A battling performance at Chadderton FC’s Andrew St ground at the weekend saw IRLAM FC come away with a share of the points, a 2-2 draw which saw Ryan Mcdonagh and Ryan Mcgreevy on target for the Silver St side.
The draw keeps Irlam in fifth position in NWCFL Div One, as they prepare for the trip to Daisy Hill at the weekend where they begin their Challenge Cup campaign
First chance of the match went to Chadderton skipper Pauley, his shot easily collected by Brewer as Irlam set about their business on a difficult, uneven pitch that probably suited neither side.
Ten minutes in and the match burst into life when Ryan Mcdonagh collected the ball just outside the Chadderton area, and with a drop of the shoulder wrong footed his marker to spin and fire a shot into the top left hand corner of the goal to open the scoring in spectacular fashion.
At the other end, Chadderton’s lively no9 Niall Sultan was in behind Irlam’s back four to fire wide a real chance for the home side to draw level.
With Irlam gaining decent possession, an enforced substitution saw Irlam’s midfield weakened when Jordan Smith exited the field with a groin strain.
Down the right side, Gareth Mooney set off on a terrific run, cutting inside at the last minute only for the ball to run agonisingly away from the no7 as he seemed sure of a chance to score.
Mcdonagh had a chance to put Irlam 2 up in the game, when a Norcross pass into the feet of the Irlam striker saw Mcdonagh volley just over the bar.
Irlam’s Mcgreevy, pushing in from the right forced an Irlam corner that led to skipper Steve Mills heading just over the bar as the score remained 1-0
Last chance of the half for Irlam fell to Jordan Icely, a ball in from the right from Mooney found the Irlam no10, only for Icely to be crowded out at the last minute.
As the match official looked to be ending the first half, a harmless ball into the Irlam goal area saw a weak clearance out, and Chadderton no6 John Rogers was on hand to fire back in through a sea of bodies to score the equaliser in the 48th minute t make it 1-1 at the break.
The second half started with a flurry, Irlam skipper Mills bringing down Chadderton’s Sultan in a straight run to goal was relieved to see a yellow card when the match official caught up.
The resulting free kick saw Chadderton’s Matt Russell line up his shot, and though the home forward seemed to have not much to aim at, a low drive went straight through the Irlam defensive wall to give the home side a 2-1 lead, much to everybody’s disappointment.
Irlam weren’t finished however, and five minutes later it was Chadderton’s turn to lose concentration, and when a lofted ball from left back Alex Barlow found Mcdonagh , the Irlam no9 raced to the goal line before cutting a perfect cross back to the unmarked Mcgreevy who fired in low into the Chadderton goal for the equaliser.
As the game flowed both ways, it was the home side that picked up a few chances, Irlam full back Lomas clearing a certain goal off the line before Chadderton’s Russell fired over the bar. With 20 minutes remaining.
Irlam substitute Whitehead came off the bench and made an immediate impact, two shots in quick succession which raised Irlam’s game as both sides went in search of the winner.
Irlam keeper Brewer brought off the save of the match as Chadderton’s Danny Hudson fired low down to the Irlam keepers near post, only for Brewer to get down for a game saving block.
With 10 minutes left, the introduction of Hutchinson for Irlam had the home side hanging on, with the Irlam substitute going close with a free kick, followed by a strike past Latham in the Chadderton goal, only for Hutchinson to be denied by the linesman’s flag.
A flurry of corners from Irlam saw the home side hang on in the dying minutes, with the Silver St side finding no way past a very reliable Latham in the home sides goal, and as the Chadderton no1 collected the ball again in his area, the whistle blew to end proceedings, with a point apiece that neither team could complain about.
Elsewhere, Irlam FC Reserves posted an excellent result in the NWCFL Res Division, a 3-1 victory over AFC Darwen at the weekend at Silver St. Goals came courtesy of Lawlor, Mills and Man of the match Lewis Rathbone.
Irlam FC under 18’s came away from Hyde FC on Sunday with a creditable draw in the NWYA league. Despite being 3-1 down at one point, goals from Jordan and a brace from Main ensured the Silver St side gained a share of the points.