MARINE CLOSE GAP AT THE TOP TO TWO POINTS AFTER COMFORTABLE VICTORY

Ryan Wignall scored his third goal in as many games, helping Marine to a 2-0 win at 1874 Northwich.  

Early proceedings saw both sides struggle to maintain possession, as the two teams battled for midfield dominance.  

Marine managed to assert themselves more in the midfield areas, with the likes of David Lynch and Alex Doyle making a number of big challenges in central zones.  

The deadlock was broken just 10 minutes in, as Doyle’s corner was parried away by Tony Aghayere only as far as Ryan Wignall, who excellently fired his volleyed effort into the top right corner. Wignall is currently enjoying a great run of form, which has seen him score in each of the last three games.  

Neil Young’s side seemed to spark into life after the opening goal, suddenly posing much more of a creative threat. Mark Howarth and James Joyce in particular saw their influence on the game increase ten-fold.  

Set pieces continued to trouble the 74, with Neil Kengni often standing in front of the ‘keeper on corners, in order to prevent Aghayere commanding his penalty area.  

Mike Koral and Lee Knight provided the most likely source of attacking threat for the home side, but their input down the right wing often fell flat.  

Marine’s lead was doubled five minutes before the break, as Wignall turned provider, finding Danny Shaw with a lovely floated cross, where the centre half was waiting to send a bullet header past the ‘keeper. This goal gave the Mariners a much-desired cushion going into half time.  

The first half had proved to be fairly comfortable for Marine, with 1874 struggling to create any real goal scoring opportunities. Their record goal scorer, Scott McGowan left the club on Thursday, leaving co-managers Wayne Goodison and Paul Bowyer with a selection headache in attack.  

Owen Watkinson came close to extending Marine’s lead to three early in the second half, as he saw his left footed effort crash back off the post, with Kengni unable to beat the goalkeeper with his rebound.  

The flow of the match began to stutter, with the two sides growing increasingly frustrated by the stop-start nature of the half, with both 1874 and Marine collecting several yellow cards.  

Tempers flared between Watkinson and James Ormrod, after the two challenged for a header on the halfway line. Both men received a caution for their part in the altercation.  

Neil Young can be pleased with the result, avoiding a potential banana skin and recording just their second clean sheet of the season. Now just two points off the top with a game in hand, Marine look forward to a trip to Clitheroe on Wednesday, looking to extend their winning run to five.  

Attendance: 270 

Marine line up: Passant, Roberts, Joyce, Howarth, Shaw, Winnard, Watkinson, Doyle, Lynch, Wignall, Kengni 

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