> 2.12.2006

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The Pitmen march on once more, making it seventeen games unbeaten in the UniBond Premier this afternoon by completing a quick-fire double over Fleetwood Town with another odd-goal-in-three win over the Lancashire side. Manager Phil Starbuck kept faith in the same side that won 2-1 at Highbury last week, but brought in new signing Christian Moore to line up on the bench alongside Ross Dyer and the returning Chris White

A tepid first half saw both sides eyeing each other up, without any real fireworks. On thirteen minutes, Dave Whittaker tried his luck with a header from a Mario Pedro cross, but his effort was easily saved by Andy Banks

 Terry Henshaw was next to try his luck for the home side, but his first time effort on the volley sailed harmlessly over the bar and into the Heath Hayes terrace. The best chances of the half fell to the Pitmen mid way trough the first period, when a corner kick caused all sorts of confusion in the Fleetwood area, with the ball eventually falling to last week's goal hero Iain Screaton, whose stabbed effort was brilliantly saved by Banks down low at his near post. From the resulting corner, Darren Alexander headed narrowly wide of goal

 If the first half was only the warm-up act, then the second half certainly lived up to it's billing as the main course with action right from the restart. The home side came storming out of the blocks, and two minutes after half time they felt as though they had a case for a penalty, as a Fleetwood defender looked as though they handled the ball as they chased a through ball out of play in their own area

 From the resulting corner, a wicked deflection off another Fleetwood player saw one of his team-mates clear the ball off the goal line And still there was more; another corner swung in by Pedro, who had a mixed afternoon, was headed agonisingly wide of the far post by Whittaker

Both sides were giving it their all and Alexander paid the price for his combative nature after being caught square in the face by a flailing arm, which required attention after he started spewing blood from his nose. Whittaker again tested Banks with a firm shot on fifty eight minutes, before Moore came on on the hour for Franklin

 Almost immediately, against the run of play, Fleetwood took the lead, inevitably through former Pitman Andy Bell, who was allowed to run thirty yards with the ball unchallenged before striking a ball across Ryan Young and into the far corner of the net

 Hednesford's response was swift, with Phil Hadland unleashing a thirty yard piledriver that only just cleared the bar two minutes later. Then came the dramatic turnaround, with the Pitmen striking Fleetwood with a real double whammy

Firstly, on sixty seven minutes, Pedro's corner to the back post was met by a powerful header from Ross Adams, who went up with Gary Sucharewycz, to put the home side level

 Barely a minute later, a delightful ball from Moore found Hadland darting through the Fleetwood defence, before lifting the ball over the advancing Banks and lobbing the ball home. Hednesford continued to press, with Pedro's seventy ninth minute free kick bending just wide of goal, and Alexander's clever turn and shot just found the wrong side of the goal

For Fleetwood, speculative efforts from outside the area seemed their best bet, as Sucharewycz and Tom Marshall looked after everything in the air. A fine win, and more compelling evidence that Starbuck and co. have got this team going in exactly the right direction  cds

 Gateshead (A)

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Action from Keys Park:  1. Tom Marshall is followed   2. Terry Henshaw fails to get his head to the ball  3. A real ruck in the penalty area for Marshall, Alexander and Whittaker

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