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Stricken Vikings beaten heavily by Colls
Widnes Football Club26 Mar 2014 - 16:36
Vikings FC were left yet again licking their wounds after another crushing defeat to a team in the top 4 of the North West Counties Division One.
Manager Steve Hill had made a few changes since the 1-1 draw away at Ecclesshall two days prior, with Lewis Reid, Dan Burns and James Thomas all starting.
The freshness in the team didn’t seem to have an impact on an Atherton team who looked organised and compacted at the back. Mitch Leece got the home side of to a flyer in the 8th minute when he found himself through on goal to slot the ball past Reid. A second goal soon followed when Mark Truffas’ shot was saved by Reid but from the resulting corner Kieran Halliwell headed the ball home. Tollitt looked lively down the right wing as he left two defenders for dead but his cross was blocked.
Persistent high pressure from the away side forced the Atherton defence into a few mistakes during the game but the Vikings were unable to capitalise on them. A defensive error lead to third for the Colls. Tom Mitchell’s back header to keeper Reid left him stranded and Paul Atherton was waiting in the wings to pounce and fire his shot into the empty net. Beforehand an inventive 40 yard free kick by James Thomas nearly left Colls keeper Phil Priestley looking red faced.
The Vikings enjoyed a long spell of pressure on the Atherton goal but it counted for nothing when the Colls ran down the other end to score and add to their tally. Paul Atherton rose ahead of his marker to head home from a corner kick to make it four to the home side.
The second half wasn’t much of an improvement by the away side after another error lead to the Colls fifth goal of the game. A cross swung in by Mitch Leece found its way somehow into the Vikings goal. Another day to forget for the Vikings. It could of 6 when a cross by Mark Truffas found the head of Mitch Leece but his header clipped the top of the bar with the keeper beaten.
Atherton showed better quality than the Vikings throughout the game but the Vikings showed a bit of their own when Paul Cliff hit a wonderfully struck low free kick past the wall and past keeper Priestley to add a consolation goal to a disappointing display. The Vikings will now look ahead to their away game with AFC Darwen at the weekend to hit back after a thrashing by Colls.
The freshness in the team didn’t seem to have an impact on an Atherton team who looked organised and compacted at the back. Mitch Leece got the home side of to a flyer in the 8th minute when he found himself through on goal to slot the ball past Reid. A second goal soon followed when Mark Truffas’ shot was saved by Reid but from the resulting corner Kieran Halliwell headed the ball home. Tollitt looked lively down the right wing as he left two defenders for dead but his cross was blocked.
Persistent high pressure from the away side forced the Atherton defence into a few mistakes during the game but the Vikings were unable to capitalise on them. A defensive error lead to third for the Colls. Tom Mitchell’s back header to keeper Reid left him stranded and Paul Atherton was waiting in the wings to pounce and fire his shot into the empty net. Beforehand an inventive 40 yard free kick by James Thomas nearly left Colls keeper Phil Priestley looking red faced.
The Vikings enjoyed a long spell of pressure on the Atherton goal but it counted for nothing when the Colls ran down the other end to score and add to their tally. Paul Atherton rose ahead of his marker to head home from a corner kick to make it four to the home side.
The second half wasn’t much of an improvement by the away side after another error lead to the Colls fifth goal of the game. A cross swung in by Mitch Leece found its way somehow into the Vikings goal. Another day to forget for the Vikings. It could of 6 when a cross by Mark Truffas found the head of Mitch Leece but his header clipped the top of the bar with the keeper beaten.
Atherton showed better quality than the Vikings throughout the game but the Vikings showed a bit of their own when Paul Cliff hit a wonderfully struck low free kick past the wall and past keeper Priestley to add a consolation goal to a disappointing display. The Vikings will now look ahead to their away game with AFC Darwen at the weekend to hit back after a thrashing by Colls.
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