Atherstone Town V 1874 Northwich (Premier Division, play off semi final)

​Atherstone were looking to continue their momentum with an eye-catching win against 1874 Northwich to reach the play off final. It’s been an impressive season for the Adders at step five who finished in 3rd with 74 points and 23 wins from 34 matches. They finished the regular season strongly with four wins from their last five league matches.

The Warwickshire side have built on last season’s 8th place finish under manager Mitch Thomson who has done a good job of turning them into a promotion contender. The front two of Lewis Collins and Ryan Harkin have been clinical in front of goal and have played a key part in their play off push.    

1874 Northwich were looking to build on their encouraging win against OJM Black Country last weekend and get a statement win to reach the play off final. The Green Army have been a tough side to beat throughout the season with only six losses from 34 matches going into the play offs.

The Cheshire side have been one of the turnaround stories of the season at step five. The visitors have bounced back from relegation from the Northern Premier League (Division One West) at the end of last season to challenge for promotion under manager Chris Herbert.   

​Starting line ups

Atherstone’s starting line up included Finn Osborn starting in goal and Connor Gudger captaining the team at centre back. The formation looked like a 4-4-2 with a front two of Ryan Harkin and Lewis Collins being supported by Lewis Noon and Chris Cowley on the wings.    

There were two changes from their match against Wolverhampton Casuals last weekend with Tom Healy coming into the team and playing in central midfield alongside Tom Smith.  

The starting line up for 1874 included Jack Atkinson starting in goal and Matt Fenton captaining the team at centre back. The formation looked like a 5-3-2 with a front two of Eden Bailey and Shaun Weaver being supported by John McGrath in the number ten role.

There were two changes from their match against OJM Black Country last weekend with Jacson Coppack coming into the team and playing in central midfield. 

​First Half

1874 Northwich settled into the match well and were looking to cause problems early on.

The Greens had a good chance to take the lead inside the opening twenty minutes when a well worked free kick from the edge of the box found Matt Fenton at the back post. He found some space before heading it across goal to Eden Bailey who couldn’t quite get his header on target.

​Atherstone were working hard off the ball to contain the attacking threat of 1874 with Tom Smith doing well to break up the play from midfield. They also pressed high up the pitch to stop the visitors playing out from the back and looked organised defensively.  

The visitors were cheered on by a passionate away following which helped them build some momentum in the opening half an hour. They looked a threat going forward with Eden Bailey and Liam Fitzpatrick making some promising runs into the final third. The only thing missing was that final ball, but they were moving the ball about well.

1874’s best chance of the first half fell to Mark Jones on the edge of the box from a set piece. He had some space to get a shot on goal but couldn’t quite connect with it to make it 1-0 in the 41st minute.  

Atherstone were able to build into the match as the first half went on and started to look a threat in the final fifteen minutes. Finn Osborn read the danger well in goal and came out for dangerous crosses to help them settle into it. Niall Rowe also played well at centre back and helped take the pressure off at 0-0.  

Their best chance to take the lead came when Chris Cowley had a shot from distance well saved by Jack Atkinson who managed to tip it over the top right corner to keep it goalless going into half time.

Second Half

The second half was understandably scrappy with the clear-cut chances in front of goal limited.

Atherstone started positively and were looking to take the game to 1874 and cause them some problems at the back. They had a brilliant chance to make it 1-0 when Lewis Collins played a well weighted ball to Ryan Harkin who beat the offside trap and ran through on goal. He got into the box before having a shot go wide of the right-hand post on 52 minutes.

It was the clearest chance the Adders had up to that point and was a trademark Atherstone attack which has worked so well throughout the season. Lewis Collins and Ryan Harkin have that link up in the final third which has made the different for Atherstone in tight matches. In a close play off match, that miss felt like it could be huge.

Both teams were effectively cancelling each other out throughout the second half, and it felt like a play off match. Mark Jones was having an impressive game for 1874 at centre back and stepped up for the Greens when it mattered. He did well to clear the ball away from danger and lead by example for the visitors yesterday.

Eden Bailey was working tirelessly up front to help 1874 get up the pitch throughout the second half and chasing up loose balls into the final third. He looked a threat up front for the Greens and got into some dangerous positions. Similar to the first half, the only thing lacking for the visitors was that final ball into the box.

Atherstone were pushing hard for a winner in the final ten minutes and created some notable chances in front of goal. Ryan Quinn had a shot from the edge of the box deflect off Mark Jones and hit the crossbar in the 81st minutes. A well worked corner late on found Connor Gudger at the front post who headed wide in stoppage time.  

1874 capitalised and were clinical in the box to score a dramatic winner in the 96th minute. Tom Morris made a committed run down the left-hand side before playing a floating cross to substitute Matt Woolley who headed into the bottom right corner to spark jubilant scenes in the away end.

It was a heartbreaking loss from an Atherstone point of view who created some good chances to at least take the game to penalties. Full Credit to 1874 though who defended well throughout and took their best chance when it mattered to reach the play off final next Saturday.

​The Greens will play Shifnal Town who beat Brocton 3-2 in the other semi final for a place in the Northern Premier League next weekend.  

Full Time

Atherstone will be gutted by the result yesterday following an impressive season in the premier division. They competed well with 1874 Northwich throughout and just fell short. They showed character in the second half to take the game to the visitors but just couldn’t find a goal.

None the less, they should be proud of their season and to finish 3rd in a competitive premier division is a brilliant achievement. The play offs can be harsh, and it was a cruel way to go out.

Despite the loss yesterday, it’s been a positive season for Atherstone who will be hoping to go again come August.

1874 Northwich put in a brilliant away performance to reach the final. The Cheshire side started on the front foot in the first half to settle into it and stayed in the match throughout the second half to have a chance of winning it late on.

The most encouraging thing from the visitors was how well they defended yesterday against a quality Atherstone side. The back three of Matt Fenton, Mark Jones and Tom Morris stepped up to the pressure and did well to help clear the danger.

Teams that are well organised at the back tend to do well in the play offs and its now back-to-back clean sheets for the Greens who have a good chance against Shifnal if they can keep it tight defensively.                         

FT score: Atherstone Town 0-1 1874 Northwich

Man of the match: Mark Jones (1874 Northwich)

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League