TEAM:SUTCLIFFE,HAIGH,BALL,ETIENNE,MORGAN.R,RILEY(c)HENRY,RYAN.S,JACKSON,JONES,CARTMAN.
SUBS: DOWNING,THIRKELL,RYAN.L,FORREST,MARKHAM

On a day when Rail were looking for a first victory and to impress new boss Phil Sharpe things started off pretty even with both teams testing each other out. The first chance however came to our visitors, Chorley. A cross came in from our right on 10 minutes which our defence struggled to clear and in the mix up a shot was well blocked by Liam. Rail pressed forward and had a chance of their own when a Chorley defender passed back to the keeper but for some reason he picked the ball up. A free kick was awarded just near the six yard box but in a crowded area it was difficult to make any sort of chance and the ball was blocked first time and then cleared. Liam had to be alert as Chorley came forward and had to tip over a shot from the edge of the area but the linesperson flagged for a player being in an offside position. The game was to and fro with one team attacking then the other doing likewise. In this period Nathan Cartman was booked on 25 minutes for a late challenge on the half way line.Uptil half time there were a couple of chances each. Jonesey just failing to get on the end of a good cross by Steve Ball and Nathan just sending a shot wide of the post and at the other end Morgy did well to clear a dangerous left wing cross and Liam made a good save after a Chorley attacker had caught our defence out and hit a shot hard and low. HT: Rail 0 Chorley 0
No subs were made by either team at half time.
Chorley started the brightest at the begining of the second period and within seconds of the restart Liam came to our rescue when tipping a shot over the bar. It wasn’t long after that Chorley took the lead when the advancing Jordan Connerton wasn’t closed down by our defence and his shot from 20 yards found the bottom of the net (47 mins) Unfortunately Liam seemed to have lost his footing when trying to make the save and had no chance of making up lost ground. Rail 0 Chorley 1
We came under a lot of pressure for the next 10 minutes or so and did well to survive without any further score. Most of the danger was coming down our left hand side with Ryan Haigh having to virtually clear of his line and with Liam having to make a fingertip save which just went round the post. At the other end Bally put in a decent cross from the right for Jonesey who’s header was deflected of the defenders shoulder for a corner. We were still having problems down our left when another cross came in and the attackers glancing header just went past the post. Rail then made a double substitution with Joel Etienne and Nathan Cartman being replaced by Danny Thirkell and Lee Ryan.Shortly after on 75 minutes Rail had a chance to get back into the game. It all came from a corner on the right which was taken by Bally - the cross was met by Morgy and his header looked as though it was going into the back of the net but the unfortunate Ashley Parillon handled on the line and the referee pointed to the spot. As this was a clear goal scoring chance the referee produced a red card and Parillon had to go. With Chorley down to 10 men and with a penalty to come it looked as though Rail had a chance of winning the game. Within seconds our hopes had been dashed when the luckless Ben Jones crashed his shot against the left hand post and the ball went out for a goal kick. Rail pressed forward in search of an equaliser and although we had several corners and one or two crosses coming in, the Chorley keeper - Peter Collinge gobbled up everything that came his way. No chances were really been created so a tyring Scott Jackson made way for Danny Forrest. In turn Chorley made a double substitution to strenghten thier midfield with the loss of of Ashley Parillon. Meanwhile, Ben Jones tricked his way to the edge of the area but he was taken down by Kieron Fletcher and was duly booked by the referee. The resulting free kick was blocked and cleared. Even with the loss of a player Chorley still created one more chance which Liam did well to save but the only chance we made in the closing minutes was when Danny Thirkell drove forward on the right and laid a ball into the path of Dan Forrest. He took one touch but the defender closed him down and blocked his shot. That was the end of the action as Rail failed to break down a stubborn Chorley and the score ended Rail 0 Chorley 1
MY COMMENTS:
A much more determined effort by Rail but we still have problems in our midfield and up front. We’re not really creating any clear cut chances and our forwards aren’t really hurting any defences. Scott Jackson, once fit will be a great asset to us adding a bit of experience and fire power up front. I’m not too sure about our other addition yesterday; David Henry. He had a busy second half and looked good with his passing but I don’t know what his exact favoured position is. It’s a wait and see job but we definately need a ‘Liam Grey’ type player in the middle of the park who’s going to win balls and create chances for the forwards. I’m sure Phil will be busy looking around for new players to come in and I’m sure he’ll give every player a chance before deciding what needs doing.