NWCL Division One
Holker Old Boys 0 Leek CSOB 1
JOINT-MANAGER Jamie Cullerton has challenged his side to repeat Saturday's winning attitude at rock bottom Holker Old Boys on a consistent basis.
Nathan Ball's first-half strike was enough to give CSOB only their second league victory of the season. And Cullerton is now demanding more of the same. The joint-manager said: "Holker is always a difficult place to go irrespective of their league position. The attitude and discipline of the team was excellent and that's something we now need to take into every game.
"We asked for players to stand up and be counted and to a man they did that. But one game doesn't make a season and the challenge now is to turn that into consistent performances week in week out."
Cullerton and fellow joint-manager Brett Barlow named themselves on the bench as a depleted CSOB travelled to Barrow on Saturday. The Leek outfit started brightly and Holker defender Billy Moss was forced to clear off the line with keeper Ross Liddicott beaten inside the first couple of minutes.
The hosts came into the game after the first 10 minutes. Nathan Reid took a sighter from 20 yards that skimmed over Rob Hackney’s bar but Holker were unable to maintain the momentum. And CSOB should have taken lead when a Sean Turner interception put Danny Hughes through but the striker shot straight at Liddicott.
CSOB did take the lead in the 34th minute when Holker failed to adequately clear a corner and the unmarked Ball hooked home from four yards. The visitors almost doubled their advantage on 41 minutes. The impressive Turner broke out of defence before feeding Hughes on the left.
Hughes sent the ball into the six-yard box and Zak Barker had an open goal at his mercy - only to somehow head wide of Liddicott’s right hand post. CSOB another opportunity to increase their lead in the final minute of the half when Hughes found himself in acres of space on the right but his shot across Liddicott went wide of the far post.
The second half degenerated into a scrappy affair with the CSOB defending the much maligned Holker slope while still posing a threat in attack. Hughes and Turner both continued to look dangerous and CSOB were denied a "certain penalty" when a Holker defender clearly handled the ball while on the ground.
The only real threat Holker posed was in the 68th minute when Hackney got his finger tips to a rising drive to deny Conor Erdis. With frustration setting in and tempers beginning to fray in the Holker ranks referee Chris Hope began to brandish yellow cards before dismissing Glenn Capstick for dissent in the 88th minute.
Leek CSOB host Northwich Villa on Tuesday evening (September 25) at 7.45pm.
