13/11/2024
By Chris Gibbs
Thorley brace sends us seventh
Newcastle Town 2 Thorley (62.81)
Clitheroe 1Olawumi (4)
If Carlsberg did centre halves… At a time when we needed a hero, a broad-shouldered giant of a man emerged from the pack and said: “Don’t worry boys, I’ve got this.”
Well, that might not quite have been how it was exactly, but it makes for a slightly more entertaining intro to a standard match report!
Tom Thorley is becoming one of the most popular members of Bakes’ rapidly improving squad and tonight when we had fallen behind early in the game, we needed someone to step up and the big man delivered.
The truth of the matter is that despite falling behind early in the game to a goal from Sam Olawumi, who nudged the ball over the line from Sefton Gonzales’ knock down, we were playing the better football for much of the game. It was just the old chestnut of not making the most of our dominance.
A lot of that excellent possession game centred around a highly enterprising full debut from Olly Armstrong. Olly was a determined runner, always willing to receive the ball and create an opportunity. On any other night, he’d have been a shoo-in for man of the match.
After a really slow start which very nearly saw us fall behind before Olawumi’s fourth minute opener, we gradually got ourselves up to speed. Falling behind at home has become a bit of a habit but tonight, the response to doing so was superb.
Our best chances to go in at half time on level terms came from a fine side-foot volley from Tim Grice, who was looking for his fourth goal in four games, and then a shot from Olly Armstrong who was played in following a quick free kick taken by Ethan Vale.
Olly also had another shot which flashed just wide of Clitheroe goalkeeper and captain Hakan Burton’s far post, as we continued to push for an equaliser, but it wasn’t to be, yet.
Undeterred by the frustrations of those chances not being taken, just after the hour mark, your favourite farmer and mine got his first for the night. Yes, it took a heavy deflection, but you’ve got to buy a ticket to be in with a shout and it was the least we deserved.
Midway through the second half, Gonzales, so often the scourge of Northern Premier League West defences, passed up a presentable chance to move the visitors back in front but couldn’t quite get enough power in a header and Slinny gratefully gathered.
Gonzales then turned provider when setting up Clitheroe substitute Louis Potts twenty minutes from the end. Potts shot wide.
That was Clitheroe’s last chance, as we pushed forward in search of a winner. And it came nine minutes from time when Tom came up for a set piece again and was in the right place on the edge of the box to complete a ‘tidy finish’ as the big man modestly referred to it in our post-match interview with him.
This was our third win in four and the result takes us up to seventh. We travel to Congleton on Saturday for a local derby in excellent spirits for what should be an excellent game.
Team: Slinn, Derbyshire, Ritchie, Sherratt, Thorley, Van der Laan, Armstrong, (Dos Santos 82), Vale, Grice, (Dunlop 90), Avery, (Jones 79) Twyford,
Attendance: 151
Man of the match: Can you guess who it is yet? Yes, the goals were a key part of the decision, but this fella just keeps giving. Wholehearted and entertaining in equal measure you can’t not give the decision to a centre half when he scores a brace. Great game Tom!