Northwich 0-2 U's: Victoria is ours
Saturday 26th April 2008 - Northwich 0-2 U's: Victoria is ours
There are some blizzards which a weatherman can never predict. It was a warm, sunny spring day on the outskirts of Northwich, but once the teams emerged at the local football club's Marston's Arena, one half of the ground was deluged in an airborne sea of mostly yellow paper (and several balloons), which swirled and eddied over the United supporters who had released it, drifting into hoodies and hair and down the backs of necks, covering the terraces and the near touchline of the pitch, a symbol of the invasion and devotion of the noisiest and most numerous travelling support in the league. As a statement of intent and marking of territory, it sure beats cocking one's leg up against a tree.
Saturday was a celebration day for everyone concerned at the ground formerly known as the Victoria Stadium, a cheerily functional recently-built green edifice situated in one of the ugliest and least prepossessing industrial estates in the country, miles from the town after which the club is named. The hosts clinched their BSP survival on Tuesday at Stevenage after a stupendous run for safety, almost unbelievable after they gained one point from their first twelve games this season and had to wait until their twentieth match for their first win, 1-0 over Rushden in the last week of November. They finally hauled themselves out of the bottom four on 5th April and although they sank briefly back into the relegation zone, defeats of Grays and Stevenage in the last week got them over the finishing line.
There were double celebrations for the U's. Jimmy Quinn's wife bore a son on Friday, and a playoff place was already theirs after Tuesday's victory over Torquay; today would decide the finishing order of the teams involved and, therefore, who would play whom and when. Calculators at the ready.
Celebrations had started early for some at neighbours Witton Albion's ground, although not for the hosts whose 3-0 home defeat by Worksop confined them to the Northern Premier League playoffs after long months topping the table, and continued in Northwich's main bar/restaurant under the main stand while awaiting the 5.15 kickoff time dictated by those lovely people at Setanta. The ground bears dual branding these days, with signs of occupation giving equal prominence to the Vics and Manchester United Reserves - in fact the latter seems to come first, due perhaps to alphabetical order - but doubtless the money they provide is more than a little helpful after a chequered and controversial recent history.
With the main stand the only seated part of the ground, the U's fans were housed in one half of the cavernous, acoustically splendid covered terrace that runs along the opposite side of the pitch, plus one of the two matching ends; bare, uncovered areas without so much of a tiered terrace.
The matchday programme proudly declared itself to be a 'Special Staying Up Edition' and devoted a long feature to JQ, still highly thought of at Northwich after his spell there, in which he revealed that he was 'like a fish up a tree' when he first ventured into management at Reading. Must be an Irish thing...
With the playoffs now a certainty for the U's, albeit they could still finish second, third or fourth, JQ's selection reflected this with seven changes from Tuesday's side. Dan Gleeson moved back to partner Danny Brown at full-back in a 4-4-2 with Mark Peters and Josh Coulson a new pairing in the centre. Robbie Willmott got his full debut at last wide right after fourteen substitute appearances with Stephen Reed on the opposite flank and Paul Carden and Ben Farrell in the middle, behind yet another new strike partnership in Lee McEvilly and Magno Vieira, in a correctly spelt shirt at last in his final loan game before returning to Crawley and the tender mercies of that nice Steve Evans.
Messrs Beesley, Pitt, Wolleaston, Hatswell and Morrison were rested to the bench, while Lee Boylan and Mark Albrighton enjoyed a day off, although they had accompanied the squad north.
In a splendid atmosphere engendered by two sets of noisy supporters celebrating for different reasons, the match got off to a low-key start on a surface still strewn with Yellow Pages tickertape, although the yellow and black balloons had been unceremoniously trampled. First attempt on goal on 5 came from the hosts' Joel Byrom, cannoning off Farrell for a corner which Michael Byrne guided back to Byrom to blast wide.
Willmott's first scampering run came on 12, his cross nodded away by Nat Kerr, and the two sides exchanged corners before JQ came down from his seat in the stand to join Willie Wordsworth in the dugout, clearly deciding that his mix-and-match side was in need of some guidance. United looked solid at the back, as they have all season, but the midfield was having difficulty in creating much despite the willing running of the front two. This could be put down to all the team changes, and as the match progressed the makeshift eleven gradually began to click into place.
