8th September 2016 - Cheadle Town 1 v 2 Sandbach Utd - Cheadle Town are the side I go watching the most due to them being local and convenient. They are the side that frustrate me the most too, as many times in a season they seem to have the upper hand in a match, work their knackers off like fervent ants on acid and yet somehow conjure up a defeat from the most unlikeliest of circumstances - by heck they are almost masters of the art.
I was dropped off at the match tonight with my mate Tim, whom had no mid-week Man City match and decided to join me for some 'proper' football and not the affected version those overpaid tossers play at the top of the pyramid (good lad). He knows his footy onions at all levels though and over the years has done more than his bit for the lower end game so I can't moan about his Mancunian obsession (but I still do ha, ha). We got a beer apiece, took up our positions in the stands and awaited the first half whilst chatting about a variety of subjects as per - Planet of the Apes, politics, streaking, butterflies, travelling, Peter 'burnt out at 21' Barnes and such bollocks. Nowt wrong with a natter.
The match got underway on the dot and after the initial settling in period Sandbach gradually gained the upper boot with their attempts to play football on the deck and cultivate particular openings. Cheadle harried and hustled and just lacked a quality touch and an all round calmness much to the irritation of the yelling gaffer (poor bugger must be on more nerve pills than Salman Rushdie was in the 80's). Gradually though Cheadles work began to pay off and they took the game to the away team and seemed ready to create a definite chance - that is of course until they went 1 down on the 41st minute after a predictable breakaway and one on one situation that did the business. Now how the hell did they manage that? It was a good finish though and was much needed in a game that was becoming something of a stalemate. The final minutes were undramatic and a lot of head scratching by the home fans was had.
Tea, chinwagging and a leak - tis a hard life.
Segment 2 struck off and no sooner had the half-time talk sunk into the noggins of the Cheadle boys than they went two down after the goalie parried an undefendable cross only to land conveniently for the nut of an extra attacker to cutely squeeze home. Two down, the fight was on. As is the case Cheadle dig deep, they have a good spirit when their backs are against the vandalised wall and the game was upped and swayed ever so slightly. Sandbach did get the ball in the net twice more but both goals were disallowed and the game developed a pattern that saw the majority of play take place in the leading sides half. Sandbach slowly dropped deeper and built a rod for their own backs and after a kerfuffle in the box and an 89th minute goal was dragged back one did wonder if the Harry Houdini's of Division One would get out of another tight spot. Alas the time ticked by and the referee was in no mood to extend the game and as the whistle blew it was a case of too little too late.
A good game, Sandbach are a tidy team and if injected with a bit of pace when counter-attacking will be a real force to not take lightly. Man of the Match - well, for sheer control, an eye for spreading the play and one or two determined runs I reckon the No 6 (Tommy Watkin) for Sandbach deserves the nod.
FINAL THOUGHT - How Cheadle lose some of their games is most probably more difficult to explain than the sex life of The Abominable Snowman, although I have heard the creature from the frozen wastes does get lucky sometimes. I think Cheadle will be OK though, a good hard-slogging side who get stuck in and grind out many decent results. As for Sandbach, well they are still a commodity unknown in some respects but on this evidence look more than capable at this level. I shall have to pay them a visit (any excuse)!
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