Grove Utd 3 Middlewich Town 1

Mid Cheshire Division One

Saturday, March 3

MIDDLEWICH Town arrived at Half Moon Lane with high expectations on the back of four straight victories.

Grove, however, were never going to be a pushover having beaten Knutsford on their own turf the week before.

For the first half hour Town's defence seemed assured and confident until a quickly taken free kick caught Hawkins and Tier ball watching.

Grove's Cunningham controlled the early ball and struck a sweet shot past the helpless Barry Crellin.

Paul Quine and Darren Ingham then took control of the game and battled fiercely to drag Town back into the game.

Their industry was rewarded soon after with a perfectly weighted Quine cross reaching the boot of Simon Johnson who volleyed the ball into Grove's goal.

Town looked like going in at half time all square but a defence splitting pass by Grove's Paul Cunningham put his brother, Stuart, clean through to side foot past Crellin, who was again left stranded by his defence.

Things seemed brighter in the second half as Town carved out chance after chance and with a better killer instinct could have surely won the game.

With just under ten minutes remaining Grove punished Town's generosity in front of goal.

A long kick from the 'keeper was mis-judged by Tier, allowing Justin Twigg to thunder the third goal past Crellin.

Grove were excellent in attack and defence but Town boss Dave Twite said his side need to roll up their sleeves and work harder in games like these.