TELFORD 3

Nationwide Conference

AFTER their four goal hammering at The Drill Field Kettering's players looked visibly shocked.

At 4.45pm on Saturday, Mark Gardiner's side had a similar appearance, having been beaten by a team well below them in the table.

You'd have thought Northwich would have learnt their lesson by now.

In October they won 2-1 at Rushden & Diamonds only to lost 2-1 away at UniBond First Division side Droylsden two weeks later.

And only last month they defeated the same, expensively assembled, highly rated Conference team only to stumble at home against relegation threatened Southport in their next league match.

It is a trend which Mark Gardiner admits he has done everything to try and avoid.

After Saturday's defeat he said: "We were caught by two early goals and then they fought to hold on to the win. I knew this wasn't a straightforward game and I stressed it the players but, on the day, they just didn't have that spark.

"Our lads have got to prove these games matter to them. You can't just pick it up for one game and then drop it for the next because we've got a huge game on the horizon in the Trophy."

Vics large following, in excess of 250, were also stunned by the two early goals from a team fighting for their Conference survival.

Within a minute of the kick-off Telford 'keeper Dean Williams launched a long ball which Wes Simpson failed to clear, allowing Scott Huckerby to touch on for Steve Palmer, who lobbed a spectacular overhead kick over the stranded Lance Key.

Four minutes later and there was a lengthy pause in play to allow referee Andy Penn to receive treatment after being hit full in the face by a Mark Birch clearance.

From the restart Darren Vicary forced Williams into a save from an acute angle. But, on nine minutes, Vics were rocked by a second Telford goal.

Jim Bentley powerfully headed Kevin Sandwith's left wing cross into the roof of the net.

Vics, who dominated possession throughout, had an opportunity to record a quick reply when Vicary put Paul Tait clean through only for the alert Williams to spread himself and stop the effort with his legs.

Gardiner's side continued to chase the game but failed to brerak down the stubborn home defence.

Indeed, Telford could have made it three when Simpson lost the ball to Huckerby in the centre circle, who charged goalwards before forcing a superb save from Key.

Vics' efforts continued to be ineffective after the interval.

With Steve Walters out of touch and Mark Devlin fading out of the game as the match prgoressed Gardiner was forced into changes.

The Northwich boss introduced strikers Ian Cooke and Neil Illman for the disappointing Nathan Peel and Chris Duffy but things didn't improve for the Greens.

Twice Key saved well from Huckerby to keep Vics' faint hopes of a fightback alive but, with four minutes remaining and Vics charging forward in the search for a goal, the home side sneaked a third goal.

Substitute Paul Challinor fired a cross into the box from the left for the unmarked Gary Fitzpatrick to head easily beyond Key.

To add to Vics' frustrations and to compound a thoroughly miserable afternoon Tait hit the post in the final minute with Williams at last beaten.

Telford: Williams, McAuley, Sandwith, Naylor (Challinor 75), Bentley (Murray 73), Fowler, Doyle, Fitzpatrick, Shakespeare, Huckerby, Palmer.

Vics: Key 6; Duffy 6 (Cooke 71), Birch 7, Crookes 6, Simpson 5; Devlin 6, Terry 6, Walters 5, Vicary 6; Peel 5 (Illman 61), Tait 6; Not used: Robertson.

Ref: A M Penn (replaced at half time by C Dunn); Att: 911. MoM: Mark Birch.

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