Witton Albion rue missed chances as Cammell Laird escape with a point (From Northwich Guardian)

Witton Albion rue missed chances as Cammell Laird escape with a point

6:27pm Wednesday 20th January 2010 in

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WITTON ended a match they had dominated in grateful mood after the woodwork denied the visitors a winning goal.

But Albion did not deserve that.

However their profligacy in front of goal can not become a trait during a run-in in which they will be playing catch up from eighth place in the table.

Cammell keeper Phil Palethorpe, on his debut, shoddy shooting and rotten luck combined to deny Gary Finley’s men, leaving them four points off a play-offs place.

Peter Heler, Albion’s best goals-getter in the weeks before Christmas, had already authored his entry for miss of the season before Carl Lamb put the hosts ahead with his first league goal on four minutes.

His teammate had turned the ball wide with only the net to aim for, but the former Lairds front man made no mistake when he headed home Brad Maylett’s cross.

Maylett then created problems for Palethorpe when he skewed a cross that rolled across the bar before being cleared at the far post.

Heler’s shot was blocked by Stuart Jones and from the resulting Lamb, on the slide, just failed to make contact.

Brian Pritchard then came close to doubling the hosts’ lead when he got on the end of Jamie Tandy’s flag kick only to see his effort go wide.

At the other end another custodian playing for his team for the first time, Albion’s Aaron Grundy, was forced to make his first stop to deny Lee Hammond from a direct free kick.

Mark Cadwallader, back on loan at Wincham Park from Northwich Victoria for a second spell, was the next to be frustrated by Palethorpe low to the keeper’s left.

And when the in-form net-minder was beaten by Tandy’s corner, Anthony Lipson was on hand head the ball off the line.

If the first half was one-way traffic towards Lairds’ goal, then Alex Hay’s men certainly had more of the contest in the second period.

That said only seven minutes had passed before Palethorpe denied Albion once again, this time using his legs to divert Lamb’s shot away from the target.

There was further woe for Heler on 55 minutes after he was played in by Lamb when the former Burscough attacker made a mess of an attemped lob as Palethorpe came off his line.

Lamb should have done better than head straight at the keeper from Tandy’s cross, then Grundy kept Albion’s lead intact when he stretched to stop Hammond’s bobbling shot.

Not to be deterred, Laird did restore parity on 73 minutes when Witton’s defence failed to clear a set piece, leaving defender Tony Rendell to score from close range.

Albion were almost suckered by a follow-up punch when subsitute Hay’s deflected shot hit the post.

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Witton Grundy (GK), Adams, McAllister, Pritchard, Neville, Heler (Doherty 67), Henry, Cadwallader (Brodie 86), Maylett, Lamb, Tandy (Morgan 77)
Subs not used Baker (GK), Foster
Goal Lamb 4

Cammell Laird Palethorpe (GK), Rendell (Gardner 85), Lynch, Owen (Adamson 40), Jones, Atherton, Wignall, Lipson, Corrigan, Bowen (Hey 72), Hammond
Subs not used McDonnell, Irons
Goal Rendell 73