Vieira looked particularly lively and he served Vics notice on 22 with a cut in and shot which was blocked away by Michael Welch. Barely had the hosts had a chance to chew on that than the Brazilian produced something wholly indigestible: Gleeson drifted a ball over the top of a static back line, Vieira raced clear unchallenged, and as the Vics defenders looked at each other as if they had just met for the first time, he calmly slotted the ball past keeper Scott Tynan for his first goal in black'n'amber. 1-0.
He could easily have doubled his tally within a couple of minutes. Reed hoisted a hopeful high ball down the left channel, the defence stopped as Tynan came out to collect, Vieira used his roadrunneresque pace to nip in front of the keeper and his flick was heading into goal until hoofed off the line by Welch.
The hosts responded with a switch from wing-backs to 4-4-2 and just after the half-hour Danny Williams crossed for Aaron Burns to head over. David Brown slid a shot wide on 33, then Coulson tracked back well to rob Burns when he looked like breaking clear. The United back line continued to hold strong despite some wicked inswinging corners from Northwich, while at the other end Farrell fired over on 42, then Danny Potter comfortably picked up a scudder from Byrne. Half-time, job half done.
The hosts started part two positively, Byrne on 49 and Burns on 50 finding Potter's clutching gloves, but then made two changes as Lee Steele replaced David Brown on 51 and Jamie Mullen came on for Williams two minutes later. Michael Carr became the game's only cardee when he felled Willmott.
Courtney Pitt entered the fray on 57 in place of Reed, and a good ball from Carden just before the hour sent Willmott down the wing, the teenager cutting inside and seeing his shot blocked back to Carden, arriving in the box to blaze over the bar when he should at least have got a shot away on target. His U's goal tally remains as empty as a Scottish petrol pump.
Potter caught an ambitious effort from Steele on 63, then the hosts received a boost when injury-plagued striker Jonny Allan was introduced in favour of Burns. Willmott burst through the middle onto a Farrell ball but his first touch was heavy and his eventual shot was blocked away, while on 66 Willmott's looping cross found Pitt at the far post whose header was turned in by Vieira, but the offside flag denied the Brazilian his brace.
Beesley came on for McEvilly on 68 after a useful exercise in rust-shedding, Carr blasted wide on 70, Ryan Brown missed the target on 75 and Carr nodded Byrne's corner wide a minute later, but the United defence still looked in control.
Seven minutes from time the U's supporters learned that Torquay were losing at home to Crawley and Burton were 3-2 up on Exeter. Wishing United to remain in third so as to face fourth-placed Burton rather than the infinitely longer trip to Exeter, they exhorted their side not to score again lest they overtake Torquay on goal difference and move into second. And, wouldn't you know it, within a minute the U's had doubled their lead.
Beesley was the creator, finding Vieira in the left channel eight yards out, and he spun and flashed a low angled shot across Tynan and in at the far post before the keeper could move. 2-0.
The amber hordes celebrated, but then began to urge Northwich to attack and pull one back, but their toothless attack foundered on United's steely back line. Meanwhile, Crawley were going two up at Torquay only to be almost immediately pulled back to 2-1, while Burton extended their lead to 4-2.
United continued to attack in the dying minutes, Beesley seeing a skimmer blocked by Welch and Pitt cutting in from the right to fire over with his left, while Exeter pulled one back at Burton.
Then the final whistle sounded and both sets of fans paid prolonged tribute to their respective heroes, the mutual applause prolonged and sincere as JQ was handed a congratulations card. Such warmth between team and supporters has been unheard of in many a long year and will remain long in the memory.
But the drama was still not finished. No sooner had the PA announced "It looks like Cambridge are playing Exeter..." as the fans started filing out of the ground, than the news came through that Exeter had pulled the score back to 4-4 in the sixth minute of added time at the Pirelli Stadium. Now Burton awaited us. Celebrations broke out all over again as the prospect of a shorter trip to a more beatable opponent opened out before us.
