Albion foiled by a post

Sep 20 2008 by John Buckley, Mid Cheshire Chronicle

Witton Albion 1 Marine 3

ALBION were beaten by a matter of inches as well as goals.

In the first minute of injury time Gary Burke cracked a shot against an upright and from the break Marine substitute Shaun Tuck picked the ball up near the half-way line, raced forward and scored a superb long range effort.

It was a great ending to a game that was poor until the break and not much better afterwards.

There had been no shots at all until goalkeeper Sean Lake shovelled a Mark Drew free kick away in the 25th minute. In the visitors next attack Karl O’Donnell was released by a Steve Hussey pass only to lift the ball over the bar from 10 yards.

But after that brief flurry of excitement the game settled back into humdrum fashion again with only a swerving 20 yarder by Albion’s Scott Willis to threaten either goal.

Steve Settle as one end at Marine’s Peter Cumiskey at the other were wayward until Tim Bigland injected some excitement in the 53rd minute.

He drifted behind full back Dan Schwarz to collect a Hussey pass and apply a clean finish from 12 yards.

It persuaded Witton to introduce teenage striker Zane Gouldbourne and two minutes later he scored with his first touch, turning home Dorryl Proffitt’s low right wing cross.

Gouldbourne and then Willis brought good one handed saves from Lake before Bigland struck again in the 83rd minute. Hussey was again the defence splitter and O’Donnell’s centre found its way to the far post for Bigland to score easily.

Albion almost hit back immediately again, with Ben Lenders heading on to the bar.

Then came Burke’s near miss and with the Witton defence undermanned Tuck did his stuff.

WITTON: G Smith; Schwarz (Thaker 86), Donnelly (Lenders 46), Burke, Scott; Proffitt’s, Drew, Willis, S Smith; Settle (Gouldbourne 53), Thornley.

Attendance: 327