Hillmen suffer back-to-back defeats

Glossop were on the wrong side of an entertaining seven-goal game on Saturday, succumbing to a 5-2 home defeat to a rampant mid-table AFC Liverpool side.

The loss compounded The Hillmen’s poor home record to 21 points from 21 games and meaning over 50% of the season’s home fixtures will end in defeat.

After a strong start from the visitors, ten minutes in GNE had what Richard Brodie argued was a turning point, it was certainly a pivotal moment in the game. 

Olly Parker carried the ball out of defence, played it cross field to Keaton Mulvey who, from just inside the opposition half, ran at the right back.

Having beaten him, and cut inside the covering midfielder he smashed a left footed shot across the goal and into the far corner for a spectacular opening goal. 

The assistant had adjudged that a late move into the area by GNE forward Reilly, had caught the eye of the goalkeeper, sufficiently to suggest that he had been distracted by the interference in his eye-line and that the goal should be ruled out for offside.

Seven minutes later however and GNE did hit the front. 

Quick feet from Abdul Djalo in the box saw him shift the ball from his right to his left, as he was fouled by Caleb Jones and the referee blew instantly to rightly award a spot kick. 

Up stepped forward Lew Reilly who drilled the ball into the bottom corner, past the keeper’s dive, to the correct side, and The Hillmen were in front.

The lead was very short lived however- five minutes later The Hillmen were 2-1 behind.

The first goal for the visitors came from an expertly taken right footed free kick by Caleb Jones from thirty yards out. 

Olly Parker gave away a needless foul, for the most marginal contact in the back of the AFC striker who was headed away from GNE’s goal. 

Not the first time this season he has committed such a needless foul and once again, as was the case four weeks ago in identical circumstances at Cheadle Town, The Hillmen were defending a free kick petty central thirty yards out. Once more they were punished. 

Jones’ free kick went to the goalkeeper’s side but Brown was rooted to the spot as the top corner was found. 

Two minutes later striker Elliot Taylor ran in behind Parker, drew Brown, squared to the left winger Paton, in acres of unmarked space, for a simple tap into an empty goal. 

He tried his best to miss but the scuffed effort crawled over the line to put the visitors in front.

As Brodie noted in his post match interview, the AFC goals in the second half, of which there were three, all came from mistakes or poor decisions which ended Glossop attacks. 

The first came after a bright opening to the half saw Glossop make a mess of a quickly taken free kick on fifty four minutes. 

With central defenders Parker and Hopkins making their way forward for a delivery into the box the set piece was taken short, a deflected cross saw a bouncing ball completely defeat Hopkins on the edge of the AFC Liverpool box and three passes later a swift counter attack resulted in a smart finish from midfielder Daniel Mahaffy to double the visitors’ lead. 

AFC broke down their left, turned McKay inside and out and found the midfielder unmarked in support of the counter attack to finish one on one past Brown.

A similar break and a carbon copy result put the visitors four-one ahead shortly after as Mahaffy’s replacement Cameron Rooney found a smart finish from the left side of the area after more good work down AFC’s left. 

Changes then came for GNE as players piled forward looking to get the home side back in the game, Bardsley on the left taking over from Mulvey, who had been moved more centrally, tormenting the replacement right back created a GNE consolation as his cross found Mulvey, his effort was blocked onto the post, but Mulvey found Djalo five yards out to fire home. 

Other opportunities came and went for Glossop, a Bardsley effort one on one was saved by the keeper’s kegs but the inevitable pacey, decisive counter attack from AFC Liverpool saw the excellent Jones with the freedom of most of SK13 down the visitors’ right, square the ball and GNE captain Parker compound a thoroughly miserable afternoon with the unenviable own goal.

A dejected group of players trudged from the field, in the rain, at full time, having conceded five at home for the first time this season. 

Glossop have only kept four clean sheets at home all season and mathematically are now certain to finish with fewer points from their home fixtures this season than those on their travels. 

Following the loss, Brodie questioned the commitment and mentality of his players, noting six or seven of them might as well have spent the second half in the bar, petering out with just five points from their last eight, all secured on the road.

Two weeks, rather than two days, to reflect on the current situation before a road trip to Squires Gate, Blackpool and consecutive home fixtures to end the season on Easter Saturday at home.