November 1st  by Highroadwellian

Town improve their dead ball skills to go into a half time lead of three goals to nil.

Sagare gets a rare start and soon assists Town’s first goal.

Unfortunately Town failed to improve on their first half performance, but hold on for a rare clean sheet just. It was a good team performance in all departments, Bushell and Midgley were tireless in the middle. Lee and Sagare combined well together up front. Lee in particular holding and passing the ball effectively.

But my man of the match is Jamie McCombe on a month’s loan from Scunthorpe United. He marked Watts out of the game completely, came forward for free kicks and corners, got a goal and very nearly a second one. 

First Half

03 1-0 A quick throw in on the left Midgley’s quick thinking released Sagare wide on the right, an intelligent angled pass back into box found Lee who fired home into the centre of the net.

05 Town’s first corner from Midgley cleared by the defence.

12 Mallon fouled on the left hand side of the box. Midgley’s free kick found Quinn who headed wide.

15 2-0 Vickers handled the ball on the 18 yard line of the penalty area and received a caution. The referee after talking the linesman awarded a free kick to Town. Sandwith drilled his shot through the wall and the ball nestled in the right hand corner of the goal.

20 Cartwright caught Braithwaite’s shot after a defensive error had left him unmarked in the box.

25 Mallon shoots over after Town’s second corner had been cleared to him outside the box.

26 3-0 Hill fouls Sandwith and is duly booked. Midgley free kick from the left finds McCombe in the box, McCombe heads a sweet one home.

35 First corner for the Daggers, big scamble in the Town box, but goes out for a goal-kick.

39 Bushell jinxed past two defenders, shot from edge of area, wide right.

Second Half

50 Midgley’s corner is beaten away by the defence.

52 In between two periods of Dagenham pressure. Mallon missed a golden opportunity to score, the keeper just doing enough to deflect it out of his path.

54 Another Sandwith free kick, wide on right eludes all in the box and goes out wide left.

65 This time Lee gets through one to one with keeper Roberts, who edges it out of Lee’s reach.

68 Another Town free kick from Midgley is glanced on by Lee, McCombe controls and shoots on the volley, only just clears the bar.

76 Sanwith shot straight catch by Roberts in the Daggers goal.

78 Midgley dispossesses Bentley drives on towards the box beats Cole, Cole upends Midgley before he can pull the trigger. Not even a booking, though last man Cole should have walked. Sandwith’s free kick goes ever so increasingly wide right.

Halifax Town 3 (Lee 3, Sandwith 15, McCombe 26)

Cartwright, Hockenhull, Sandwith, Bushell, Mallon (Goulden 90+1), Midgley, Lee, (Senior 85), Quinn, McCombe, Hudson. Sagare (Naylor 90+1).

Unused Subs: Garnett, McAuley.

Yellow Cards: None.

Dagenham & Redbridge 0

Roberts, Cole, Matthews, Mustafa, Vickers, Scully (Meecham), Hill, Bentley, Watts (Janney), Braithwaite, Bruce.

Unused Subs: Knight, Kimble, L Piper.

Yellow Cards: Vickers, Hill, Bruce, Bentley.

Attendance: 1379