean, 6. Danny Spencer, 7. Adam Walker, 8. Kyle Storer, 9. Justin Marsden, 10. Lee Moore, 11. Guy Hadland. Subs: 12. Chris Dillon (for Moore, 76), 14. Eddie Nisevic (not used), 15. Robbie Burns (for Oddy, 83), 16. James Armson (for Noon, 19), 17. Cyrus Christie (not used).
Referee: Matthew Wilkes (Dudley).
Assistants: Dimitru Cheosiaua (Redditch) and Phillip Hardisty (Sedgley)
Goals:
0-1 Simon Forsdick (4)
0-2 Justin Marsden (49)
1-2 Tom Moss (87)
Cards:
Stafford: Niall Maguire (YC, 20), Jermaine Johnson (85)
Nuneaton: Gareth Dean (YC, 64)
