Stretford Paddock with statement victory against St. Helens Town

By Dhruv Shah

Stretford Paddock 4 (Daniel Hugo 11’, Own Goal 26’, Damani Hall 33’, Claudio Costa 67’)
beat
St. Helens Town 0

Stretford Paddock had a lot of unanswered questions heading into the opening day of February, as they came up against St. Helens Town in the JA Walton Challenge Cup. They answered those questions emphatically, as they claimed a statement victory against Cheshire League 2 league leaders, defeating them 4-0 at the Project Solar Stadium.

Paddock went into the game against St. Helens Town on the back of an inspiring 2-2 draw against Newton Athletic in the last game of January, with Daniel Hugo scoring a goal in the dying embers to secure a point. On the other hand, St. Helens came into the match on the back of an unbeaten start to the season, and with high hopes of making it through to the next round.

Paddock began the game on the front foot, putting the away side under pressure straight away. Their efforts were rewarded as a corner from Claudio Costa found full-back Danny Hugo at the back post who put the ball in the back of the net in the 13th minute. The men in red amped up the pressure as the half wore on, resulting in an own goal by St. Helens Town in the 26th minute. In the 32nd minute, Claudio Costa was involved once more as a short corner resulted in a close attempt at goal. Paddock secured their 3rd goal of the game soon after, as Damani Hall went through on goal and slotted the ball into the back of the net. The goal by Damani made sure that the men in red went into the break holding a commanding lead over one of the strongest teams in the division.

At the start of the second half, Paddock coach Stephen Howson introduced 16-year old Dylan Wilson into the game, substituting Mike Taylor. Goalscorer Danny Hugo also made way in the 55th minute, as Alex Black came on for him. It seemed that St. Helens Town were growing into the game around the hour mark, as they hit the frame of the goal. However, those hopes came crashing down soon after, as Claudio Costa made it 4-0 in the 67th minute of the game.

Costa’s goal allowed coach Stephen Howson to rest some key players, as Costa, Hall and Zak Bell made way for Leland Irvine, Victor Iyumva and Alfie Derry in the 76th minute. Leland created an instant impact after coming on, creating a huge chance but St. Helens were let off the hook at the death.

Despite the 4-0 scoreline, it was centre back Michael Olatunji who bagged the Player of the Match award, with his commanding performance at the back nullifying the threat of St. Helens and giving the reds a strong foundation to express themselves freely on the pitch. Coach Howson and the men in red will be gearing up for the upcoming games after a scintillating display against the league leaders, knowing full well that the sky’s the limit for this team.

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