Weekend football round-up: Droylsden cement play-off place

Droylsden secured their place in the North West Counties (NWCFL) Division One North play-offs with a comprehensive 4-0 thrashing of Ashton Athletic on Saturday afternoon.

Dave Pace’s side were without Nellson Van after the forward jumped three divisions to sign for Hyde United, but it was midfield dynamo Harry Forshaw who opened the scoring from a corner to give the Bloods a deserved half-time lead. 

Fuad Kasali, George Kattah and full-back Harry Shipton all caused consternation in the Ashton backline, with the home side largely restricted to pot shots. 

The Bloods soon eased away after the break, with Tawab Djankpata converting a pass from debutant Dan McLaughlin - who joined the club midweek from Stockport Town – to make it 2-0. 

Djankpata came close with a drive from distance, but McLaughlin soon found himself on the scoresheet after a jet-heeled Kasali counterattack put the ball on a plate. 

Caelan Kilheeney rounded off the scoring with a late penalty to give the Butchers Arms outfit an unassailable cushion ahead of 6th-placed Darwen. 

Although Droylsden are five points behind leaders Nelson, they have a game in hand with four matches to play. 

It was a miserable day for the rest of our sides, though. 

Curzon Ashton player-manager Craig Mahon marked his 200th appearance for the club with an injury time red card in their 3-1 National League North defeat at Hereford, who leapfrogged the Nash into 6th place. 

The visitors – without suspended captain Jimmy Spencer - started the brighter with Alex Curran and Stefan Mols twice coming close to finding the net, while new Blackburn Rovers loanee Matty Litherland made a nuisance of himself attacking from deep. 

Hereford showed sparks of life through recent addition Remaye Campbell, who kept Bobby Jones honest between the sticks for Curzon and clattered the post from a header just before the break. 

There was still time for Tate Campbell, who scored in the Bulls’ 2-1 win at the Tameside Stadium earlier in the season, to clatter the crossbar with the final attack of the first half. 

The home side kept their momentum after the restart coming close with two efforts before Jaiden White volleyed the opening goal from the edge of the box on 56 minutes. 

Remaye Campbell delivered on his first half promise by doubling Hereford’s advantage ten minutes later when Curzon were caught out while trying to play out from the back. 

Mike Afuye gave Mahon’s side hope with an 82nd minute goal, heading home a Will Hayhurst cross to make it 2-1. 

However, Hereford soaked up Curzon’s late pressure and put gloss on the performance with an injury time goal from Yusifu Cessay. 

The result leaves the Nash in 8th place, but with two games in hand on most of the teams above them. 

In the Northern Premier League (NPL) both Ashton United and Hyde United took early leads only to slip to defeat. 

Ashton are now six games without a win after a 3-1 reversal at Leek Town. 

Darius Osei gave the Robins a 10th minute lead, heading home an Al Byrne cross from close range for his 20th goal of the season. 

The home side battled back, though, with Alex Hurst converting a contentious penalty on 35 minutes following a Sean Newton foul to put the sides level at the break. 

Steve Cunningham’s side changed to a back three with the introduction of Matty Waters on the hour but conceded almost immediately courtesy of Hurst’s second goal. 

Despite bringing on the cavalry in the shape of Jason Gilchrist, Don Chimalilo and Tom Denton, Ashton couldn’t break down Leek’s hardy defence and conceded another penalty with three minutes left. 

Hurst stepped up to complete his hat-trick, much to the frustration of Steve Cunningham: “For 70% of the game, I think we were the dominant team. I thought we had a lot of the ball and the first half we were excellent. 

“Louis White had a shot within a minute of the restart, again we were dominating the half, and then from out of nowhere we conceded from the edge of the box when we’ve tried to play out. 

“We’re in a difficult place at the moment. You don’t look at the team the way we played today and say, ‘that’s a team lacking in confidence’, we played some brilliant football. 

“But fair play to the lads from Leek. They’re down there fighting for their lives and they deserved the win. 3-1, 1-0, it doesn’t matter, we lost the game.” 

It was a similar story at Ewen Fields for an injury-hit Hyde United, who lost 2-1 against Prescot Cables. 

The Tigers were in the ascendency from the off, capped by a 5th-minute goal from Brad Holmes that set the tone for the opening half. 

Hyde blitzed the Prescot defence but found Calvin Hare in outstanding form to deny Callum Spooner and the hard-working Matt Fearnley, who hit straight at the keeper when through one-on-one just before half-time. 

