St Neots Town F.C.
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St Neots' Achilles heel came back to haunt them and was a major contributory factor in their first home league defeat this season. Chance after chance went begging in a first half as they limited their visitors to two meaningful attempts on goal at the other end and then after the break St Neots lost their rhythm as their confidence sagged and they conceded two soft goals to allow visitors Newport Pagnell to complete a league double. The other major factor in the match was the visitors' physical approach to the match and they eventually had a player sent off three minutes from time to add to the three first half bookings for fouls two of which might have attracted a red card by a less lenient official. Jon Mitchell in particular was the victim of some quite deliberate fouls as his speed and trickery mesmerised defenders and it was ironic that St Neots skipper Glen Fuff was booked by the Referee for dissent as he tried justifiably to complain about the visitors' bully-boy tactics. Now beginning a ten day rest after seven league matches in October St Neots must muse on why so many chances are missed when goals are conceded to opponents who create far fewer openings. Leading scorer Liam Harrold looked jaded and short of confidence throughout and he is one player who will benefit from the period of inactivity. It was only the second time in 21 starts this season that St Neots had fielded a totally unchanged line up from their previous match but this counted for little.

St Neots began in their usual positive way and in the first minute Jordan Gent up for a set piece volleyed over the bar from an acute angle and then Liam Harrold headed tamely over the bar. Pagnell's first effort saw Darren Lynch also off target with a header and then twice in the same attack St Neots should have scored. Jon Mitchell unlocked the Pagnell defence to unselfishly set up Tony Scully whose shot was cleared off the line by Keith Williams with his keeper beaten and as the ball ricocheted around the area Liam Harrold skied his shot over the bar from eight yards. Three times in as many minutes Mitchell was fouled around the visitors' box with the perpetrators getting off without cautions and then Harrold flicked the ball on to release Mitchell and he beat keeper James Howarth to the ball to roll it goalwards but John Thorpe got back to clear off the line as St Neots celebrations began. Paul Garrett also was close to scoring with a shot that just beat the far post and the first half ended with St Neots looking frustrated still to be on level terms.

Two minutes after the restart Pagnell put together a superb three man move that left St Neots defence in tatters and Nabil Shariff should have scored but with the goal at his mercy he shot over the top. That should have been a wake up call to St Neots but they continued to squander promising openings. A minute past the hour Pagnell attacked down the right with Shariff producing the final cross and Jordan Gent stuck out a leg at full stretch to divert the ball past his keeper to give the visitors an undeserved lead. A swift St Neots response saw Howarth punch the ball off the head of Harrold at full stretch and St Neots then sent on ‘super sub' Josh Sozzo. He had a colourful start being brought down before he had touched the ball, two minutes later having a shot deflected for a corner and two minutes more being booked for his first innocuous looking challenge on a defender. Liam Harrold's acrobatic volley to a Mitchell cross brought the save of the match from Howarth and with fourteen minutes left Nabil Shariff won the match for Pagnell with a well taken goal as he got the better in a one on one with Gent to fire low past Luke McShane. His extravagant shirt removing celebrations saw him become the fourth visiting player to be booked and from that point St Neots looked ragged and disillusioned. Pagnell's time wasting saw almost seven minutes added at the end of the match and by then they had lost Rob McDonald sent off to a straight red card for a foul that was nowhere near as bad as several that had gone unpunished.

• Team: McShane, Hurst, Lodge, Hughes, Fuff, Gent, Scully, Hyem, Harrold, Mitchell, Garrett.
• Subs: Sozzo (for Garrett 68 mins), Usher (for Harrold 83 mins), Kenneford, James Duckett & Trebes
• Man of Match: Tony Scully

Match date: Tue 27th October 2009