Cheadle Town 3 Alport 3
Whitchurch remain out in front at the top of the Hallmark Security League Division One table despite being held to a 3-3 draw by Cheadle Town on Saturday. Thabiso Magida’s equaliser two minutes from time denied Alport victory in an end to end game which saw the Reds pegged back three times. Town worked exceptionally hard for their point, just as they had done in the reverse fixture at Yockings back in November which ended goalless. But, and just like that scoreless affair six weeks ago, it was hard to deny that Cheadle were decent value for their point. There were several factors that decreed Whitchurch weren’t on their A game. A very heavy pitch sapped the energies of a naturally fit side but more than that, it stopped the team from playing in the style to which most connected with the club have become accustomed. Joint-manager Carl Everall had to come off 10 minutes before the interval with what turned out to be a couple of broken ribs, and at half-time Oli Jepson also had to come off with lower back pain. And on top of all that, they conceded a goal which 99 times out of a hundred would have landed in someone’s back garden, and not the back of Danny Read’s net.
Alport should have scored in a little over a minute when Si Everall latched onto an Alex Hughes pass to go one-on-one with Cheadle keeper Dane Smith. But Smith blocked the striker’s effort and Everall had another opportunity just past the quarter hour but with the ball on his left side he chose to cut inside and the chance was lost. It soon became third time lucky for the Reds captain though when some really good build up play saw Mike Blundell thread the ball into a gap, and Everall found the bottom corner with a sweet connection of his left boot to open the scoring on 24 minutes. Twin brother Carl saw his afternoon curtailed when he took the full force of the ball in an attempt to block a cross, and that saw Stevie McNichol enter the fray despite not feeling fit enough to start. Smith once again became Si’s nemesis with another fine save to deny Alport a second and with the half-time whistle looming, the away side appeared to be in cruise control. But before it came, a ball over the top caught defender Ryan Thomas in two minds and having decided to let the ball bounce, it left Matthew Todd with the simple task of lifting the ball over Read for an undeserved leveller.
Wes Nelson came on for Jepson and did well down the right hand side. But when Whitchurch went back in front the play was on the opposite flank. Everall laid the ball off to the marauding Elliot Ledwards, and although the defender’s first touch appeared slightly heavy, it drew the foul and the referee pointed to the spot. Alport had missed a late pen in the corresponding fixture but Blundell blasted the ball hard and low sending Smith the wrong way, much to the delight of another sizeable away following. But they were left stunned five minutes later when Jason Pickering latched onto a ball 40 yards out, and blasted a superb left footed shot over the back-pedalling Read to make it 2-2. Rhys Webb was then denied by Alport’s number one who made a terrific save and then Everall swivelled in the box and shot a yard or so wide with the game now a highly entertaining edge of your seat affair. And just a minute later, Blundell picked out the top corner with an angled drive that gave Smith absolutely no chance. Alport needed a cushion with a one goal lead looking fragile and 25 minutes still to play, and they were under pressure particularly from set plays. With time running out and the game still on a knife edge, Magida pounced from 10 yards to stab the ball into the net and had Matt German’s studs been half an inch longer, the Reds would have been hit with the ultimate killer blow two minutes into added on time. That would have been cruel to take for the players and staff who, although disappointed not to have seen the game out, can take plenty of positives from an unbeaten league run that has now been stretched to seven games.