 |
  1/1/08 Burton Albion 2 Stafford Rangers 1
Blue Square Premier at the Pirelli Stadium
|
|
 Stafford Rangers opened 2008 with another battling
performance but couldn’t prevent promotion-chasing Burton recording a holiday double.
Marc Goodfellow put the Brewers ahead just after the half-hour mark but this was cancelled
out before the break by David McNiven’s seventh goal of the season. However, Jake
Edwards bagged the winner midway through the second half through Rangers felt they should
have been awarded an injury-time penalty for handball.
Djoumin Sangare returned from his three-match injury layoff and place at left full back in
place of Kevin Street. Nathan Smith hadn’t recovered from the injury picked up
against Ebbsfleet so Tom Ingram came in for his first league start.
Burton got the game underway attacking the away end at the Pirelli Stadium. They quickly
went on the attack and Wayne Daniel cleared as Daryl Clare looked to make use of Dave
Farrell’s throughball. The Stafford skipper also cut out a low cross from John
Brayford at the expense of a corner.
Stafford were awarded a free-kick 25 yards out in the 13th minute. Samy Mawene’s
initial shot hit the wall and he fired the rebound over the bar.
The home side quickly got forward. Marc Goodfellow played a diagonal ball into the area
from the right to Jake Edwards who fed Daryl Clare. The latter got in a shot which Daniel
blocked for another corner. In fact it was the first of four successive corners that
Rangers survived.
 In the 27th minute, Richard Sutton
crossed from the right and found Neil Grayson who headed over.
Burton unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty when Goodfellow latched onto John
McGrath’s throughball and went down under Danny Alcock’s challenge.
Seb Arnolin curled a right foot shot from 25 yards into the arms of keeper Saul Deeney, in
for the injured Kevin Poole.
The home side took the lead in the 33rd minute with a well-worked move. Keith Gilroy
played a diagonal ball from the middle of the Stafford half out to the right. The pass
found Clare who cut infield and set up Goodfellow who fired into the bottom right corner
from 10 yards out.
Grayson was fouled 30 yards out and Mawene hammered the free-kick inches wide of the
left-hand post.
Burton looked for a second goal and had another penalty appeal turned down when Sutton
challenged Edwards. Clare got in a close-range shot which Daniel blocked in front of goal.
Rangers got back on level terms with a bit slice of good fortune. Tom Ingram played the
ball forward to the edge of the area and Burton skipper Darren Stride decided to head a
backpass to Deeney. Fortunately for Rangers, the keeper left his line and McNiven took
full advantage to slot home the equaliser.
Alcock pulled off two fantastic saves in the space of a few seconds to deny Clare a goal
and Edwards shot the loose ball wide.
Burton, who made a change at the interval with Aaron Webster replacing Dave Farrell, got
forward at the start of the second half. Brayford crossed low from the right across the
face of goal but no one got on the end.
In the 50th minute, Edwards’s low 25-yard drive took a deflection of Jemiah Richards
and hit the left-hand post. The rebound kindly ended up in the arms of the wrong-footed
Alcock.
Sangare suffered an ankle injury and sadly limped away from the action. Dolapo Olaoye came
on and Grayson switched to the left side of the defence.
There was danger in the Rangers area and both Alcock and Grayson needed to be brave to
thwart Clare. Gilroy mis-hit wasted a great chance for Burton from Brayford’s pass.
Burton scored what turned out to be the winner in the 66th minute. Gilroy headed back a
deep right-wing cross into the six-yard box. Edwards turned and fired past Alcock from a
few yards out.
Both Daniel and Alcock excelled again to prevent Burton scoring again. The skipper cut out
Michael Simpson’s near-post cross and, from the corner, Alcock turned round a
goalbound shot from Clare.
The home side made a second change with Andy Corbett replacing McGrath.
In the 75th minute, Mawene’s free-kick was cleared to Ingram on the edge of the area
and he volleyed over. The midfielder, who had certainly impressed, was forced off with
cramp and replaced by Steve Hopkinson. Burton’s third change saw Shaun Harrad come on
for Clare.
Harrad has an immediate impact. He forced another good save out of Alcock and also curled
a shot against the right-hand post.
Rangers put Burton under pressure during the final 10 minutes. In the 86th minute, Mawene
forced a near-post save out of Deeney who put out a hand to turn round a close-range shot.
The fourth official indicated three additional minutes and Brayford twice went close. He
fired wide from 30 yards as Mawene challenged and almost deceived Alcock with a header
that looped wide of the right-hand post. Alcock pulled off yet another creditable save,
this time to keep out Gilroy’s shot with his legs.
Deep into stoppage time, Rangers won a corner and everyone including Alcock went forward.
Delivered from the left by Mawene into a packed area, the ball appeared to strike the arm
of a defender. The referee waived away the appeals and McNiven fired into the side netting
via a deflection.
(teamsheet)
Burton Albion: Deeney, Brayford, Stride, James, Farrell (Webster, ht), Goodfellow,
Simpson, McGrath (Corbett, 71), Gilroy, Clare (Harrad, 79), Edwards. Subs Not Used:
Holmes, Austin
Stafford Rangers: Alcock, Sutton, Daniel, Richards, Sangare (Olaoye, 58), Ingram
(Hopkinson, 76), Draper, Mawene, Arnolin, McNiven, Grayson. Unused subs: Street, Adaggio,
Allen
Referee: Jake Collin (Merseyside)
Attendance: 2,465
|
|
|
|
|
