Droylsden F.C.-The bloods on the net!

NORTHWICH VICTORIA 3 - 3 DROYLSDEN

BLUE SQUARE PREMIER - Tuesday 14th August 2007

Report by Gary Owen

This rip-roaring encounter was a marvellous advertisement for Blue Square Premier football, and had Bloods' boss Dave Pace on a roller-coaster of emotions.

"It was disappointing to go two goals down, but we showed great character to not only draw level at 2-2, but to go ahead, only to lose the lead to a wonder goal – I don't think you'll ever see one like that again" he explained afterwards, referring to Vics' equaliser scored by centre half Michael Welsh from just inside the Droylsden half.

Prior to that, the Bloods had taken the game to their Cheshire hosts early on, and should have taken the lead, only for Andrew Murphy to smother the ball at the feet of Terry Fearns after just 3 minutes.

Hence, it was somewhat against the run of play that Northwich took the lead, but it was a lovely goal. Dina Maarmria back-heeled the ball into the path of Chris Williams, who danced around Craig Robinson before setting Paul Tait to slot under Paul Phillips.

Jamie McGuire then fouled Micahel Carr on the edge of the box, enabling Williams to curl a beauty of a free kick around the Bloods' wall on 17 minutes, and moments later Phillips pulled-off a super save from Maarmria's header at the far post as Vics finally began to exert themselves on the game.

However, around the half hour mark, Droylsden began to make inroads of their own. Chris Denham made his mark, giving Kevin Sharp the runaround, so much so that he was switched to midfield duties with Ryan Brown adopting the full back berth, but he fared little better against the Bloods' rampant winger.

McGuire's looping header from the edge of the box had Murphy back-peddling to tip over, which forced a succession of corners, from which Ged Murphy crossed for Colin Cryan to open his account for the Bloods with the deftest of headed touches to steer the ball over Murphy.

At the other end, Williams forced Phillips to tip over his piledriver, but in first half added time Droylsden struck level, when Denham cut inside two defenders to unleash a powerful left foot shot into the top corner.

The Bloods were out of the blocks quickest in the second half, trying to pick up where they had left off, and five minutes after the re-start, a McGuire pass found Denham, whose early ball picked-out Steve Daly. He turned and shot, beating Murphy, but the ball struck the upright.

However, just five minutes later, Droylsden took the lead when Murphy could only partly clear a Jamie Tandy corner kick and McGuire rifled through a ruck of players to notch his first for the club – likely to be one of many.

Then came Welsh's unbelievable strike on 59 minutes to make it 3-3, picking up possession from Daly to see Phillips yards off his line, and unleashing an amazing shot which flew over the Bloods' custodian and into the empty net from fully 40 yards.

Phillips then saved well at the feet of Maarmria and also from Michael Byrne and Michael Carr, before the latter saw a deflected shot fly inches wide, as the Vics looked to steal all three points.

Droylsden also had chances to snatch the win, though, notably through Robin Gibson, who elected to shoot after receiving Kevin Lynch's neat pass, which Murphy turned away for a corner, with Jody Banim crying out for a square pass, and Muprhy again denied Gibson with a brave save late on.

Bloods hearts were in their mouths with two minutes remaining, though, when Mark Hotte was adjudged to have fouled Jake Speight, who merely lost his balance, but the resultant free kick by Welsh struck the defensive wall, and claims of handball were waved away to leave the spoils shared.

Two games into the new season in the flight, and the Bloods remain undefeated, with 85 minutes of one of those encounters being played with only ten men, and the other being away from home, so all things considered it's not a bad start for the Butcher's Arms boys.

NORTHWICH: Murphy A., Rusk, Sharp (Speight, 57), Welsh, Birch, Strong (Byrne, 53), Carr, Brown, Maarmria, Tait, Williams.

Subs not used: Battersby, Wilson, Connett (G/K).

DROYLSDEN: Phillips, Hotte, Warner, Cryan, Robinson, Tandy, Murphy G. (Lynch, 72), McGuire, Fearns (Banim, 66), Daly, Denham (Gibson R., 80).

Subs not used: Blake, Senior (G/K).

ATTENDANCE: 821

REFEREE: Mr. P. Tierney (Lancashire)