Shortwood 4 Tytherington Rocks 3
Unisport Hellenic League Division 1
By Harry Ash
Shortwood emerged the winners in this seven goal encounter, with goals and drama bookending an eventful 90 minutes.
It took just under a minute for Tytherington to take the lead, Kyle Mead making the most of Wood’s disorganisation following a throw-in to run across the pitch from left to right before shooting back across Billy
Thomas into the bottom left-hand corner.
It took a while for the hosts to recover from that shock, but Joe Tryner levelled the score after fifteen minutes, stretching at the back post to volley home Fin Byrnes’ searching cross.
Five minutes later, Wood took the lead with another brilliantly executed goal. Dan Gayner latched onto a ball into the channel, before turning it inside to Martin Smith. Smith’s lay-off found Jordan Molyneux, who impudently and precisely picked out the top left-hand corner with a perfectly placed shot.
In a half notable for the clinical finishing of both sides, two more chances brought two more goals. First, Wood made it 3-1 when Ethan Royer cut in from the right and tested Peter Pykes with a dipping shot, only for Pykes’ parry to deflect off the inside of the post and fall to a grateful Gayner to tap in.
Gaffer tapes – Dan Gillespie
“We love making it difficult for ourselves. We get ourselves into some really good positions in games but have failed to kill off the opposition and have then conceded goals in important moments.
“Overall we deserved the win, I’m pleased with the reaction of the players once the opposition equalised, we could have folded but instead we put them under some serious pressure and got the deserved winner. I’m pleased for Keegan Bowes, he’s had to be patient but came off the bench last night to score the winner. It was a great moment.”
Just a few minutes later, and not long before the break, Tytherington reduced the deficit. Mead this time turned provider, finding Tom Bidder darting in from the right, and he finished emphatically, blasting into the
top corner.
For much of the second half, Shortwood’s killer instinct deserted them as they looked to wrap up the win.
With an hour gone, Wood were awarded a penalty after a shot was blocked with the outstretched arm of a defender. Pykes kept his team in it, though, producing an impressive save to deny Dom Kent from the spot.
Gayner too was thwarted by Pykes five minutes later, having turned Dan Wright’s cross towards goal. It always felt as though Tytherington could capitalise on these misses, and sure enough, midway through the half, a mix up between Tryner and Shay Lyons under a high ball gave Toby Waterman the chance to sit Thomas down with a dummy before making it 3-3.
Again, chances came and went for Wood as they searched desperately for a winner. The clearest fell to Smith, who could only fire over after Byrnes’ deflected shot had released him through on goal.
The winner finally arrived in the closing minutes, as substitute Keegan Bowes latched onto Gayner’s flick on, he met an awkwardly bouncing ball and found the bottom corner.
A fully deserved win takes Wood up to fifth in the table.
Shortwood: Billy Thomas, Sabally, Royer, (Ryley Mace 77), Byrnes, Tryner, Lyons, Molyneux, Kent (Price 85), Dan Gayner, Smith, Wright, (Bowes 62)
