Pre-season round-up: Wins for Hyde, Ashton and Mossley

Sunday, 16 August 2020 20:57

With the start of the 2020/21 season not far away, our local football clubs don't have long to prepare on the pitch for their long-awaited return to competitive action.

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, their pre-season friendlies continue to be played behind closed doors - with no fans able to attend.

Hyde United, Curzon Ashton, Ashton United and Mossley AFC all played, Curzon's women's team were big winners but Stalybridge Celtic Ladies lost, and Hattersley FC played a special match at the Ken Ward Centre. We round up all the games over the weekend...

Robins finding their feet

New signing Millenic Alli netted a hat-trick as Ashton United left it late to see off Clitheroe 4-2 in a six-goal thriller at Shawbridge.

After a 3-0 win away at Euxton Villa FC at the start of the month, it's two wins from two games in pre-season so far for the Robins.

On 20 minutes, Alli curled home a superb free-kick to open the scoring. The exciting recruit from South Shields doubled the lead five minutes before the break, collecting James Wilson's pass before dummying past a defender and finishing emphatically with his left foot.

It was almost 3-0 early in the second half but Joel Bembo-Leta hit the woodwork after being set up by a header from fellow defender Michael Raynes - the former Hartlepool, Carlisle and Stockport County man who was making his Ashton debut.

The Lancashire hosts roared back to level matters with two goals in nine minutes - the first was a low finish from Ross Dent who got on the end of Kieran Feeney's ball into the box, before former Ashton forward Craig Hobson's cross was allowed to reach Feeney who slid the ball home from close range.

It looked like it was heading for a draw but Michael Clegg's visitors had other ideas as, with five minutes remaining, stand-in skipper John Pritchard rifled home a free-kick from just outside the box and then Alli sealed the win with a fine left-foot finish to complete his treble.

Tigers roar into life

Jack Dyche bagged a brace as Hyde United eased past Yorkshire Amateurs with a 5-1 victory at Ewen Fields on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers went in front on 27 minutes as Louis Myers followed up his initial effort which was saved by goalkeeper Graham McLachlan, but the visitors notched a surprise equaliser just two minutes later when Stephen Crawford's long-distance shot found the net via a deflection off Tom Morris.

Dave McGurk's men quickly seized control again with two goals in the final six minutes of the first half, through Paddy Lane's audacious chip and Tom Pratt's effort which went in via the woodwork, to go into the break 3-1 up.

Dyche, who played the first half at right-back, moved further up the pitch after the break and didn't take long to make an impact. He increased the tally with two goals before the hour mark - one a chip into the net and the other a fine low drive after latching on to defensive uncertainty from the visitors.

Curzon beaten but women hit eleven

Curzon Ashton are still looking for their first win of pre-season after their second friendly outing ended in a 3-2 defeat against Squires Gate, who play in the North West Counties Premier Division.

The Nash's goals at the Brian Addison Stadium in Blackpool came from a trialist and new signing Connor Hughes, who joined from Colne FC earlier in the week.

It followed a goalless draw at Buxton the weekend before for Steven Cunningham's side, who are set to begin their National League North season on Saturday 3 October.

Meanwhile, Curzon Ashton's women's team went goal crazy in their friendly against Alder Ladies, running out 11-0 winners on Merseyside.

Holly Grimes got the Nashettes off to the perfect start with a stunning 25-yard shot inside five minutes and Nicole Thorp made it 2-0 six minutes later, rounding the keeper to slot home following a perfectly-weighted pass from captain Amy Smith.

Grimes got her second with another pearler from 25 yards which lobbed the keeper in the 20th minute, and Smith got her second assist with a precise pass to pick out Erin to run in and slot home for 4-0 just past the half-hour mark.

From provider to scorer, the skipper got in on the act with a fine finish into the bottom corner five minutes before the break.

The goals kept on coming after the break for a dominant Curzon and it was becoming a competition for the best strike of the game, as Stephanie Upsall unleashed another unstoppable strike from around 25 yards before Grimes completed her hat-trick with yet another stunner on 65 minutes to make it 7-0.

After a long lay-off through injury last season, Meg Stapleton marked her return with two goals - a sublime finish after skilfully beating a defender, before chipping the keeper from an acute angle after playing a one-two with Thorp.

There was still time to get into double figures as Tiff Lunn also notched a brace, tapping in after a mistake from the Alder Ladies keeper before completing the rout a minute from time by striking a loose ball first time.

Lilywhites in goalfest

After a 2-1 defeat to local rivals Stalybridge Celtic in their first pre-season friendly, Mossley came out on top 5-2 against Silsden AFC at the Cobbydale Construction Stadium on Saturday.

The Lilywhites announced on the day of the game that striker Harry Pratt and left-back Charley Leech had signed on as new manager David Fish added to his squad.

Pratt scored a brace and Ryan Shenton, Jordan Butterworth and Szymon Czubik were also on target in the warm-up game in West Yorkshire for Mossley.

Defeat for Celtic Ladies

Stalybridge Celtic Ladies suffered a second defeat in pre-season after losing 2-1 at AFC Bolton on Sunday, with Amy Marland scoring Celtic's goal.

It followed a high-scoring 5-3 loss at the hands of SK Vipers Ladies the previous weekend, in which Marland, Leanne Mansfield and Bekki Hall netted for Celtic.

Hattersley win to honour Dennis

A team of Hattersley Football Club coaches and players beat Follo FC 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at the Ken Ward Centre, in their inaugural Dennis O'Connell Trophy charity match.

The game was arranged in memory of Dennis, an avid Hattersley FC follower who was heavily involved with both the club and in the area, who sadly passed away last year.

The club said a great day was had by all and they hope to hold the match again next year.

Tameside Radio were also present to broadcast from the match.

See a collection of photos from the game here, taken by our photographer Nigel Wood: