More Merseyside misery for GNE

Glossop served up one of their most lacklustre performances of the season on Saturday to fall to a third defeat in four trips to Merseyside. 

In a game where Glossop were horribly mismatched at set pieces, two goals from corners, one by each of the South Liverpool fullbacks, who were both bigger than anything in the GNE lineup, proved the difference.

On a fresh afternoon, with the breeze coming in off the river Mersey a stone’s throw away, the home side started brightly.  

Jack Hopkins cleared one off the line on eleven minutes and moments later, from a resulting corner, a free header was well saved by Alex Brown.  

South Liverpool carried a threat down both flanks and a good move down the right, in behind Phil Perry, saw a cross flash across the GNE box but no one was able to get on the end of it.

Cue the maddening officiating moment of the game - Perry had sustained an injury in attempting to block the cross, an injury which would see his afternoon ended but not before he received a yellow card which the referee said was for not leaving the pitch, whilst he was waiting for treatment. 

South Liverpool played a very high line defensively in first half but sadly for GNE the midfielders too often delayed their passes too long meaning forward runs were offside and the huge expanse of space  could not be exploited. 

When it was, it led to the best chance of the half.  

Mialkowski, who had replaced Perry, timed his run well from deep down the left, he pulled the ball back to Gallagher whose in swinging right footed cross from the edge of the box found Keaton Mulvey, whose perfectly timed jump meant he got above his much taller marker and steered his header goalwards drawing a very smart reflex save to tip the ball onto the bar before a defender cleared to safety.

Three minutes before the break and the hosts were in front.  

Inexplicably midfielder Lee Rick, 20 yards from his own goal, back heeled the ball straight to a South Liverpool winger whose early cross was headed out for corner.  

The ensuing set piece saw a great reflex save from Brown but the ball fell to the hosts’ full back, Dominic Cain, who stabbed the ball home.  

Another half cleared corner stabbed home by an attacking player, dejavu from the previous match, and many other occasions this season as this really is something which has blighted Glossop throughout the campaign.

A goal behind at the break and many of the Glossop fans amongst the 121 in attendance were expecting a tactical change or two, but none were forthcoming.  

It seemed like the decision was a wise one and Glossop started the half with intensity.  

Mulvey was harshly flagged offside so his goal didn’t count and moments later a through ball found a well timed Bardsley run in the inside right channel, his lobbed effort with the outside of his left foot beat the goalkeeper but struck the post and a defender was on hand to clear, as opposed to a GNE forward to tap into an empty net.  

Straight afterwards good work down the left saw Mulvey drive a ball across the box but nobody could get on the end of it, the closest being Ollie Mackay at the far post.  

Unfortunately, despite a bright fifteen minute spell, 1-0 soon became 2-0 from the other fullback, Declan Gallagher, who towered above his marker to power a header into the goal from an in swinging corner from the South Liverpool left.  

GNE protested that the corner should not been taken as seconds earlier Gallagher had bundled his marker over but the referee didn’t determine the foul warranted a free kick to GNE so he allowed the corner and of course Gallagher did the rest.

A change from Richard Brodie to send Kyle Worsley on for Gallagher, allowed Djalo to move more central and within seconds it paid dividends.  

A great run from the winger who beat two men, including the tall powerful left back who had just doubled the home side’s lead and picked out good movement from Mulvey with his cross.  

For the second time in the game a header from the forward struck the crossbar, this time without the keeper’s intervention, and fell to safety for the home side to clear.  

So two goals down but GNE had hit the woodwork three times.  

From there, and with Glossop devoid of ideas, the home side did a good job of killing the game and seeing things out to claim the points.