Castleton Gabriels 3-1 Cheadle Town

What started off as a treat ended up being a trick as a Halloween horrow show unfolded on a cold night at Butterworth Park.

Cheadle made a boisterous start and had Castleton on the back foot for the majority of the first half. The best chance of the opening exchanges saw a Lindon chance parried by the 'keeper on 15 minutes. Cheadle got the lead they deserved on 35 minutes when Deano collected his parried shot and tucked it into an empty net. Two minutes later and it could have been 2-0: Adam Stewart putting his shot just wide after racing clear of his marker.

Four minutes later and the game started to turn on its head. A cross from the Castleton left wasn't properly cleared by Macca; the ball broke invitingly to a 'Gabriels forward who gobbled up the chance to square the match at 1-1. On the stroke of half-time Cheadle were down to ten men. A small altercation between the players got a bit out of hand, with Johnny Hussain being the one seeing red. Half-Time, 1-1.

With their momentum gone, a player down and Castleton with their tails up, Cheadle's second-half performance didn't really match that of the first. Castleton got their noses in front on 55 minutes when a minor misunderstanding in the defence allowed one of their forwards to advance on Mellor and plant a shot into the net. A clever turn-and-shot on the edge of the box after 65 minutes made it 3-1 and gave Cheadle the proverbial mountain to climb. They put the effort in - as they always do - but to be honest, they never looked like getting back into it.

After such a promising start - where Cheadle looked like they'd run away with the match - this defeat was a disappointment. Alas, onwards we march...to Bootle on Saturday, and the continuing quest for that first elusive point away from home.

Team: Mellor, Heath, B Roberts (Flanagan), McDonagh, A Roberts, Brocklehurst (Riley), Stewart, Hussain, Shaw (Kay), D Martin, Lindon. Subs: Flanagan, Riley, Kay

Photos: it was night-time, which means the usual small collection. However, if you fancy a gander, head here. You should know what to do by now once you get there....