AFC WALTON...4 HARLEYS SCARLETS...2
With closet rivals Barrow Hill without a match for the second week running, AFC Walton took full advantage, with another classy performance against 3rd in the League Harleys Scarlets at a rain soaked Eastwood Park today. Benny started with an almost identical line up to last week, with just the returning Paul Walton, back from a 3 match suspension, replacing Jeremy Mitchell in attack, who himself starts a two match lay off next week.
With constant rain falling from well before kick off, it was obvious conditions were going to be tricky for both sides, as Harleys won the toss and decided to kick down the slope first. Paul Walton tried his luck straight from the kick off, but the ball went well wide of its intended target. The back three of Captain Chris Bettney, Danny Brown and Steve Miles protected keeper Billy Furniss superbly, soaking up most of what Harleys could throw at them. Bonson was full of running, providing adequate cover for Danny Brown when needed, and the central midfield pairing of Silcock and Goodwin again bossing the middle of the park allowing Lee Walton and Shane Bennett to push forward to support the front pair, whenever the opportunity arose.
Wright went close on a number of occasions with his bursting runs, and Paul Walton, who has been sorely missed during his lay off, had a number of chances, as AFC took a firm grip of the game for most of the first half. Harleys first real chance wa when they gained a free kick after Danny Brown miss-timed a tackle 25 yards from goal, an offence he recieved a yellow, the ONLY card given all day. Furniss lined up his wall well, but had to make a fantastic diving save , low to his right, to push the ball away for a corner as it bent wickedly. He was in action again within a minute, as another free kick, this time to the right of the area, was whipped in at pace. HALF TIME AFC Walton...0 Harleys Scarlets...0.
It is well documented through the record books, that when AFC are losing, or the scores are level at the break, they go on to LOSE the tie. But Benny left the line up as it was following an encouraging first half display, and from the off Bettney started to spray his trademark passes around the pitch, trying to set Paul Walton and Lee Wright off on defence splitting runs. It was in fact the front two who combined to put the hosts one up after 54 mins, Waltons pass was cut out by the keeper but he made a total hash of the clearance and the ball fell to WRIGHT, who collected the ball before taking his time and firing the ball back beyond where the keeper had come from and into the corner of the net. They went further ahead just after the hour when PAUL WALTON spotted the keeper off his line and sublimly chipped him from 25 yards out. Mitchell came on for Shane Bennett just before the restart from the goal.
BETTNEY topped a fine captains display on 68 mins, when after a fine run through the middle he fired in a shot from long range, that decieved the keeper in flight, and all he could do was fumble the ball into the net for 3-0. Benny then replaced Bonson, bringing the returning from injury Higginbottom back into the line up, and he wasnt long before he got onto a loose ball, but was crowded out before he could get his shot away. Miles was taken off wtih the game supposedly won comfortably on 74 mins, but the Scarlets had a sting in thier tail, and was handed a life line on 77 mins, when Bettney attempted a back pass to Funiss that ended up woefully short, the keeper tried to block the ball but was beaten to the ball and the score was reduced to 3-1.
Scarlets bouyed by this pushed forward, and with 10 minutes on the clock found themselves more in the game, first a free kick flashed just wide, then after a fine tip over by Furniss AFC failed to clear the resulting corner, and after the ball pinged about, it ended up nestled in the corner of the net, and suddenly it was 3-2. The AFC defence pulled together from this and a superbly timed tackle by Higginbottom stemmed the tide, and the hosts began to regain control. with time running out it was left to MITCHELL to grab his 80th personal goal for the club in just 40 games to wrap up the points. He rounded the keeper, shot and despite the best efforts of a defender on the line made the points safe with hardly time to restart the game. FULL TIME AFC Walton....4 Harleys Scarlets....2. AFC now face TWO daunting away games over the next fortnight that COULD determine the couse of the title.
