Adam Yates reports from the Neuven Stadium…
Marine recorded their first back to back victories of the season with a deserved 1-0 win away to Radcliffe. The result puts daylight between the Mariners and some of the other teams fighting to survive as well as bringing Marine closer to those above, including today’s opponents.
The starting line up threw out a couple of surprises to the fans who made the short trip to Neuven Stadium. Josh Wardle was ineligible to play due to an agreement between the two teams that allowed the player to return to the MTA earlier in the year. Joe Mattock was injured and loanee Andrew Wogan had returned which meant that keeper Max Metcalfe, who was an emergency loan himself, returned to his parent club.
Goals have never been an issue at the home of Radcliffe FC. On average, they get to see nearly four a game, the highest in the National League North. However, the first half proved to be anything but. The only side with any attacking threat was Marine. Boro were sloppy in clearing balls from danger and the likes of Leigh Whelan, Hazlehurst and Sinclair-Smith mopped up second chances and charged at the flanks again and again. Half chances from James Butler and Chris Doyle were thwarted but the defenders also did their jobs at the back, heading and clearing balls much more successfully than their hosts.
The second half began in the same fashion until a breakthrough three minutes in, by a now familiar sight…
In his last five games, defender Chris Doyle had bagged three goals and he added a fourth in front of his visiting fan club of supporters. Leigh Whelan, another player in top form, played creator, drilling in a low but direct ball that met the head of Doyle and gave Marine the lead.
Marine took their foot off the gas slightly whilst Radcliffe began to get more luck in the final third but their chances were tame and lacked finesse. Their luck got worse when a recent substitute, Jude Oyibo had to be replaced after a clash with Kallan Murphy. Oyibo was eventually stretchered off with a potential knee injury. They continued to press Marine regardless but the likes of Josh Shaw, James Brown and the aforementioned Butler and Doyle were competent in their abilities and gave chances to Harvey Gregson and Whelan to run the ball into the centre of the park to distribute as they saw fit.
Marine made changes to shore up the three points and they saw out the game effectively for a tenth clean sheet. Due to results elsewhere, Marine had again moved out of relegation and moved into a new realm of hope that they are in charge of their own destiny and that they may remain a National League team come the end of April.
Radcliffe:
1 Mateusz Hewelt, 3 Scott Duxbury, 4 Rick Smith (C), 8 George Glendon, 10 Anthony Dudley (Tunde Owolabi 79′), 14 Luca Navarro (Jude Oyibo 64′), 15 Brad Roscoe, 16 Harrison Wood (Tom Walker 64′), 24 Matt Sargent, 28 Regan Riley (Lois Maynard 79′), 34 Danny Greenfield
Unused subs: None
Marine:
26 Andrew Wogan, 4 Leigh Whelan, 5 Chris Doyle (C), 6 James Butler, 8 Harvey Gregson, 9 Bobby Grant (Andy Scarisbrick 77′), 11 Kallan Murphy (Adam Thomas 90+1′), 17 Jack Hazlehurst (Owen Robinson 86′), 20 Finlay Sinclair-Smith (Enock Lusiama 86′), 23 James Brown, 28 Josh Shaw
Unused subs: 27 Toby Jones
Attendance: 1050
Man of the match – Chris Doyle