Clee never recovered from conceding two early goals and were eventually well-beaten 4-1 by an impressive Stamford outfit on Saturday afternoon. A late strike from Jon Oglesby was the only small consolation for the travelling faithful on a disappointing day.

Dave Smith went with an unchanged starting XI. The only changes came on the bench, where there were places for new-signing Harry Middleton and veteran defender Matt Bloomer.

The side lined-up as follows:

Goal: Theo Richardson
Defence: Sam Topliss, Tim Lowe, Oli Donald, Josh Lacey
Midfield: Conor Marshall, Alex Flett (c), Lewis Collins
Attack: Curtis Bateson, Scott Vernon, Brody Robertson

Subs: Paul Walker, Harry Middleton, Brandon Buckley, Jon Oglesby, Matt Bloomer

With 1st playing 3rd, the encounter was highly anticipated and it got underway in bitterly cold conditions, with a biting wind assisting the Daniels in the first period.

The elements had a hand in the first goal as well in the 5th minute. A corner from the left was only half-cleared but the ball hung in the air and Sean Wright nodded home from very close range.

Buoyed by the early advantage, Stamford produced a fine move after 12 minutes to double their advantage. Vince fed Brown-Hill on the left wing and the cross was perfect for Tom Siddons, who had ghosted in at the far post, to power a downward header into the net (pictured).

Much the same vein for the remainder of the half, with the Owls feeding on a very limited diet of half-chances. Tim Lowe saw yellow for dissent, as frustration grew. In fact, it came as a relief when the whistle blew, which would allow time to regroup.

HT Stamford 2 (Wright 5, Siddons 12) Cleethorpes Town 0

Robertson had an opening shortly after the restart, but his flick beyond stopper Haystead was cleared by Brown-Hill.

Any hope that Clee could force their way back into the contest was effectively ended shortly before the hour. Matwaza surged to the by-line on the right and his low cross was somewhat unluckily struck into his own goal by Tim Lowe, as the defender stretched to attempt a clearance.

All three subs were introduced in the next phase. Off went Josh Lacey, Lewis Collins and Scott Vernon. Jon Oglesby and Brandon Buckley entered the fray, alongside Harry Middleton for his debut in an Owls’ shirt.

Not much respite was too be had though, with a fourth coming in the 82nd minute. Keeper Richardson was harried by Morgan. The ball fell loose and Tendai Chitiza, who had been a thorn-in-the-side for Clee all afternoon, lofted goalwards. Despite an acrobatic clearance from Donald, the assistant ruled that it had crossed the line.

Jon Oglesby did produce a little crumb of comfort for the shell-shocked visitors near the end. Picking up play in centre-field, the sub powered forward and let fly with an effort that appeared to wrong-foot Haystead.

FT Stamford 4 (Wright 5, Siddons 12, Lowe og 58, Chitiza 82) Cleethorpes Town 1 (Oglesby 87) Attendance: 280

Very much a day to forget! The final score did not flatter Stamford, who showed why they lead the pack.

Just 8 points in 8 games away from Linden is certainly a cause for concern. Perhaps more worryingly is that the last couple (Worksop & Stamford) have seen very poor displays. Certainly no need to panic as yet, with us still sitting 3rd in the table. Nevertheless, the management need to find the system to make us much more solid when on the road.

Anyway, to finish on an optimistic note, 4 of our next 6 fixtures in the NPL are at Linden, starting with a cracker on Sunday against Ilkeston. If we can continue with our superb home results, hopefully we can get right back into contention for the title.

My man-of-the-match is Martin – the bus driver… see you next week!!

Details:
Sunday 22nd December – 3pm
Ilkeston Town – BetVictor Northern Premier League
Linden, Clee Road, Grimsby, DN32 8QL

Admission:
Adults £8, Concessions £5, Under 16s £2

UP THE OWLS!