21-02-23. Match report Vs Chorley FC

The slump continues

Report: Phil Lench

The Harriers away form failed them in Chorley this evening when we came away with a single goal defeat and ended the game down to ten men.

Away at Chorley is always a tough ask and most were expecting a tough game decided by the usual single goal. We had a bonus before the game began with the news that both Alex Penny and Caleb Richards were returning to the team following injury. That news should have given us confidence and would also allow Ashley Hemmings to return to his main role up front.Other changes saw Zak Brown and Jack Bearne return to the starting eleven with Tom Owen-Evans and Kai Lissimore heading for the bench. There was no sign of Reiss McNally so it has to be presumed that he’s injured.

With our terrible home form holding us back it’s the away games that we rely on to keep us within spitting distance of the play-offs. Before the game we felt confident that we’d come away with at least one point and we started the game well taking it straight to Chorley and on the lookout for the all important early goal. It was Hemmings with the first attempt on goal but his shot into the arms of Matt Urwin was never going to end up in the net.

Both Zak Brown and Amari Morgan-Smith tried their luck from distance and, again, they didn’t really trouble the home side with both attempts going wide.

As in previous games, for too long this season, it’s our inability to defend set pieces that become our downfall. It was no different tonight when a long throw in from Billy Whitehouse went deep into the area and failed to be dealt with. Penny, possibly due to his lack of game time, lost his man and Jon Ustabasi, with his back to goal, flicked the ball over his head and into the net.

They almost made it two just seconds later when Connor Hall sent his header over the bar from just a few yards out. We tried to get back into the game through Hemmings and Shane Byrne. Hemmings header going over and Byrnes volley from distance casually collected by Urwin. 

With the half drawing to a close Ustabasi went close to doubling his tally with a firm strike that was well stopped by Christian Dibble and then came our best chance of the game when Caleb Richards crossed the ball over for Penny to smash against the foot of the post. If that had gone it it could have ended up being a different game. 

HT: 1 – 0

For all our hard work in the first half, and the chances spurned, you’d think that in the second half that we would go on to get that one goal difference changed and possibly also try to get a second. We didn’t and neither did Chorley. Instead the game degenerated into a scrap with no real chances to score but, instead, plenty of niggling fouls and poor refereeing.

First we were forced into an early substitution just minutes after the restart when Hemmings had to go off injured. Tom Owen-Evans replaced him.

We could have scored soon after Toms arrival when a corner in from Shane Byrne was almost headed home by Kyle Morrison but got blocked out to Krystian Pearce who then poked the ball wide of the post. We had an almost identical scenario minutes later when, from another corner, we took a couple of attempts to score only for the ball to be cleared upfield to a Chorley forward but nothing came of the attack.

It was then that the game began to get stupid. First Nathaniel Knight-Percival was booked for an off the ball incident along with Billy Whitehouse, the other protagonist. Fair enough but to then go and pick up a second yellow card a minute later was sheer stupidity. NKP apparently blocked a cross from Joe Nolan with a high foot. Nolan went down and the Harriers defended went back to the dressing room.

More bookings followed as the ref lost control with Byrne and Harvey Smith both going into the book. Jack Bearne also got himself booked following a challenge on Ustabasi and then it thankfully settled down.

AMS should have done better with a weak header that didn’t trouble the keeper at all but the best chance to draw level in this half fell for Owen-Evans after he got on the end of Bearnes cross and drove the ball goalwards but, again, Urwin saved well. Chorley didn’t trouble Dibble once during the second half but as is always the case when you’re down, you get kicked and Chorley collected the points.

We have an equally tough away game at Darlington FC on Saturday. God help us.    

FT: 1 – 0

Goal for Chorley FC: Ustabasi 14

Talk about the game here

Latest table and stats here

Chorley FC	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Urwin
Henley
Smith
Wilson
Blakeman			83
Nolan
Whitehouse
Calveley
Sampson
Hall			80
Ustabasi			92
Subs:
Leather			83
Shenton			80
Kay
Johnson			92
Scarborough
Harriers	Goals	Subs	Time	Cards
Dibble
Penny
Richards			86
Knight-Percival
Pearce
Morrison
Byrne
Brown
Morgan-Smith
Hemmings			48
Bearne
Subs:
Palmer
Owen-Evans			48
Foulkes
Lissimore
Freemantle			86
Referee:
Mr David McNamara
Preston