Big win, better timing

1874 Northwich picked an opportune moment to deliver their most comprehensive performance of the campaign.

Minds might have started to wander onto an FA Vase encounter with Newcastle Benfield, but instead they remained focused to swat aside Silsden.

It’s true that the visitors were depleted by absences, including that of leading goal-scorer Lee Spires, and they arrived at Barton Stadium after winning only one of their previous seven matches in all competitions.

Not much of that was of interest to a side managed jointly by Paul Bowyer and Wayne Goodison, and they travel to the north east buoyed by recording their biggest win of 2018.

Same faces, changing places

A single defeat in their past eight games is proof that 1874 have improved over the past few weeks.

There has been evolution in that spell, notably incorporating Jack Irlam into a central midfield berth while stationing Mark Jones alongside Jack Pritchard in defence.

An injury to the unfortunate Joe Woolley last weekend has opened the door again to Callum Gardner, and his was an encouraging return to the starting line-up in an orthodox wide-right role.

The fact that Bowyer and Goodison could send on the likes of Danny Thomas, Sam Hare and Lucas Weir as second-half substitutes hints at a strength in depth they haven’t been able to rely on earlier in the season.

Kyle Riley: a popular scorer

The front man is becoming an increasingly effective foil for Scott McGowan as they play more often together.

However he is a striker, and their currency is goals.

His first of the campaign, a powerful rising strike from an indirect free-kick after Gardner nudged the ball into his path, was greeted by the biggest cheer of the afternoon on Saturday.

It ended a wait to find the net since he converted from the penalty spot during a 2-1 defeat at home to Irlam back on March 29.

There is unquestionably space in this side for a player with his attributes, more so with the likes of Taylor Kennerley and Gardner supplying crosses from the flanks.

In praise of Taylor Kennerley

Co-manager Wayne Goodison reflected afterwards that the wide-man, who received an award from the league before kick-off to recognise his performances during September, had delivered one of his best all-round displays in the club’s colours.

It’s hard to disagree, and sometimes it’s easy to forget how young he is.

The 20-year-old made a clean connection with Callum Gardner’s cross to put 1874 in front, and clipped a perfectly-weighted free-kick onto Matthew Woolley’s head for the hosts’ third goal.

Perhaps most impressive was how his direct running and willingness to dribble was almost always productive.

Ask Silsden right-back Mark Everingham how his afternoon was for proof!

What next for this team?

It is perhaps to state the obvious that the FA Vase is important to a club that reached the semi-finals of last season’s edition.

They lost to the eventual winners in Thatcham Town, but a sequence of mature displays to dispatch Pontefract Collieries, Chichester City and Leighton Town shredded a reputation they couldn’t deliver in one-off big matches.

There is plenty riding on their trip to Newcastle Benfield as a result.

An improved run of form in the North West Counties League has seen them return to the Premier Division’s top 10, but there remains work to do.

A distance to leaders City of Liverpool is 15 points, and the Purps have games in hand, while Congleton Town and Runcorn Town are 10 points better off.

It’s a gap 1874 will be keen, in the short-term at least, to close.