Recap

Match Report by Tom Murphy

Costa del Sol… 

Goals from Darius Osei and Sol Solomon helped Marine see off Stafford Rangers in sweltering conditions.

The Mariners now sit fifth in the Northern Premier Division, climbing into the playoffs after their 2-0 victory. 

It was a strong start by the away side with Woodthorpe and Sinclair Smith causing early problems for Stafford. 

However they were unable to convert any of their shots on target, and in return the home team began to put the Marine back line under pressure. 

If it wasn’t for the likes of Josh Wardle and Nathan Woodthorpe, their side may have been a goal or two behind inside the first 20 minutes. 

After a small spell of being under strain from the home side, Marine began to grow into the encounter. 

Sol Solomon was the player who helped most pile on the pressure for his side, creating a ton of chances as well as seeking to break Stafford’s back line himself. 

In a game that was interrupted by water breaks, Marine seemed to benefit from these the most. Straight after the first stoppage in play, Osei grabbed his first goal for his new team, latching onto a loose ball deep into Stafford’s penalty area. 

After Marine’s first, Rangers put their opponents under immense pressure before the whistle. 

Willis and Bissett came closest for The Boro, both attempts were wide of the target. Goddard  rarely had a save to make despite the bursts of threatening play. 

Although the home side did retaliate after conceding, Marine defended well and they themselves looked to extend their lead. 

The start of the second half saw the introduction of Charley Doyle who came on for Willem Tomlinson. The 24 year old was resilient and worked hard to suppress any big chances for the home side. 

After a few half chances for the team in blue this afternoon, Solomon won a penalty after the Stafford keeper brought down the forward. 

Torrance realistically stopped the score line from being 5 or 6, but was unable to stop Sol’s shot and the away side earned a comfortable lead late on in the game. 

A late flurry from Stafford didn’t cause too many problems for the travelling team and they charged to their first away win of the season. 

After 5 clean sheets in a row for Neil Young’s side they now face their toughest opponent of the season, Spennymoor away in the FA Cup next Saturday. 

Marine lineup: 1 Felix Goddard, 2 Kyle Hayde, 3 Nathan Woodthorpe, 4 Willem Tomlinson (46’ Doyle), 5 Chris Doyle, 6 Josh Wardle, 7 Finlay Sinclair-Smith,  8 Louis White, 9 Darius Osei (74’ Spittle), 10 Sol Solomon, 11 Manasse Mampala (60’ Russ) 

Marine unused subs: 12 Jake Burton, 17 Joseph Ferguson. 

Stafford Rangers lineup: 1 Joel Torrance, 2  Sam Bird, 3 Joe Dunne (89’ Woods), 4 Simon Njaria (89’ Morgan), 5 Ethan Stewart, 6 Jake Moult, 7 Kaiman Anderson, 8 Aaron Braithwaite, 9

Nathan Blissett (60’ Onyeka), 10 Joe Willis, 11 Niah Payn

Stafford Rangers unused subs: 12 Andrew Burns, 15 Alex Ray Harvey. 

Marine Man of the Match: Sol Solomon 

Attendance: 644.