Blue Square Premier
At: Raymond McEnhill Stadium
Kick-off: 7-45 pm
Attendance: 1302
Weather: cold and dry
One defensive slip in the 29th minute allowed Salisbury City's Marvin Brown to volley home the only goal of the game at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium.
Stafford gave a debut to 19-year-old goalkeeper Scott Loach, signed on loan from Watford. Kevin Street and Greg Stones were both recalled with Danny Alcock, Richard Sutton and David McNiven dropping to the bench.
Both keepers were called into action early on. Loach held a looping header from defender Luke Oliver and Salisbury’s Ryan Clarke dived to his right to keep out a shot from Djoumin Sangare who stayed up after a corner. Marco Adaggio headed straight at Ryan Clarke and moments later Loach got down at his near post to claim a low shot from Robert Matthews.
Salisbury scored what proved to be the winner just before the half-hour mark. Defender Jonathan Bass lofted the ball forward into the area where Brown had the time and space to chest down and volley past Loach.
Just before the break both Wayne Daniel and Sangare headed over the Salisbury bar.
Stafford enjoyed a good spell of pressure at the start of the season half. Street cut in from the left and fired just wide of the far post. Chris Flynn sent a couple of rising shots over the bar. He first drove over from 28 yards after Street's free-kick was headed out. Flynn then curled a free-kick over the wall and just over the bar following a foul on Agaggio on the edge of the area. But Salisbury’s well-organised defence proved difficult to penetrate.
Just before the hour mark, Loach’s clearance was charged down by Robert Matthews. The ball headed towards an unguarded goal and hit the left-hand post. Matthews got to be rebound but Sangare’s tackle prevented the striker from doubling the lead. Stafford kept pressing forward with both Flynn and Cedric Avinel going close. Adaggio’s on-target shot was gathered up by Ryan Clarke. Late in the game Salisbury should have put the outcome beyond doubt. Matthews lifted the ball over from 15 yards and forced a good block out of Loach, who also saved from substitute Matt Tubbs.
Salisbury City (white/black/white): 1. Ryan Clarke; 2. Jonathan Bass, 29. Luke Oliver, 4. Aaron Cook (capt), 3. Matthew Robinson; 18, Darrell Clarke, 7. Wayne Turk, 25. Ian Herring, 28. Andrew Sandell; 15. Marvin Brown, 16. Robert Matthews. Subs: 19. Liam Feeney (for D. Clarke, 69), Matt Tubbs (for Brown, 69), 8. Scott Bartlett (for Sandell, 81), 17. Daniel Clay, 5. Tim Bond.
Stafford Rangers (red/red/red): 12. Scott Loach; 26. Cedric Avinel, 5. Wayne Daniel (capt), 6. Djoumin Sangare, 25. Fred Murray; 8. Kevin Street, 23. Greg Stones, 7. Chris Flynn, 17. Ross Draper, 9. Neil Grayson; 20. Marco Adaggio. Subs: 2. Richard Sutton (for Draper, 62), 10. David McNiven (for Street, 73), 28. David Oldfield (for Grayson, 82), 16. Tom Ingram, 1. Danny Alcock.
Referee: John Hopkins (Wickford).
Attendance: 1302 (inc about 40 away fans).
The match report was originally written for and published on the now defunct www.staffordrangers.co.uk
