STALYBRIDGE CELTIC 0 HINCKLEY UNITED 0

By ANDY GIBBS at BOWER FOLD

ON A ground where they conceded seven last season, United showed tremendous resolve to grind out a valuable point against one of their main rivals for a play-off place.

A point would have been considered a decent return before the game and it was made all the more creditable as they played the final three quarters of the game with only ten men following Paul Lister’s controversial sending-off.

The major talking point came midway through the first half. Joe O’Neill chased a long ball into United’s area, he was tackled by Lister who appeared to win the ball first, but referee Smith decided otherwise and awarded a penalty and with Lister being the last defender, he was shown a red card. O’Neill himself took the resultant spot kick, but Chris MacKenzie was the Hinckley hero as he dived to his left to keep out the well-struck kick with the visiting contingent feeling justice was served.

Prior to that incident, it was the home side who looked the likelier scorers. Playing their first home game in the league since early December they almost went in front in the opening couple of minutes, Dave Hankin’s solo run from halfway took him into the area where MacKenzie, alert to the danger, came off his line to block. After the home side wasted a free kick in a promising position, Michael Carr came close as his cross shot from the right hand corner of the area flashed wide of the far post.

After the sending-off, United re-grouped. Lee Collins replaced Jack Roberts as the unlucky youngster was sacrificed on his league debut, and they formed a solid defensive barrier that the home side couldn’t penetrate. Indeed, United themselves carved out a couple of chances, a long range effort from Matt West was saved at full stretch by David Carnell before, late in the half, West missed Hinckley’s best opportunity of the game. Having dispossessed the hesitant Steve Woods on the edge of his own area, West found himself with only Carnell to beat, but he dragged his shot narrowly wide.

The second half saw Celtic enjoy long spells of possession but they lacked the craft and guile to break down United’s resilent back-line in which Connor Franklin was quite outstanding. The home side were restricted to long range efforts in the main before O’Neill had a couple of half chances in the closing ten minutes, but he fired weakly at MacKenzie before latching onto Carnell’s huge clearance, he shot wide and The Knitters came away with a point.

HINCKLEY UNITED: MacKenzie, Cartwright, Franklin, Dillon, Lister, Mace, Hall, Gooding, West, (Eribenne, 45)), Roberts (Collins, 27), Taylor. Subs not used: Newton,  Hamilton, Storer.