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Ten man FC United slip to consecutive defeat at Stalybridge Celtic

FC United lost for a second time this week and once again finished the game with ten men as Nia Bayunu saw red for a challenge which resulted in the penalty that lead to the only goal in a 1-0 defeat at Stalybridge Celtic on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds were keen to get back to winning ways after they went down 4-0 at AFC Fylde on Tuesday evening with goalkeeper Dave Carnell was sent off. However, it was more a case of déja vu as Bayunu was sent off for a pulling Celtic’s Alex Johnson back in box and, much like Tuesday evening, the home team added a goal with the next kick.

The game itself was evenly contested throughout with FC struggling to create many clear cut chances over the course of 90 minutes, but despite going down to ten early in the second half they still looked like they could steal something right at the death.

United’s problem was a lack of creativity in the final third, with moves breaking down all too often and the home team winning the battle of the two midfields with the physical presence of Bohan Dixon proving a problem for the players in red.

The Reds came out for the second half much brighter and looked to have taken a more direct approach as Rory Fallon fired towards goal in the first few minutes showing a clear signal of intent from the away team.

But just moments later the game plan changed again as a ball over the top looking for Johnson was under hit by Bayunu causing confusion between himself and Carnell over who should come for the ball. As Johnson looked to pounce, Bayunu pulled him back giving away a penalty and being sent to the stands by the referee.

Celtic put themselves a goal to the good with Dixon converting the penalty with a coolly placed finish in the bottom left hand corner and from that point it was an uphill battle for the Reds.

The United goal lived a charmed life at periods of the second half with both Aiden Chippendale and Darius Osei hitting the post, before Chippendale looked like he had hit a perfect volley low towards goal only to be denied by a top drawer save from Carnell.

Unlike Tuesday evening, United were not out of the game and whilst the difference remained at a single goal it felt like the Reds were still in the game. The home team did well to restrict FC to long balls into the box or onto the flanks and some ‘old-fashioned’ defending as the balls came in saw Tom Greaves never really get into the game.

It will be a hard defeat to swallow for the players, especially against near neighbours both geographically and in the league table. The Reds are fast learning that this is a difficult league to get results in, especially when down to 10 men, as they have been four times already this season.

Website Man of the Match: Rory Fallon – No real standout performances but Fallon looked to have more of a cutting edge whenever he had the ball.

Report by Craig Phillips



First Posted ~ 15:02 Sun 20 Sep 2015
News ID ~ 6388
Last Updated ~ 00:47 Tue 16 Feb 2021