Chadderton 3-0 Cheadle Town

Cheadle's last away match of the 2006-2007 season ended in a wet and windy defeat as Chadderton ran out convincing 3-0 winners.

I normally make spoken notes into my mobile phone with each chance or incident that passes in the match so, when I do these match reports, I get the idea of the pattern of the game. On listening to them again, I realise how dominant Chadderton were in terms of chances on goal.

The signs were somewhat ominous after 8 minutes when Chadderton had a goal disallowed after a striker had been put through with a teasing pass. On 16 minutes the woodwork denied them as a lobbed shot crashed off the Cheadle crossbar.

It took Cheadle 20 minutes to create their first real significant chance on goal, but what a chance it was. Heathy made great work down the right wing and put in a cross to the far post that Macca should have buried; instead he skied it into the proverbial 'Row Z' and the chance of a foothold in the game was gone.

Chadderton kept pressing and forced Cheadle 'keeper Danny Smith into a spectacular tip over the bar. On the 37 minute mark, Chadderton finally broke through as a cross was sent in from the left and slid home at the far post. Half-time, 1-0 to Chadderton.

A horrendous start to the second half resulted in Cheadle being cast further adrift. On 48 minutes, Neil Logan missed a clearing header allowing a Chadderton striker through on goal. He didn't miss.

Ironically, Cheadle then had chances to draw level in the next five minutes. First of all Macca saw a shot skid just wide of the post and then a couple of minutes later he put a header wide and all.

On the hour mark, it was effectively game over as a cross was put in from the left with a Chadderton striker sidefooting home from the centre of the area. It would have been four on 70 minutes had a shot of theirs not hit the post and rolled across the goal-line. Chadderton had many other half-chances and Cheadle had some good passages of passing play but I'd given up on making my spoken notes by then as I was getting very wet.

That rain - which had started to fall just after the second goal went in - fell steadily but failed to dampen our spirits as we cheered the lads on for the last time away from home this season. I think we even managed to raise a smile from the bench and from some of the players with our newly-concocted songs.

Ah well, you can't win them all. The pie, peas and gravy at Chadderton were lovely, though....

TEAM: Smith,D Brokenbrow, B Roberts, Cotterill, Logan, Brocklehurst, Riley, Heath, Flanagan, McDonagh, Hussain. Subs: Howse, Hill, S Brokenbrow