It was a tired but happy Cambridge contingent which finally, reluctantly, dragged itself away from the scene of the team's fourth away win in a row and fourth win in its last five games, the last three all by two goals to nil. Burton on a Friday awaits the league's most in-form team. We fear no-one now. Bring it on!
Statto Corner
Magno Vieira became the ninth forward to score for United this season, after Messrs Fortune-West, Rendell, Robinson, Knights, McEvilly, Boylan, Jeffery and Beesley. This is the highest total since 2000-01 when eleven strikers found the net. Remember this lot? Tom Youngs, Zema Abbey, Paul Connor, Richie Humphreys, Omer Riza, John Taylor, Jonas Axeldal, Marcus Richardson, Dave Kitson, Richard Logan and Steve Slade.
United last won four consecutive away league games in their last four away matches of the 1993-94 season. And what a spectacular set of results they were: 2-0 at Fulham, 5-0 at Exeter, 3-0 at Plymouth and 7-2 at Cardiff. Steve Butler scored two of the three hat-tricks he notched within a month at Exeter and Cardiff. Needless to say, the U's were relegated the next season.
The last time United kept three clean sheets in a row was, ironically, in their last three games (for now) in the Football League at the end of 2004-05, drawing 0-0 at home to Rochdale, winning 1-0 at Rushden and finishing with another goalless Abbey draw with Notts County.
The U's last won three games without conceding a goal back in February/March 1999, defeating Southend 3-0 at home, Exeter 3-0 away and Hull 2-0 at the Abbey. The only defenders who started all three games were Ben Chenery, Ian Ashbee and keeper Arjan Van Heusden.
Player Ratings
Potter 7. Immaculate when needed, mainly to deal with inswinging corners, but not exactly his busiest day.
Gleeson 8. Proved again he is a top-quality right-back.
Peters 8. United's golden oldie was a tower of strength as usual.
Coulson 8. His young apprentice was equally impressive.
Brown 8. Excellent display of cool but muscular defending.
Willmott 7. Made the inevitable mistakes a kid making his full debut will, but improved as the game went on and gained invaluable experience.
Carden 8. Splendidly reliable as ever.
Farrell 7. Good, solid effort.
Reed 7. Played his part in a professional team performance.
McEvilly 7. The rust shows, but he has lost none of his hulking presence.
Vieira 9. Saved his best until last.
Pitt 6. Some way from his best but did not let anyone down.
Beesley 7. Busy and alert.
Match Summary
A shadow U's side continued United's splendid season run-in with a cool, controlled defeat of another of the league's form teams. There is no better habit than winning.
Man of the Match
Magno Vieira. Excellent valedictory performance of vision and pace which gave Northwich all sorts of problems for ninety minutes, amply rewarded with two well-taken goals.
Ref Watch
Richardson 6. Peculiarly inconsistent effort from the man in black, penalising some very innocuous challenges while completely ignoring some glaringly obvious ones. Thankfully he made no difference to the result.
Non-League Player's Name of the Week
Woodford United's David Hoppitt.
Soundtrack of the Day
iLiKETRAiNS 'We Go Hunting'
The MP3 Files
Mark Peters lends an ear to the Marston's Arena sounds. "I think most people of my age have a soft spot for the 'baggy' era of rock at the start of the Nineties. I admit I was tempted away from my Classic Rock roots by the flared trousers and dancey rhythms of those 'Madchester' bands, not to mention some rather dodgy hairstyles, although I was never all that keen on all that 'rave' nonsense. Not enough melody and too many dubious substances, look you!
"They certainly haven't forgotten that time at Northwich, because that's just about the only music they play: Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, Primal Scream, they were all there, although thankfully they had the taste to omit Candy Flip! A few 'footie' tunes were thrown in (The Great Escape, Tom Hark) and it was all a rather pleasant end-of-season (though not for us!) selection, not very original or demanding but listenable enough. Hwyl! MP3 verdict: 7/10."
Andrew Bennett
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