Premier Round-up: Buxton move within one point of the top

Second placed Buxton headed into this fixture three points behind South Shields, and needing a win to keep up the pressure on the Mariners, they faced a trip to Lancashire to do battle against promotion chasing Bamber Bridge, who had only managed to claim one point in their last five fixtures.

Buxton started the game strongly, stretching Bamber Bridge around the pitch with some nice passing moves.

Despite Bamber Bridge putting up a stern resistance, it would be Buxton who took the lead 25 minutes in thanks to Diego De Girolamo, who broke past the defensive line of the Brig following a quick counter-attack, seeing his effort going past the line despite goalkeeper James Cottam managing to get a hand to the shot.

The Bucks hit the ground running in the second half, doubling their lead through Warren Clarke who fired home a cross just one minute after the interval.

Diego De Girolamo would then earn a brace after converting Tom Elliott’s through ball, bringing his goal tally to 12 this season.

An impressive second half performance by the Bucks was capped off when Jason Gilchrist, who had replaced De Girolamo, made an instant impact off of the bench, hitting the back of the net eleven minutes before full-time.

The victory means that Buxton are now unbeaten in seven consecutive league games, winning five of these, while Bamber Bridge suffered their third loss in a row.

Speaking on his team's performance after the match, Buxton head coach Steve Cunningham was disappointed by what he saw in the first-half, but that his team completely dominated in the second-half of the fixture.

“First-half we weren’t at the races. We took a 1-0 against the run of play, I was not happy with the work rate, ball retention or the shape. I was not happy with anything to be honest.

“We came out in the second-half and we blew them away. Scoring two quick goals allowed us to relax and we played some really good football. Everything that was wrong in the first-half was flipped on its head in the second, a fantastic end.”

Matlock Town also remained in contention for the Premier Division title, as they came away with a 2-1 victory away at Gainsborough. The Gladiators’ resolve was tested as Gainsborough took the lead 53 minutes into the encounter through Jovon Makama, before two goals in five minutes from Liam Hughes and Ross Hannah ensured that Matlock came away with their first win in their last five fixtures.

League leaders South Shields hit another stumbling block in their bid to claim the title, as they were held to a 1-1 draw away to Stafford Rangers. Stafford took the league before half-time thanks to a goal from Joe Cuff, before the Mariners equalised 54 minutes in after Nathan Lowe converted his effort. South Shields remain in first place, but have conceded ground to the chasing pack of Buxton and Matlock.

Ashton United came out on top in the Tameside derby against local rivals Stalybridge Celtic. Connor O’Grady gave the Celts the lead 27 minutes in which forced Ashton to fight back. The Robins equalised with 20 minutes to go through Florian Yonsian, but a late goal from Ekow Coker would break the Celts hearts, giving Ashton their third consecutive victory.

Elsewhere, Nantwich Town continued their impressive battle to stave off relegation as they held off promotion chasing Whitby Town to claim a 1-0 victory at home. The Dabbers have earned 9 points from their last five games, moving them six points clear of Witton, who occupy the final relegation spot. Whitby on the other hand have only claimed 5 points from their last five games.

Bottom of the table Grantham Town are experiencing a late resurgence as they battle to stay in the Premier Division. The Gingerbreads claimed their sixth victory of the season at home against Morpeth Town, beating the Highwaymen 3-2 after two Morpeth players and one Grantham Player had been shown a red card. The Gingerbreads have earned 8 points from their last five fixtures moving them onto 26 points, just four behind Witton.

Radcliffe leapfrogged over Basford United into 13th with a 3-0 win over their rivals at home; meanwhile, Hyde United claimed a crucial three points against Atherton Collieries, which places them on 36 points and more importantly gives them a six point cushion above the relegation zone.

Photo credits: Darren Murphy