COLNE FC 5 v 1 SILSDEN AFC

Crorken 6, Garbutt 38,58, Longley(57)

Brereton 79, Threlfall 85 Att.76

COBBYDALERS SURRENDER TO THE RED ROSE

Silsden were out fought and out thought, on a night they will want to forget. Colne, who became the first team to take points off runaway leaders, Newcastle Town, on Saturday, were in buoyant mood. The Cobbydalers were under pressure from the off, when Crorken latched on to a flick-on and shot low and hard. Ollerenshaw saved at his near post.

With Bland nursing a knock, Barraclough took over at the centre of the defence, with McNulty moving to left back. The lack of experience in the back four was exploited by Colne, who moved the ball swiftly in neat triangles. The game was only seven minutes old when CRORKEN headed home after Goggin had lifted the ball over Scott Hanson.

The midfield of Silsden was overrun, although Colne failed to capitalise on their supremacy until late in the half. Dawson’s volley into the box found no takers as did McNulty’s cross. Adam Whiteoak, returning after a long layoff, found it difficult to find space. Another cross from the left by Simpson found Dawson, but his effort was off target, although the striker did force a save from Harris with a speculative thirty-yard drive.

Silsden began to lose their discipline both with each other and the officials. Their play became increasingly disjointed. Brereton, on the left, was a constant threat, cutting in on his right foot but it was a left foot cross from the byline which caused more danger, Crorken shooting narrowly wide from close range. When the diminutive GARBUTT headed home unchallenged to make it two from Brodrick’s cross, Silsden’s heads went down.

Bland came on for Scott Hanson and Longley for Adam Whiteoak but there was little improvement initially, with Colne a yard quicker to the ball. When Ollerenshaw was beaten by Garbutt’s flick, fortunately McNulty headed off the line. Simpson also covered up when Peter Hanson had lost the ball in his own half.

The Cobbydalers were given a lifeline in the fifty-seventh minute, when Longley used his strength to hold off Brodrick, as he broke into the box. LONGLEY blasted the ball home from ten yards out. When, for once, Colne launched a high ball forwards, Priestley managed to knock the ball into the path of GARBUTT, who gleefully restored Colne’s two goal cushion. Only a minute had passed since the Silsden goal.

Dawson wastefully tried two more shots from distance. His only real contribution was with his long throw-ins. Bland headed one on to Longley who flicked the ball across the goal area but Damien Whiteoak was unable to reach it.

Hanson, in pushing forwards, was leaving space for Brereton to exploit. One shot of BRERETON was cut out but the winger made it four in the seventy-sixth minute with a sharp cross shot. A long ball down the left saw the Silsden defence stand as one, appealing for offside whilst THRELFALL strode forwards to blast home the fifth. It summed up Silsden’s night.

Silsden have no game on Saturday, giving Chris Reape the opportunity to try to restore some organisation and confidence. He can only do so much and to some extent it’s up to the players to stand up and be counted.

COLNE FC Harris, Cockett, Garvin, Brodrick(Johnson), Priestley, Pickup, Goggin(Hayes), Threlfall, Garbutt, Crorken, Brereton. Subs. dnp. Craig, Demaine.

SILSDEN AFC Ollerenshaw, P.Hanson, Barraclough, S. Hanson(Bland), Hird,

D. Whiteoak(Barker), Simpson, A. Whiteoak(Longley),Thompson, McNulty, Dawson, Subs dnp Blacka, Khalif.