Silsden 4

Congleton Town 1

SILSDEN secured a comprehensive victory over third-placed Congleton Town in the Hallmark Security League Premier Division.

Cobbydalers manager Danny Forrest was looking to avenge a 5-0 defeat in the reverse fixture earlier in the season against a team who had only conceded 24 league goals this season before kick-off.

Silsden executed their game plan from early on, playing the ball out well from the back and moving the ball quickly.

But with both sides cancelling each other out, the first real chance of note came in the 21st minute when Craig Bentham’s long through ball found Aidan Kirby’s willing run, but his shot was well over.

A couple of minutes later, after good interplay down the right-hand side from Silsden, a ball into the box was stood on by the Bears central defender Thomas Morris, the ball breaking to Kirby, whose angled shot was fired wide of the upright.

But in the 25th minute the Cobbydalers were rewarded when Bentham’s clever diagonal ball found the overlapping Matty Moses who broke deep into the Bears box before cutting back to Arley Barnes, who rifled his first time shot against the bar before smashing home the rebound.

After some pressure from Congleton in the 30th minute, the ball got played in from the right to Matthew Jamieson, whose goal-bound shot from just inside the box appeared to take a deflection, but Callum Jakovlevs leapt across to his left to make a brilliant one handed save, parrying away for a corner.

The visitors applied a period of sustained pressure, gaining a succession of corners, but Silsden’s defence held firm, getting vital blocks in, Saul Henderson getting a shot in which hit Jakovlevs with his defenders clearing the danger as the Bears threatened to get back on terms.

Skipper Josh Kaine got in a vital block as Bears danger-man Emini Adegbenro threatened, the ball ricocheting off the latter for a goal kick as the game started to liven up. And again Kaine was outnumbered as the visitors pressed forward but this time Adegbenro fired wide of the near post as he broke in from the left.

In the 42nd minute Niall Sultan whipped a dangerous ball into the visitor’s box for Luke Rhodes, but the defence smuggled the ball away.

A minute later Jakovlevs played the ball out to Bentham, who played a superb raking pass down the middle which found Kirby’s clever run beyond the back line leaving him clear with the keeper in no-man's land, and he coolly smashed his shot past the helpless Ellison to double Silsden’s advantage before the half-time break.

Congleton made tactical changes for the second period, applying a high press and playing with a higher tempo and, in the 50th minute, Adegbenro had an opportunity following a straight through ball, but Jakovlevs gathered comfortably.

Minutes later Congelton played the ball in from the right to Henderson, who pivoted and laid the ball back to Steve Foster. He retrieved and swivelled before striking a tame left-foot shot which was easily dealt with by the Silsden custodian.

Silsden threatened as they tried to regain control with Joe Mitchell’s corner from the left, finding Bentham’s leap and header, which was scrambled away by the visitors defence.

And as the game started to get stretched, it was Silsden’s turn to avoid punishment as Kaine scrambled the ball away for a corner after Jakovlevs missed his punch when the visitors delivered a dangerous high ball into the box.

The resulting corner broke to Morris at the edge of the box, but his left foot shot was tipped over by Jakovlevs as the Bears threatened again to get back into the game. Everingham headed the next corner away as Silsden dug in deep to defend their goal, with Jamieson missing his header from another corner and Jack Disney’s deep cross evading everybody and drifting to safety.

But the game was settled by Jamieson dithering on the edge of his own box, before presenting the ball to Sultan, who gratefully accepted the gift and coolly slotted the ball past the exposed Ellison to make it 3-0.

But another Mitchell corner swung in right footed from out on the left found substitute Laurence Sorhaindo’s soaring free header in deep the Bears box made it 4-0 on 77 minutes.

Congleton did get a consolation goal for their efforts albeit in bizarre circumstances as Foster’s shot trundled into the net with Silsden appealing for a decision that never came.

But Silsden finished with a flourish, with Soraindo’s mazy run in added time causing mayhem in the visitors’ box, his lay back finding the tireless Barnes whose superb strike was brilliantly parried one handed by Ellison in the Congleton goal.

Silsden: Jakovlevs, Moses, Everingham, Kaine (c), Illingworth, Bentham, Barnes (25), Mitchell, Rhodes (Wademan), Kirby (43) (Sorhaindo (77), Sultan (62) (Tomas). Subs not used: McKiernon, Hill