Chasetown FC recorded a vital away victory with the winning goal coming inside just two minutes.
Manager Craig Harris was forced into three four changes from the home win versus Romulus. Goalkeeper Ryan Price replaced Matt Sargeant who had returned to Worcester City, Lee Butler made a full debut in place of the injured Simon Brown, while Mark Branch and Paul Sullivan were in for the suspended Richard Teesdale and Joel Purkiss.
After a little more than 90 seconds, Chasetown made the dream start. Branch’s in-swinging corner eluded Theo Robinson inside the six yard box and as the ball dropped, it appeared to strike the hand of a Market Drayton defender. As the Scholars fans’ appealed for a spot kick, Jack Farmer fired home for his first goal of the season.
It was another Branch corner just short of the half-hour that caused more chaos inside the home defence, the ball being partially cleared as far as Tesfa Robinson who stabbed a shot just wide of the upright.
A minute later, Robinson burst into the penalty area and he forced a great low save from former Scholars defender Mattie Cohen who was filling in between the sticks for the home side. It would be disrespectful to Cohen to call him a stand-in goalkeeper having played the position on several occasions for the Shropshire side, including twice previously against Chasetown this season alone.
The visitors continued to dominate the first half chances and almost doubled their lead in the 32nd minute when Robinson’s low shot beat Cohen and went wide via the outside of the post.
Market Drayton, who were forced to make an eighth minute substitution, played their final two cards within the first 20 minutes or so of the second half but although they had a change of personnel they were unable to break through a stubborn Chasetown rearguard that protected Price on his return to the starting line-up.
Clear-cut goalscoring chances were few and far between in a scrappier second half. The Scholars were soaking up anything the home side could offer and hit their hosts on the break so often that it seemed likely that the only team to add to the scoreline would be Chasetown.
On the hour, Nick Wellecomme drilled a shot narrowly wide of the post and then Cohen denied the impressive Paul Sullivan after he had beaten the offside trap and forced the Drayton keeper to make a strong one-handed save to his right.
As the half moved on, it looked more and more like man of the match Farmer had scored the only goal of the game, though it was his surging run through the midfield and onto the home defence that created a chance for Wellecomme, but the striker’s effort sailed over the bar.
Market Drayton’s only serious attempt at goal fell to Rob Stevenson whose shot was well saved by Ryan Price as the game was heading towards a somewhat scrappy end.
Market Drayton Town: Cohen, Porter, Ting (Connor, 8 mins), Barnett, McMullen, Blake, Johnson, Humphries, Thompson (Davies, 64 mins), Proffitt (Ryan, 56 mins), Stevenson. Subs not used: Jones, Cooke.
Chasetown: Price, Farmer, Branch, Slater, Bate, Tesfa Robinson, Westwood, Butler (Bragoli, 59 mins), Wellecomme, Sullivan (Clarke-O’Connell, 81 mins), Theo Robinson. Subs not used: Ashton, Jackson, Gould.
Click below to see more of Dave Birt’s pictures from the game:
