Shelley 2 Garstang FC 4: Lee Baker’s final game in charge brings victory

Garstang’s final game under Lee Baker ended with them winning 4-2 at Shelley in their 50th game of the season.
Jonny Hothersall scored a hat-trick for Garstang in their final gameJonny Hothersall scored a hat-trick for Garstang in their final game
Jonny Hothersall scored a hat-trick for Garstang in their final game

They faced a Shelley side looking for revenge after being on the receiving end of an 8-2 defeat earlier in the season.

Will Kitchen made a number of early saves to keep the Riversiders in the game while a corner was headed onto the Garstang bar, and at the other end, the Coars missed some chances.

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The home side led when a defensive mix-up allowed Jacob Buchanan to score before the lead was doubled four minutes later when Emmerson Bradshaw finished well.

This goal had the desired effect on Garstang as they upped the tempo of the game, tackles were won and there was more movement off the ball.

The arrears were halved on 21 minutes when Dan Birch and Jack Swindlehurst linked up, the latter crossing for Alan Coar to head home.

Three minutes later and the game was even when Jonny Hothersall latched onto a Tom Graham clearance and calmly chipped the advancing keeper before firing past two defenders on the line.

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Two minutes into the second half and the comeback was completed when Phil Nagy and Alan Coar combined for Hothersall to fire home from just inside the box.

The lead was extended on 63 minutes when the home keeper should have done better with a 25-yard Hothersall effort that found the corner of the net to make the score 4-2.

There was still time for Kitchen to make a couple of good saves and for Andrew Murphy to go close with two efforts.

The final talking point came late on when Hothersall was clean through and then cynically taken out by the Shelley captain.

That resulted in a straight red card for the home side’s player and killed the match as a contest.

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