Stafford Rangers 2 Northwich Victoria 0

Saturday 31st December 2005
Stafford Rangers 2 Northwich Victoria 0
Nationwide North
At: Marston Road
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Programme: £2 (48 pages)
Attendance: 1677
Weather: dry
Duration: first-half: 48:22; second-half: 48:56

I’ve got plenty of memories of watching games between Stafford Rangers and Northwich Victoria. Indeed, from my first full season watching Stafford Rangers home games, I can recall a couple of memorable games against Vics back in 1977. The first one was a league game, a goalless draw which (checking my records) attracted a crowd of 2984 – huge in my eyes back then. That game took place in September and a couple of months later, Vics were back at Marston Road for an FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round replay which Rangers won 2-1 with a late goal scored by Keith Brookes who died in a car crash a few months later.

Moving forward almost 30 years to another important derby – I still think of games against Northwich as derby games because they were Rangers’s nearest side during the 1970s.

With both sides pushing for promotion, it was Stafford Rangers who took the points and returned to the top of the Nationwide North table with a hard-fought victory over third-placed Northwich. Neil Grayson and Nathan Smith found the net during in seven-minute spell after the half-hour mark of this highly entertaining clash. However, both sides played all but the opening 14 minutes with ten men after Wayne Daniel and Mark Sale were controversially sent off for violent conduct.

Stafford Rangers got the game underway attacking the Shed (or town) end in the first half. Neither goalkeeper had been called into serious action when Sale confronted Daniel off the ball after play stopped on the edge of the Stafford area. Both men were shocked, and crowd was left puzzled, after straight red cards were produced on the advice of an assistant referee.

Stafford player-manager Phil Robinson eventually brought on an extra central defender on the half-half mark, Liam Murray, in place of sacrificed Robin Gibson to replace the departed Daniel. Shortly after in the 33rd minute, Smith fed Grayson who fired past Kristian Rogers from the edge of the area to give Rangers the lead.

In the 98th competitive game between the two long-standing rivals, Stafford netted a vital second goal five minutes later. Levi Reid, who was outstanding in midfield, got the better of Jon McCarthy on the left before delivering an accurate near-post cross. Smith managed to bundle the ball over the lead despite the close attention of defender Ben Chapman.

Just before the interval, Craig Lovatt was inches away from scoring a third goal for the home side. His lob, from 20 yards out, shaved the top of the bar.

Northwich needed a goal to get back into the game and made an attack-minded start to the second half. However, it was Rangers who went close to scoring again when Nathan Talbott forced Rogers to tip over a rising long-range shot from.

Rogers’ opposite number Dean Williams maintained his side’s two-goal advantage with an excellent near-post save to deny Allen.

Stafford certainly needed to resolutely defend with the visitors putting them under pressure.

In a very open and highly entertaining finale, Lovatt almost put the outcome beyond doubt. Put clear, he rounded Rogers only to see his shot rebound off the post from a narrow angle. Rogers also made a great diving save to keep out an angled shot from Grayson.

Stafford needed to defend resolutely in the closing stages to preserve their clean sheet and become the first side to prevent Northwich from scoring in the league this season.

My nominated Star Man was Levi Reid and for entertainment it had to be 5 out of 5!

Stafford Rangers (black and white stripes / black / black): 1. Dean Williams, 2. Matt Clarke, 3. Nathan Talbott, 4. Craig McAughtrie, 5. Wayne Daniel (capt), 6. Craig Lovatt, 7. Levi Reid, 8. Kevin Street, 9. Neil Grayson, 10. Nathan Smith, 11. Robin Gibson. Subs: 12. Dave Walker (for Smith, 83), 14. Paul Groves (not used), 15. Liam Murray (for Gibson, 31), 16. Danny Edwards (not used), 17. Phil Robinson (not used).

Northwich Victoria (yellow / sky blue / white): 1. Kristian Rogers, 2. Jon McCarthy, 3. Ben Chapman, 4. Steve Payne (capt), 5. Michael Carr, 6. Kieron Charnock, 7. Richard Battersby, 8. Mark Devlin, 9. Jon Allan, 10. Paul Brayson, 11. Mark Sale. Subs: 12. Matt Garner (not used), 14. Michael Byrne (for Battersby, 67), 15. Danny Mayman (not used), 16. Carlos Roca (for Chapman, 60), 13gk. Ben Connett (not used).

Referee: M. R. Warren (Cheslyn Hay).
Assistants: J. W. King (Swadlincote) and A. Muldoon (Swadlincote).

Goals
1-0 Neil Grayson (33)
2-0 Nathan Smith (38)

Cards:
Stafford: Wayne Daniel (RC, 15), Kevin Street (YC, 15), Matt Clarke (YC, 35)
Northwich: Mark Sale (RC, 15), Jon Allen (YC, 22), Jon McCarthy (YC, 27), Paul Brayson (YC, 80)