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FC United up to eighth with draw at Matlock - full report

FC United up to eighth with draw at Matlock - full reportFC United moved up to eighth in the Evo-Stik Premier Division with 0-0 draw at Matlock Town on Tuesday night.

The Reds recorded their seventh league draw of the season and managed to avoid a third consecutive defeat, but the performance would have been a disappointment to the players and coaching staff as the team stuttered and never really got going in the game.

Despite FC United holding advantage in terms of league position it was the home team who came into the game as the form team and an organised defensive unit proved too difficult for the Reds to break down over the course of the match.

With the game being a little scrappy it’s not surprising that FC United’s best efforts came from scrappy exchanges in the box. A number of United players just couldn’t get the ball out of their feet with a close range effort being cleared off the Matlock line.

With a strong defensive unit against them and a big chunk of possession over the course of the game, Karl Marginson’s side often looked to have a crack from outside the box, with Joe Fox and Andy Welsh going close but never troubling the home goalkeeper.

The second half continued in the same fashion with United going forward but finding the well organised defence too big a problem to solve and in all honesty the Reds showed a lack of any cutting edge or creativity in the final third that would break the deadlock.

The domination in terms of possession was not reflected in goal scoring opportunities and, despite another close range effort from Mike Norton being cleared midway through the second half, The Reds failed to create any clear cut opportunities that could have won the match.

There was a good shout for a penalty in the dying minutes as Scott Cheetham’s shot seemed to hit a defender’s arm, but it was a little close to the Matlock man for him to really do anything about it and would have been a little unfair on the home team.

In reflection a point on the road; at a ground where we don’t have the best record, is a good return. But FC United find themselves with no win in three games now and know that having four of the next five league games at home gives them an opportunity to kick on and improve our current league position.

Website man of the match: Luke Ashworth - In a game where FC United had a large chunk of possession and spent much of the game on the front foot, the back three stayed concentrated and stuffed out anything the home team attempted when going forward.

Report by Craig Phillips



First Posted ~ 23:26 Tue 21 Oct 2014
News ID ~ 5786
Last Updated ~ 16:00 Fri 19 Feb 2021