Prescot grew as the game progressed and should have equalised on 52 minutes through Francis Smith who blasted wide from close range. 

Ben Elliott twice came close before he levelled the scores on 69 minutes, hitting through a forest of legs and past an unsighted Callum Hiddleston. 

Jordan Scanlon kept Hare’s gloves warm at the other end, but Smith settled the game with a 25-yard shot on 76 minutes that outfoxed the Hyde goalkeeper. 

Tigers captain Jack Redshaw was agonisingly close to restoring parity in stoppage time, but flashed his effort wide as Hyde succumbed to their third straight defeat in all competitions. 

“After the first half, I’d say we threw it away,” said an annoyed Nick Spooner after the game. “We scored early on, we dominated possession, and I don’t remember Callum pulling a save off in the first half. 

“We’ve missed two one-on-ones and then were really disappointing in the second half. 

“If the strikers aren’t scoring goals and then we’re letting in poor, silly goals, heads will go down. I can’t remember the last time we went 2-up to relieve the back four, so they’re always on edge. 

“They showed a bit of spark towards the end, but it just wasn’t a good enough performance.” 

There were defeats, too, in the NPL West for Stalybridge Celtic and Mossley. 

Stalybridge were 2-0 with less than 20 minutes left at Runcorn Linnets but succumbed to a late onslaught from Brad Cooke’s resurgent side to leave their play-off hopes dangling by a thread. 

Goalless after an even first half, Bridge took control on 54 minutes when prolific forward Lewis Rawsthorn slid home his 10th goal in 20 appearances after a pinpoint cross from Joe Duckworth. 

Celtic had a flurry of chances with Max Leonard and Rawsthorn again coming close before Jack Irlam tucked away a team move to make it 2-0 on 64 minutes. 

However, Linnets clawed their way back into the match with former Curzon striker Ryan Brooke scoring on 72 minutes, before defender Joe Ferguson equalised with an audacious bicycle kick five minutes later. 

Brooke had the final say in an all-action second half, heading in the winner to become Runcorn’s all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 137 appearances. 

“First, I’d like to apologise to the supporters,” said Stalybridge boss Jon Macken. “That last 20, 25 minutes was nowhere near good enough. 

“To be two goals up and in control of the game, it’s not acceptable. 

“We’ve been working a lot over the last couple of weeks on stopping crosses, and we fell to that again today. I’m really, really, really disappointed. 

“It’s bizarre sometimes when you see that. It doesn’t happen very often, but I was expecting us to raise our levels after last week’s performance. But it all becomes irrelevant after being two-up and conceding three goals.” 

Mossley, who announced Alex Craddock as David Fish’s successor when he steps down at the end of the season, couldn’t capitalise on a glut of chances against relegation threatened Wythenshawe. 

Obua Mugalula, Teddy Lavelle and Joe Berks all kept Kyle Haslam on his toes in the visitor’s goal but couldn’t find the breakthrough despite stifling the opposition. 

The second half began in similar fashion with Sean Kgwakgwa, Mason Fawns and Michael Brewster all causing consternation in the Ammies defence. 

Wythenshawe scored the only goal of the game on 73 minutes when former Wigan Athletic academy winger Mwiya Malumo tucked away from a corner on just his second appearance for the club. 

Jack Marrow clipped the post for Mossley after rounding Haslam late on, but the game trickled away from the Lilywhites who went down to their 3rd defeat in four games. 

In the NWCFL Premier Division, Glossop North End player-manager Richard Brodie was incandescent after his side’s 5-2 home defeat against AFC Liverpool. 

The Hillmen took an early lead through a Lewis Reilly penalty but were soon 2-1 down after goals from Caleb Jones and Liam Paton.  

Daniel Mahaffy and Cam Rooney added another two after the break, with Brodie saying: “Six or seven of them might as well have gone and sat in the bar...too many of them have too much to say, just do your job.” 

Abdul Djalo pulled one back for Glossop with 20 minutes to play, but Jones rounded off the scoring with his second of the game. 

“They can like it or lump it some of them,” Brodie continued. “I’ve played for some very good managers who’ve played in World Cups and the Premier League, and I take things from them to give information and the way of going about things to players. 

“For me, we’re in a miles better position than when I took over, points-wise and dressing room-wise and club-wise, but some of the players have to stand up and be counted. 

“They have to take some responsibility for themselves...it was a capitulation. 

“If some of them played as well as they spoke in there after the game, we’d be top of the league.”