Stafford Town Mens 1sts vs Haughmond
2 - 1
20 July 2021 · North West Counties<br>South
Home friendly match played on 20 July 2021.
Kicked off at 7:45 PM
2-1
vs Haughmond
Home friendly match
Still reeling from the Lye humbling just a few days prior, the big question was how the squad would react against Haughmond, another side plying their trade in the league above.
The opening minute was rather bizarre as Matt Dudley playing sweeper for the night, appeared to jar his knee and stumble into an advancing Haughmond attacker clearly pushing him to the ground in the process. The referee quite rightly pointed to the spot and despite diving the right way, Joe Morris was unable to keep the effort out and the hosts found themselves up against it immediately.
The next quarter of an hour saw Town struggle to settle and at times they rode their luck, but the scoreline remained at just one. Ryan Taylor had an impressive debut on the left side and was instrumental in the equaliser. Demonstrating great close control he drove infield seeing off the attention of his marker before dinking a pass to the advancing Sean Kinsella who dispatched for what would be the first of a brace for the evening.
17 year old Cydon Walker showed a masterclass in sheer hard work and determination for the entirety of the 90 minutes he was on the pitch. His willingness to graft with purpose for the team kept the Haughmond back line honest throughout, not giving them any time or space to relax in possession. Supported by the experienced and 'not quite so quick' Tom Duffy, the pair combined effectively to get Walker in behind the visiting defence several times.
The game was turned on its head before the interval with Nathan Scott being at the heart of things. Another purposeful dribble saw him pull away from his markers but was met with a wall of white shirts as he reached the edge of the Haughmond box. His offload was deflected into the path of Kinsella who Clipped a lovely left foot curler into the top corner for 2-1 reds.
The 2nd half saw the introduction of young Kaysan Al Salih who was introduced to 1st team affairs towards the back end of last season whilst then part of one of the clubs two u18's sides. Like Cydon Walker he's another with pace to burn and a willingness to graft and chase for the cause. Replacing Duffy for the last half hour Kaysan did himself and all associated proud with a mature and effective contribution.
The final 15 minutes was a tad more 'backs to the wall' than the home dugout would have liked however credit where credit is due. A year ago this game would likely have been lost so to have gone behind so early off the back of a previous defeat and to find a way to turn it around and claim a third win in five, (the others being a draw at Darlaston and the defeat to Lye) shows things are moving in the right direction.
No game this weekend as the squad is off to enjoy some footgolf and the final pre season game is Tues 27th away to County League side Redgate Clayton in a 6.30pm kick off.
As usual the best bits of match footage can be found here at our YouTube channel Stafford Town TV;
https://youtu.be/pzMXG3G82wY