In what felt like a must win game for Stretford Paddock, Haydock FC gave the Manchester side another reality check, putting 4 goals past them. Individual errors, a lack of creativity and most apparently, being outfought all led to a cataclysmic 4-0 defeat. 4 points from 3 games is not the that start Paddock wanted to life in the Cheshire League.
Less than 3 minutes into the game, Haydock stamped their authority. Good pressure from Haydock on the Paddock defence led to a Mikey Burke error and subsequently a Haydock corner. The corner was whipped into the near post with pace and met by Haydock’s striker. He accurately guided the ball through the legs of Ronaldo Brown and into the back of the net.
Just like on Wednesday, Paddock had conceded early but this time they didn’t respond well. Minutes later, another Haydock corner was headed towards the top corner, only being stopped by a spectacular save by Victor Gimenez.
Paddock needed 10 minutes until they got their first chance of the game. Kieron Molloy showed excellent skill and dynamic body movement to beat 2 Haydock defenders. His shot from the edge of the box drifted narrowly over the bar.
Halfway through the first half, it was evident that Paddock were missing key players. Cam Watters, Kayode Adewale and Dom Molloy all showed great physical presence in Paddock’s first two matches, and they were missed. Haydock had beaten Paddock to almost every ball and in the centre of the park and were very much ‘up for it’. Perhaps the presence of the YouTube cameras were working against Stretford Paddock this weekend.
HT: Haydock 1-0 Stretford Paddock
Paddock came out for the second half and tried to play in behind the channels of the Haydock defence but again, found difficulty in being first to the ball. In the 51st minute, Paddock received a real blow. Defender, Tommy MacFarlane, tried to stop a 1-on-1 between Victor Gimenez and the Haydock number 9 but clipped the forward, resulting in a penalty kick. The penalty was perfectly placed into the top right corner and Paddock had conceded in the early stages of a half once again.
A few minutes later, Stretford Paddock were slightly unlucky. Joao de Andrade seemed to be slapped in the face by the Haydock left back however, the referee did not see the incident and no red card was shown. Had one been given, the game might well have changed there and then.
With half an hour to go, manager, Stephen Howson, rolled the dice with a double change. Debutant: Bakare and entered the field but struggled to make too much of an impact. Stretford Paddock continued to be out-battled all the way though the second half.
In the 72nd minute, a rushed goal kick from Jimenez fell straight to the feet of the Haydock forward. He simply played it across goal and his attacking counterpart slotted it into the empty net. 3-0.
The last 20 minutes saw the game quieten down and become uneventful. Just before the final whistle was blown however, a freekick on the edge of the box was nicely slotted into the top corner by Haydock right back.
FT: Haydock 4-0 Stretford Paddock
Stretford Paddock: Victor Gimenez, Ryan Pickering (76’ Ronaldo Brown), Tom MacFarlane, Michael Burke, Will Hobson (46’ Aftab Jan), James Oatt (C), Nosa Iyamu, Ben Pearson (46’ Ezequiel Paulo Incaque), Kieron Molloy (65’ Daniel Bakare), Joao de Adrade
By Andre La Barbera
