Stafford Rangers 1 Salisbury City 5
Blue Square Premier
At: Marston Road
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Attendance: 706
Marco Adaggio scored his first goal since returning from injury but Rangers couldn’t prevent visitors Salisbury City returning to Wiltshire with all three points.
The striker was introduced as a half-time substitute and found the net with his sixth league goal of the season just 57 seconds after the restart. However, at this point Salisbury had already scored three goals through Matt Tubbs in the 4th and 24th minutes and Michael Fowler just before the break. The visitors added further goals netted by substitutes Robert Matthews and Liam Feeney.
Neil Grayson and Kevin Street named an unchanged starting line-up and both Djoumin Sangare and Chris Flynn returning from respective injury and suspension with a place on the bench.
With floodlights on from the start, Salisbury got the game underway attacking the Social Club end and took the lead in the 4th minute. Andrew Sandell delivered a long throw from the right into the area and Tubbs hooked the ball home from 10 yards out. Rangers got forward and won a corner. The ball was sent over by Damion Jarrett and Jemiah Richards headed over but, in any case, was penalised for pushing. Danny Alcock needed to be alert to get behind a deflected shot from Wayne Turk after a left-wing corner was partially cleared. Jarrett was certainly lively down the right and on the quarter-hour mark he drove across the face of goal and wide of the far post. Richie Sutton and Jarrett exchanged passes on the right before the latter raced down the right. Dolapo Olaoye got forward into the area and was unlucky to see his header clear the bar. The move certainly deserved a goal.
Stafford were certainly creating more chances but the visitors struck again in the 24th minute. Sandell fed unmarked Tubbs who fired past Alcock from the edge of the area into the roof of the net. Rangers pushed forward and looked to put the Salisbury defence under pressure. Ross Draper met Sutton’s cross and headed just wide. Olaoye fed David McNiven who went for goal from 20 yards out and goalkeeper Ryan Clarke gathered up. Stafford won a free-kick 25 yards out. Matt Hazley curled the ball over the ball and into the arms of well-positioned Clarke. Just after the half hour, Jarrett crossed deep from the right to the far post where McNiven headed narrowly wide.
Stafford kept on creating chances and won two corners in quick succession. From the second, Draper fired wide from 15 yards out. Alcock pulled off a fine reaction save to keep out Marvin Brown’s close range shot, admittedly from an offside position but the Stafford keeper couldn’t have known that at the time. However, Salisbury scored a third goal in the 44th minute with only their fourth legal effort on target. Sandell was again involved as he crossed low into the area. The ball was laid back for Fowler to thump home from 20 yards out with a clean right-foot strike.
Stafford made a change at halt-time with Adaggio replacing Olaoye. And the substitution had an immediate impact just 57 seconds after the restart. Draper won the ball in the air to set up Adaggio. The striker got past Turk inside the area at the second attempt and stabbed a shot past the diving Clarke who got a hand to the ball. Adaggio remained in the thick of the action as he headed over Jarrett’s cross. In the 51st minute, Rangers appealed for a penalty after Adaggio went down inside the area under Jonathan Bass’ challenge. Jarrett hit a diagonal crossfield ball towards the far left post where Adaggio sent a well-stuck volley fizzing over the bar. Hazley was unlucky to see a shot cleared off the line.
There were no fewer than three substitutions made at the same time in the 64th minute. Flynn replaced Hazley and Sangare returned to the defence in place of skipper Wayne Daniel who reluctantly limped off with an ankle problem. Salisbury replaced Brown with Matthews. Matthews quickly made his presence felt by restoring Salisbury’s three-goal advantage in the 71st minute. He squeezed home a 25-yards free-kick in between the left-hand post and the diving Alcock. Alcock prevented Salisbury from quickly scoring again with an outstanding save. The keeper was forced to change direction and somehow kept out a header from Edward Afasu-Adjaye who nipped in to meet Sandell’s near-post free-kick from the right. Salisbury made a second change in the 76th minute with Feeney replaced Tubbs.
Stafford created another chance as Kevin Street fired wide after trying his luck from outside the area. But Rangers finished with ten men as Sutton was unable to continue through injury after the 87th minute. Richards powerfully volleyed inches wide of the target from Jarrett’s corner. But Salisbury caught Rangers on the break in the fourth minute of stoppage time to score a fifth goal. Feeney got clear down the middle and coolly slotted past Alcock.
Teams
Stafford Rangers: Alcock, Sutton, Daniel (Sangare, 64), Richards, Lynch, Jarrett, Street, Draper, Hazley (Flynn, 64), McNiven, Olaoye (Adaggio, ht). Unused subs: Ingram, Allen (gk)
Salisbury City: R. Clarke, Bass, Asafu-Adjaye, Cook, Robinson, Bartlett, Turk, Fowler, Sandell, Brown (Matthews, 64), Tubbs (Feeney, 76). Unused subs: Widdrington, D. Clarke, Weedon
Referee: W. Barrett (Worcestershire)
Attendance: 706 (inc 52 away fans)
This match report was originally written for and published on the now defunct www.staffordrangers.co.uk
