This weekend, there were two games taking place in the SportsReach Football league, with Great Ecc making the short trip to face Quernmore, who were hoping for a performance similar to their last game vs. Great Ecc, whilst with Fulwood vs. Wray and Loko vs. Moorlands called off, Loko made the trip down the M6 to face Fulwood. Both games that took place were good and tight games, with all four teams battling hard to try and get a good result from the game.
Fulwood 6 – 0 Loko
C. Mason 17, Alexander 27, 83, 87, Garratt 80, E. Mason 84 //
In this hastily re-arranged game, Loko made the trip down to Fulwood, hoping to repeat their 3-1 victory a few weeks ago. Fulwood, however, have been in good form recently, getting some good results against good sides. Fulwood started the better and had much of the first half go their way, firstly with young Conor Mason turning home for Fulwood in the 17th minute before Calum Alexander doubled that lead in the 27th minute, his fifth goal in 3 games now. He is in great form! Loko continued to battle hard and looked to try and secure a way back into the game, but it was to no avail, the Fulwood defence was at its stubborn best. That didn’t put Loko off though, continuing to battle throughout the first half. Both sides knew they were in a tight and tough game, with one goal either way completely changing the result of the game. Half time came with Fulwood 2-0 up. The second half continued much like the first half, both sides battling hard and cancelling each other out, with no goals to be seen for a large chunk of the half. Loko were beginning to sustain a few injuries which weren’t helping their cause to get back into the game, but they knew one goal could change the game massively. Fulwood too had a couple of good chances and knew a third goal would change the complexion of the game. Coming into the last 10 minutes, the game was finely balance and both sides battling hard. There was a flurry of goals in the last 10 minutes of the game, that completely blew Loko away. By the time they had recovered from Fulwood’s third, another 3 had gone in, that was the speed that Fulwood were scoring at during this flurry! It was started off by a smart finish from Fulwood manager Danny Garratt, firing home for 3-0 in the 80th minute, soon followed by Calum Alexander’s second goal of the game in the 83rd minute. Fulwood’s attackers were enjoying themselves and soon winger Ellis Mason got in on the act, scoring for Fulwood in the 84th minute, another tidy finish. Calum Alexander the completed his hat trick – his second in as many games – in the 87th minute to complete the flurry of goals. Quite remarkable! A scoreline that wouldn’t have been expected in the 79th minute and Loko will be ruing the scoreline considering how well they played throughout the game.
Quernmore 0 – 3 Great Ecc
// Dridi 36, 82, Hogarth 72
Following the two sides last game, when Great Ecc squeezed past Quernmore with a 4-3 victory, Quernmore came into the game confident that they may get a result out of the game. Both sides lined up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Great Ecc starting the better of the two sides, causing Quernmore problems, playing nice balls in behind the defensive line, but keeper Alexander was equal to all the shots that came in. Quernmore were also playing some tidy stuff, wing backs Smith and Townley getting joy down the wings, but Quernmore were unable to get any meaningful shots in on target. Great Ecc were causing Quernmore some problems, especially from corners, hanging a man back on the edge of the box, resulting in a couple of chances for Great Ecc, giving Quernmore a couple of close warnings before eventually scoring with a chance like that in the 36th minute. Houssem Dridi hung back on the edge of the box and hit a rasping drive, taking a deflection on the way into the back of the net. It was a goal that Great Ecc arguably deserved, after causing Quernmore a number of problems early on. However, Quernmore continued to battle hard, trying to find a way back into the game. Quernmore were buoyed by their performance, despite losing, with the back three defending resolutely. Coming into half time, the score was 1-0 to Great Ecc. Both sides continued as they were doing, battling hard. Quernmore started the second half better and were starting to create some chances, though nothing to cause the Great Ecc keeper major problems. Both sides battled hard and were causing each other problems, but nothing to come close to scoring. Coming into the last 20 minutes, both sides knew a goal would be vital in deciding the result. In the 72nd minute, a ball was played into the box, cleared by Will Marsden but fell to the feet of Sam Hogarth who fired home into the bottom corner, a very nice finish. This was the goal Great Ecc needed to confirm the victory for them. 10 minutes later, Houssem Dridi completed the win with a lovely chipped finish over the head of Alexander, a 3-0 victory.