Cleethorpes Town fell to a narrow defeat this evening to Albion Sports in their first home NCEL Premier Division tie. A 94th minute penalty settled the tie after it looked like the points were shared. Alex Cusack was the man who took responsibility deep into injury who coolly slotted the ball past Owls keeper Brad Beattie.

The Owls made two changes to the starting line-up from their 6-2 win at the weekend over Liversedge. Lawrence Heward came in for the injured Lee McFarland (warm-up injury) and Jack Richardson replaced the unavailable Alex Flett.

Albion on the other hand started with two ex-professional players in the form of ex-Bolton, Hull City and Rotherham United striker Delroy Facey and veteran winger Lee Elam, formerly of Southport, Yeovil Town and Exeter City to name a few.

The match started out with the visitors penning the Owls inside their own half however it was the hosts who had the first real chance of the game. Jonathan Oglesby shot on sight from 25 yards but Albion’s keeper Arron Brian was on hand to save the shot.

The first chance for the visitors came with six minutes on the clock as Delroy Facey headed narrowly over the bar from a corner delivered from the right.

The pressure kept on mounting for the Owls however breaking forward was not an issue as Brody Robertson’s bursts of pace seem to cause Albion some trouble when counter-attacking. This was evident when with just 9 minutes on the clock, Robertson linked well with captain Darren Hanslip inside the box, but the referee blew for a foul on the keeper after minimal contact by the captain with the goal gaping.

At the other end, Beattie had to think quickly when Elam tried to curl a shot past the keeper but he had seen it early and leapt to palm the shot away to safety.

Only three minutes later, Elam was once again causing a nuisance as he tried to chip Beattie from just outside the area but the back peddling Beattie was just quick enough to grab the ball out of the night sky.

Louis Grant, starting his second game of the season, was next on hand to test Albion’s keeper. He performed a pirouette with the ball, creating enough room to unleash a rasping effort from 20 yards but the keeper was more than equal to it.

The hosts kept putting pressure on Albion and had it not being for the defending of James Firth then Robertson would surely of scored with the goal at his mercy.

Robertson was again involved in the 21st minute but this time at the wrong end as he lost possession in a dangerous area just outside the box to Elam but he could not produce anything magical as his shot was tame and straight at Beattie.

The ball was in the back of the net just three minutes later, but the joy was short lived as the linesman on the far side had his flag up for offside after an Oglesby cross was flicked on by top goal scorer Marc Cooper but Grant was in an advance position according to the official.

Grant was fouled 25 yards out moments later and it was Cooper who took aim after scoring two free kicks on Saturday. However this one was off target and not in the back of the net like the other two was.

Elam was guilty of missing a great chance as the clock ticked over the 30 minute marker as he found himself inside the box, but his angled shot with the outside of the boot was wide of the mark with Beattie looking on helpless.

With only eight minutes of the half remaining tired legs were playing their part and Oglesby took full advantage of this as he travelled 40 yards with the ball but his skills on the way was not matched by his finish as it went wide of the mark.

The Owls kept up the pressure and the high line and forced a corner 45 seconds later. From which, centre-back Matthew Coleman had a great chance to open the scoring but he headed just wide having rose above his marker.

There was one final chance of the half and it fell to Oglesby however he headed over the bar after Luke Mascall did well on the wing to whip long cross in.

The referee blew his whistle moments later to signal the end of a very entertaining first half at the Bradley Community Stadium.

Both sides remained unchanged after the break as Albion sports restarted the game. It was Albion who had a great chance within the opening 30 seconds, as the Owls seemed to switch off. The ball pinged around the box, but eventually it fell to Delroy Facey but he swung and missed the ball completely however it then fell to James Grogan but his shot was blocked by Coleman saving a certain goal.

The second half had barely got underway and Albion had another opportunity as Ferdinand Annor skewed a shot wide of the mark from 15 yards out.

The Owls never seemed to get off the mark in the opening minutes after the break and once more it was Albion who spurned two great chances in 30 seconds. It was in the 53rd minute as Danny Facey first saw his one-on-one shot blocked by Beattie then seconds later he completely missed the target from 18 yards with the Owls defenders scrambling backwards.

The pressure was relieved a few minutes later as Oglesby tested the keeper’s skills from distance but he was more than equal to it on this occasion.

The Owls continued to press forward in this stage of the game and just as the hour mark elapsed Robertson managed to skew a shot wide after Oglesby had played a delicious cross-field ball to his fellow winger.

The Owls made their first substitution bringing on Jack Debnam and taking off Robertson in an attempt to mix things up. Just a few minutes later, the tired looking Grant was also replaced, by Chris Funnell, this time.

The changes made an immediate impact with Debnam and Funnell causing havoc as they tried to break the offside trap on many occasions.

With the game having only 15 minutes left, and Albion making two changes themselves, it was the visitors who where starting to have the better chances. In the 76th minute, Danny Facey was guilty of missing a sitter from inside the area.

The pressure was mounting, but it was the Owls on the up three minutes later as Oglesby went close from distance. It was then Funnell who saw his shot deflected wide after Debnam had held the ball up well and played it into his path.

Left-back Lawrence Heward then though he would try his luck from distance however his shot was well off target.

With the final five minutes approaching, Richardson, Funnell and Debnam all had good chances but failed to hit the target on each occasions. At the other end, Delroy Facey and Cusack also both came close to stealing the victory but the quality of finishing was lacking from both side.

The game looked like it was going to end 0-0, however both sides had a chance to win it at the end but only one took there’s. The first chance fell to Hanslip in the 92nd minute, Debnam played a diagonal ball in the path of Hanslip, who turned well but was stretching as he shot just inches wide of the mark.

At the other end, Delroy Facey went on a mazy run inside the box and was upended by an Owls defender leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the penalty spot. The spot kick was duly put away by Cusack sending the away fans into raptures.

The final whistle came near enough straight from the kick-off giving the Owls no chance to reply. The win for Albion Sports leaves them 12th in the table whilst the Owls finish the day in 6th. A point would have been fair however, it was not meant to be and we wish Albion Sports luck for the rest of the season. The lads can be proud of themselves for their valiant effort this evening.

The Owls not look forward to Saturday as they host Borrowash Victoria in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round at the Bradley Community Stadium. Kick-off is at 3pm. Gates open at 130pm. Admission prices are: Adults £5, Concessions £2, Under 16’s £2. ‘The Owl’, our award winning matchday programme will also be on sale for only £1.