Chadderton F.C Vs Castleton Gabriel’s

Just two days after the 4-1 defeat to Blackpool, Castleton would have to play an away fixture to rivals Chadderton F.C, On a very pristine pitch we would be treated to an excellent game but one that would finish with a 2-1 defeat for castleton Gabriels.

It was vital in the first half that Mathew Jackson and the still un-fit Dean Watkinson combined well in the centre of mid-field as this would be where most of the game would be played, plus with the speed of the Chadderton strikers the defence would have to be at their best.

Chances were few and far between in the first half, but in particular Carl Winstanley was at the forefront of any attacking play for Castleton, On one occasion Carl broke down the right wing and muscled past a Chadderton defender, swung a cross in that was met by the head of Christian Evans, only for the ball to sail over the bar. That was probably the best chance of the first half for Castleton other than a few long-range efforts that sailed over and around the goal. Chadderton took the lead mid-way through the first half in what would be regarded as another soft goal for Castleton. Chadderton ran down the right wing and again similar to Blackpool’s 4th goal, cut inside and slotted the ball into the back of the net. 1-0. Castleton had clearly improved their game but for a lapse in concentration but were still lacking a cutting edge upfront. The midfield partnership of Watkinson and Jackson was working well and there was an obvious weakness down Chadderton's left flank that hopefully Castleton could exploit in the second half. The first half was also marred with an ankle injury to skilful winger Nathan Eastmond that clearly disrupted the balance of play down the left flank.

The second half was much better from Castleton Gabriel’s, again there was a dogged fight in the centre of midfield, which Mathew Jackson coped well with, and with the power of Castleton’s defence, Chadderton were limited in their attacking play. Castleton again attempted to breach the goal with some long-range efforts, in particular Christian Evans unleashing a powerful 25-yard shot that was easily caught by the Chadderton keeper. Then out of the blue Chadderton scored a 2nd goal from a counter attack. Paul Ashton received the ball around the half way line and ran the rest to slot home an excellent individual effort. His pace was too much for Castleton’s defence, even when 3 defenders were hounding him. This was a catalyst for a Castleton fight back. A change of formation to 3-5-2 with Michael Ward moving into midfield worked very well. Some neat touches and some long-range efforts seemed to boost the confidence of the mostly quiet central defender. Carl Winstanley broke clear of the Chadderton defence and had a shot but the angle proved too acute for him. Graham Hicks also tried his best to provide the attackers with some ammunition…in particular a free kick from the left, which was met by a diving header, only for Chadderton’s keeper to comically push it away.

The break through was a scrappy goal, Brad Barrington played a ball into the box, which through a sea of bodies took a knock off a Chadderton defender and rolled into the back of the net. There was no time for celebrations as only 5 minutes remained on the clock so the ball was taken straight to the centre spot. With Chadderton obviously on the back foot and Castleton seeking an equaliser, Chadderton decided to throw 9 men in defence and leave a lone striker up-front, and in doing so prevented any chance of Castleton claiming an equaliser. The final whistle was eventually blown.

Another defeat for Castleton but many positives to take from an excellent game. The balance in midfield was restored with the return of Dean Watkinson, which allowed the defence to go back to full strength with Andrew Pheby returning to right back, and with a fit Nathan Eastmond on the left wing all that seems to be missing is the composure to put the ball in the back of the net. Hopefully we will see this against Ashton F.C on Saturday?