Vics 2 FC United 1 (From Northwich Guardian)

Northwich Victoria rise to the occasion to beat FC United of Manchester

8:30am Sunday 18th December 2011 in Match reports By Andrew Simpson

VYING with Cheshire neighbours Chester as this term’s number one title contender, Northwich Victoria climbed back to second in the standings after subduing slippery opponents.

By the end of Boxing Day Andy Preece will know for sure if his team can finish first when, in a encounter that could not be tougher to call, their rivals visit the Victoria Stadium.

He said: “We can’t wait.

“If someone had offered me this position at Christmas before we kicked a ball, then I’d have snapped their hand off.”

This victory, Vics’ 16th of the season, is one of their most prized.

In a week when the Football Association backed the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League’s decision to punish the club with a points deduction, Preece needed a sign his side would not sulk.

He need not have worried.

The hosts took their time to tame visitors committed to attack – a tactic that looked likely to pay dividend before half time – but they never looked likely to lose once Ian Kearney had headed the game’s opening goal.

Instead they might have run out more emphatic winners.

That would have been harsh on the Rebels, who could rightly have laid claim to a share of the spoils by the break.

Theirs was the best chance of the first half hour, Michael Norton forcing goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe to save smartly at his near post after Carlos Roca had intercepted a loose pass.

At the other end, Lee Neville’s timely intervention stopped Jordan Johnson in his shooting stride after Dominic Collins had flicked on a free kick.

Former Northwich custodian James Spencer then denied his old team with a stunning save, contorting his body to claw Chris Budrys’ header to safety.

Vics were better after the interval, attacking with an incisiveness absent from their play earlier on.

They survived a scare before assuming control, Hinchliffe reaching low to his right to turn away Roca’s skidded shot.

Spencer was at full stretch to parry Nathan Woolfe’s curved free kick on the hour, but it served only to delay the arrival of the home team’s breakthrough.

Kearney delivered it seven minutes later, skimming a header into the far corner from Tom Field’s set piece.

The contest’s outcome was decided in two episodes separated by seconds.

On 78 minutes Norton charged down Hinchliffe’s clearance before steering the ball into Jake Cottrell’s path but, as he shaped to score, Lewis Short tackled to perfection.

Following his interception, Woolfe and Johnson swept the ball into a position that left front man Budrys face-to-face with Spencer.

His finish was emphatic.

“Those are defining moments in matches,” said Preece.

“It was a counter attack of the highest quality, and it won the game for us.”

Norton’s stoppage time goal, fizzed at speed past Hinchliffe after he had spun into a shooting space, proved scant consolation for Karl Marginson’s men.

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Vics’ Star Man Jordan Johnson. Showed versatility to attack FC United from different positions after swapping places with Ryan Wade part way through the opening period.

His was the decisive pass that sent Chris Budrys clear to score the hosts’ second, match-clinching goal after a swift counter from one end of the pitch to the other.

Dominic Collins impressed against FC United front man Michael Norton on his return to the starting line-up, while full backs John Disney and Lewis Short shone as auxiliary attackers from deep positions.

Vics (4-4-2) Hinchliffe (GK), Disney, Kearney, Collins, Short (Horne 87), Jordan Johnson, Field, Armstrong, Woolfe, Wade (Riley 61), Budrys (Clarke 90)
Subs not used Ennis, Kinsella
Goal Kearney 67, Budrys 78
Booked Kearney (foul)

FC United (4-3-3) Spencer (GK), Jacobs, Stott, Jones, Neville, Platt, Grimshaw (Stephen Johnson 70), Cottrell, Roca (Deegan 79), Norton, Mulholland (Woolfenden 56)
Subs not used Farrimond (GK), Armstrong
Goal Norton 90 (+2)

Referee Daniel Meeson (Newcastle-under-Lyne)
Attendance 1, 114