They say you learn more when the chips are against you and, that was the case for Leek Town manager Neil Baker as his team were beaten 2-0 away at National League North side Buxton thanks to two goals in four minutes from Jordan Burrows and Tommy Elliott.
As always with any pre-season game, players’ availability hampered Bakers’ selection for this match as he had to name a team that had two young defenders in the starting 11 in Ben Adey Weston, who was in the first team squad for a few games towards the back end of last season, and centre back Ben Turner. The pair acquitted themselves rather well against a Buxton attack that included some fantastic players that play in the National League North. Bakes also had two future prospects- Mason Pickering and James Miller on the bench, Pickering did also get a run out replacing Dan Trickett-Smith.
The defence did well to keep Buxton out until the 18th minute when Jak McCourt played a delightful ball over the top of the Leek defence to Burrows, who controlled the ball on the edge of the penalty area before curling the ball beyond the reach of Joe O’Shaughnessy.
Just four minutes later Connor Kirby played a pass that split open the Leek defence which found Elliott, who guided the ball past the onrushing O’Shaughnessy to double Buxton’s lead and kill off the game.
After the break, the pace of the game dropped off a fair bit as Buxton made eight substitutes on the hour mark which no doubt disrupted the flow of the match.
However, it allowed Leek to get some belief in going forward, their best chance saw Tom Carr run at the Buxton defence before passing the ball to Adey Weston on the right-hand side of the pitch. He, in turn, switched the ball to the other flank where new signing Tom Reilly picked the ball up, the former Cefn Druids midfielder tried to whip in a decent cross but only succeeded in putting the ball into the hands of the Buxton goalkeeper.
Elsewhere, Nantwich Town opened up their pre-season campaign with a 2-1 win away at Whitchurch Alport to lift the Eddie Morris Memorial Trophy.
This was the Dabber’s first game since their relegation from the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League back in April and, they didn’t waste long in taking the lead when Perry Bircumshaw’s cross-come-shot somehow found the back of the net after just 12 minutes of play.
However, Alport pulled level just before the half-time break when a mistake in the Nantwich defence allowed Hughes to tuck the ball beyond the reach of Nantwich’s trialist goalkeeper.
Bircumshaw was involved in what turned out to be the winner with little over 20 minutes to go when he was fouled in the area to win Nantwich a penalty. Up stepped former Whitchurch Alport player Byron Harrison and, he cooly sent Jack Sheward the wrong way to ultimately win the game.
One of the teams Whitchurch Alport will face this season in the Midlands Football League is Congleton Town and, they stepped up their preparations for the new season with a 3-0 win at home to Northern Premier League West promotion chasers Runcorn Linnets.
Aaron Johns opened the scoring for the Bears just before halftime when he played a one-two with one of Congleton’s trialists before putting the ball beyond the reach of the Runcorn goalkeeper.
After the break, Congleton continued to control proceedings and, they went 2-0 up on 56 minutes when Peter Williams shimmied into the area and before winning a penalty that Billy Buckley slotted home with ease.
Congleton won the game just before the end when a Runcorn defender put through his net to put the icing on the cake on a good afternoon for Richard Duffy’s men.
On Friday night, Hanley Town won 10-0 at Stone Old Alleynians- Charlie Walford got two goals as did Jenson Guest from the club’s under 19s team, while Joel Stair, Jake Twyford and Kieran Brown all chipped with a goal each. The other three goals were scored by a trialist.
Finally, North West Counties First Division South sides Abbey Hulton United ran out 4-0 winners at Redgate Clayton, while Alsager Town were 3-1 winner at Manchester Georgians- Jack Woolley and Tom Hassall were among the scorers.
