GNE hold league leaders

Saturday saw Glossop North End go toe to toe with the runaway league leaders Wythenshawe, seeing a thunderous strike from Junior Smith cancelled out inside the final ten minutes of normal time.  

A game of real quality, from both sides, as Glossop extended their unbeaten away record against the top ten sides in the league, earning their 16th point from six such games under the current management team. 

The home side started the brighter, using width and getting plenty of bodies forward, whereas GNE were a little hesitant at the start and were thankful to goalkeeper Joey Oldham for a couple of smart saves with his feet to deny top scorer Aaron Dwyer.  

First from the left edge of the box, as Dwyer had gone in behind Olly Parker, then from the right side, going across goal after Samuel Adewusi had been allowed to carry the ball forward and find a defence splitting pass.  

Oldham thwarted Dwyer for a third time inside the opening twenty minutes when he outmuscled Parker, but a heavy touch as he drove into the box allowed Oldham to close the angle and smother the shot. 

Glossop’s first real chance came half way through the opening period, as they started to grow into the game.  

A foul on Hopkins over on the left touchline allowed Gallagher to whip in a free kick which was flicked on by Etia, before Jordan Schofield laid the ball off to Olly Parker who shot over the bar from twelve yards out.  

Minutes later Glossop could, and arguably should, have taken the lead.  

Great work by Warburton to win possession high allowed him to squeeze between three Wythenshawe defenders, into the box, but his effort was saved with only the goalkeeper to beat. 

A really entertaining first half of football ended level, Glossop growing into the game and arguably into the ascendancy as they had weathered an early storm but then enjoyed spells of control and possession themselves.  

They carried this momentum into the start of the second half. 

A Purfield cross from the left was laid off by Smith but Etia’s effort had most of the venom in it blocked and was easily saved, but they broke the deadlock on 52 minutes. 

Mooney-Munoz won the ball in the centre circle and was fouled as he released it forward to Owen Warburton.  

The referee played a good advantage as GNE’s number ten carried forward, a three on three attack.  

He had Etia to his right and Junior Smith to his left, and opted to go left to the big striker, who had been really bright as the focal point of GNE’s attack.  

His first touch took him into the box and got the ball out in front of him and onto his favourite left foot.  

He used that left foot to unleash a rocket of a shot, across the goal and watched it cannon into the back of the net, off the inside of the far post, well out of reach of the Wythenshawe goalkeeper and he wheeled away to celebrate in front of the visiting fans congregated behind the goal. 

A bizarre incident followed as Oldham was almost lobbed from a Stephen Hewitt effort from well inside his own half.  

The referee had blown for a free kick, initially indicated it was for Glossop, and as he did so Oldham advanced out of his penalty area, only to correct himself, point the other way, allow Hewitt to take it quickly and see the effort go over, to save blushes all round. 

Glossop withstood the pressure from Wythenshawe well but the game turned once again in an action packed 90 seconds.  

First the home side were awarded a penalty, for a Schofield hand ball - an effort from outside the box deflected off Parker onto the hand of his central defensive partner.  

Former GNE player and last season’s tormentor, Joel Ankers stepped up, tried an audacious panenka style penalty and put it over the bar and into the car park, to the relief of the GNE players and the ironic jeers from their supporters.  

From the ensuing goal kick however, Glossop failed to win the first or second ball as the ball died in the sand in front of Hopkins and went through his legs. An incisive pass and new signing from West Didsbury Jack Bannister made a well timed run from right to left, behind Schofield, carried into the box and drilled a low shot across Oldham into the bottom corner for the leveller.