Magpies unfazed by the controversy

 Source: Chorley Guardian

 The build-up was dominated by talk of FC United’s fans boycotting the match, but on Saturday, Chorley’s players let their football do the talking.

Following police advice, the Magpies switched the game to a lunch-time kick-off and FC United decided not to take up their allocation of tickets as a result.

The lack of their usual vocal and partisan following certainly appeared to affect their team.

With just six minutes on the clock FC keeper James Spencer received his first test of the afternoon when Andy Teague found Tom Ice with a superb 30-yard pass, and the diminutive winger fired in a shot, which the keeper had to tip over his bar.

Simon Whaley then had the next opportunity, but the aim of this lob was slightly out, as the ball bounced the wrong side of the upright.

Goalkeeper Russ Saunders, who has been superb since his arrival from Hyde, showed his class to keep everything FC could throw at him out.

The Magpies almost took the lead on 38 minutes when Andy Teague and Adam Roscoe both rose at the far post.
Between them their header was cleared off the line in a goalmouth scramble. A few minutes later, though, the Magpies weren’t to be denied.

A good passing moved ended with Roscoe being upended in the box, and Lee McEvilly made no mistake from the spot to send Spencer the wrong way.

Approaching the interval FC stepped up a gear and hit the woodwork, and had a shot cleared off the line.

Throughout the game FC United gave away too many unnecessary free-kicks; pulling, pushing and clipping the Chorley players whenever challenging for the ball. Just two minutes into the second half they were made to pay for these indecisions. A free-kick was floated in from just over the half-way, this time to McEvilly, whose deft header found Andy Russell, whose equally deft header landed perfectly for Teague to slam the ball beyond Spencer, and double the lead.

FC United then tested Saunders with a shot from distance, but the keeper had plenty of time to set himself and deal with the effort.

McEvilly, who on another day could have had a hat-trick, wasted an opportunity when put through on the keeper, as he couldn’t get the ball from under his feet to test Spencer.

Saunders made a routine save from an overhead attempt, as the visitors tried to find a way into the game, but the visitors began to look more ragged as the game progressed. On 77 minutes Steve Flitcroft was unlucky to receive a straight red card when he challenged with his foot raised.

McEvilly missed a second one-on-one opportunity, as the Magpies made light work of being a man down.

With 10 minutes remaining FC United’s Jake Cotterell was lucky to stay on the pitch following a lunge on Dale Whitham.

In the closing stages, with FC United desperately looking for a way back into the game they began to put some pressure on their hosts, but rather than scoring goals Ben Deegan saw yellow then red for a crude lung on Teague.

CHORLEY: Russ Saunders, Ali Brown, Tom Walker, Andy Teague, Andy Russell, Dale Whitham, Adam Roscoe, Steve Flitcroft, Simon Whalley, Lee McEvilly, Tom Ince

Subs: Wayne Maden, Tom Williams (McEvilly, 87), John Cunliffe (Whaley, 70), Nathan Fairhurst, Chris Howarth

Att: 1,074

Sent off: Steve Flitcroft (77), Ben Deegan (90)

Goals: Lee McEvilly (39 pen), Andy Teague (47)

Chorleyfc.com Man of the Match: Adam Roscoe, really making the right win position his own.