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Reserves Win Against New Mills

Goals from Charlie Doyle and Josh Smethurst saw the reserves beat New Mills at Nicholls. A strike from Deren Bozkurt gave the visitors hope as they chased the game late on but it was only a consolation as the reds won 2-1.

The visitors started well although early free kicks from Michael Crosby were dealt with comfortably, then FC United got into their stride. Dean Hope, working well in midfield found Shawcross on the edge of the box on five minutes, the striker wriggling into space hit a shot that was deflected for a corner. The game settled down for ten minutes until Chris Hill was denied, taking the ball on from Keenan Tuck his chipped shot looked destined for the top corner until it was turned over by Callum Firth in the New Mills goal.

FC United took the lead with their next attack in the 19th minute; Shawcross took a ball on the left wing and ran in to play a ball across goal and found Doyle at the far post. New Mills had a chance to equalise three minutes later when Andrew Ramwell found space to shoot. Ben Jupp blocked the shot and Nia Bayunu completed the clearance.

For the next five miutes or so the ball was quickly swept from end to end, Shawcross was close to controlling a clearance from Jupp before the ball ran through to Firth, then Ross Needham was off target with a free header from a New Mills corner. For the rest of the half the visitors pressed for an equaliser, coming closest when a header from a corner was cleared off the line; that said the half closed with a Shawcross effort just wide.

FC United started the second half brightly and had the ball in the net on 50 minutes. Shawcross finishing a cross from Tuck but sadly the latter was adjudged to have been offside at the start of the move. A second goal was not long coming, controlling a Jupp clearance on half way, Hill strode forward through the middle and chipped the ball over Firth towards the goal. It would probably have gone in but a finishing touch by Smethurst, following the ball in made sure the Millers defence couldn’t clear it.

It seemed as if that would be enough to win the game but a double substitution for New Mills created problems for the home defence and Bozkurt had a number of breaks through the middle. Some efforts blocked by Jupp but inevitably one was converted in the 61st minute.

It was then lesson learned and although the visitors huffed and puffed an equaliser never came. Indeed FC United pressing in search of a third goal seemed more likely to score. A Zachary Cooper free kick wa saved by Firth and a neat exchange between Doyle and Hope from a throw in saw a shot from the latter flash wide. Efforts from Shawcross, Hope and Magnone were just off target.

That said, with ten minutes to go a New Mills free kick from just inside the home half found a player in space who really should have done better with a header which drifted wide after 82 minutes. From then on the game drifted to a close, FC United taking the points and strengthening their position at the top of the table. At the time of writing they are seven points ahead of Lancaster having played three games more, Lancaster are due in Manchester in April.

FC United of Manchester: 1. Ben Jupp 2. Charlie Doyle 3. Scott Cheetham 4. Zachary Cooper 5. Nathan Chorlton 6. Nia Bayunu 7. Keenan Tuck 8. Chris Hill 9. Jake Shawcross 10. Dean Hope 11. Josh Smethurst Substitutes: 12. Leo Magnone (for 11, 65 mins) 14. Jordan Rutter 15. Jacob Holt 16. Toby Wright (for 9, 90 mins) 17. Lee Green (for 7, 79 mins).

New Mills: 1. Callum Firth 2. Harry Rippon 3. Phil Etchels 4. Ben Losel 6. Daniel Jackson 7. Andrew Ramwell 8. Michael Crosby 9. Deren Bozkurt 10. Ross Needham 11. Sean Stanton Substitutes: 12. Anthony Williamson 14. Adam Morgan 15. Jack Emerson 16. Jacob Kelly 17. Keane McDonald.



First Posted ~ 12:25 Sun 1 Mar 2015
News ID ~ 6053
Last Updated ~ 01:52 Tue 16 Feb 2021