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Sandbach 1-2 Isle of Man: Ravens rush to the next round of cup as they win 2-1 away at Sandbach.

Sandbach 1-2 Isle of Man: Ravens rush to the next round of cup as they win 2-1 away at Sandbach.

Oliver Byron20 Apr 2022 - 09:01

FC Isle of Man’s second half finish from Ronan McDonell gave them the edge on Sandbach in important cup tie.

Written by Jay Rowland and Daniel Needham.

In the third round of the NWCFL First Division Cup, Isle of Man made a protracted journey to Sandbach. Twenty-six points separated the two sides, as Isle of Man recently achieved promotion, whereas Sandbach missed a play-off position.

Unfortunately for the Ramblers, Brian Barton missed the tie due to a knee injury, and Sean Sherwood was additionally not in the squad. Loanee goalkeeper Michael Dixon made a start, as well as recent signing Cameron Newton.

The ravens started very energetically, with a high press, forcing Sandbach to play long balls. However, Sandbach responded by playing down the wings. 23 minutes into the match, Cameron Newton received the ball on the right wing, and executed an adroit, low driven cross to perfectly fall to Ryan Rogers who simply knocked the ball into the goal to open the score-line for the hosts.

Sandbach’s early goal alerted the players of Isle of Man as they replied with an instant goal. Just 5 minutes later, Jamie Corlett took advantage of a poor mistake from Michael Dixon, who freakishly spilled the ball after a shot at goal. Corlett wisely followed this up and equalised for the visitors.

For the remainder of the first half, both teams understood how vital the next goal would be. Sandbach continued to play down the wings instead of directly through the middle, which was due to Brian Barton’s absence. Whereas Isle of Man were maintaining possession well and building up play efficiently before shooting at goal.

The second half began similar to how the first half ended, with all players working hard for the impending goal. After 8 minutes of play, Sandbach were frustrated with a supposed foul committed by an Isle of Man player in their box. Controversially, the referee did not make the call.

Only 90 seconds later, Isle of Man got the crucial lead. Ronan McDonell received the ball in the box from an accurate pass. He controlled it well with his chest, as he took as a small touch in front of him before neatly shooting across goal to take the lead. The tight angled finish shattered the far post as it drifted past Michael Dixon.

Although Sandbach struggled on to find an equaliser, their visitors defence was strong and did not allow any chances on goal. Despite several chances from George West and long shots from Ryan Rogers, Sandbach could not find a way to score, as there hopes of the quarter finals slowly faded away.

The whistle blew for full time as Isle of Man proceed to the quarter finals of the cup. Despite Sandbach’s effort to get back into the game, Isle of Man were resilient and held on until the end. Sandbach now prepare for the upcoming season ahead of them, in the NWCFL Division 1 South.

Sandbach: Michael Dixon, Lewis Barker, Callum Chapman, Jordan Stafford (C), Rory Roberts, Callum Evans, Jack Marrow, Stan Tatters, George West, Cameron Newton, Ryan Rogers. Subs: William Webb, Sheikh Islam, Callum Parker, Jamie Mellor, Joel Dovey.

Isle of Man: Dean Kearns, Ashley Higginbotham, Jacob Crook, Ronan McDonnell, Karl Clark, Jamie Corlett, Adam Cooil, Samuel Baines, Stephen Whitley (C), Scott Horne, Charlie Higgins. Subs: Luca Moretta, Kyle Watson, Jack Camarda, Luke Murray, Sean Doyle.

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