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Chris Hussey

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Clitheroe (A) 25.1.25

The Pitmen extend their unbeaten league run to four games this afternoon but are left feeling a little frustrated after being shut out by an excellent display from visitors Avro to share the points at Keys Park

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Having seen last week's game at Wythenshawe succumb to the cold weather, manager Gavin Hurren had used the break productively to make three new signings and bolster his injury-hit squad. In had come experienced pair Tony Breeden and Chris Hussey from Southern Premier League Central sides Spalding United and Stratford Town respectively, whilst former Southport striker Niall Watson had also joined the club this week after returning to the UK from a spell in the United States. Goalkeeper Breeden and defender Hussey came straight into the XI as two of three changes to the side that had beaten Nantwich Town two weeks ago as they replaced Ryan Brown and Joel Taylor respectively. The third change came in midfield as Dan Trickett-Smith shook off his knock and came back in ahead of Sion Spence

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Avro sat in a mid-table position of thirteenth going into today's trip down to South Staffordshire, having had a mixed run of results in recent weeks. Joint managers Mike Norton and Dave Birch made three changes to their side from the one that had started their 1-0 defeat to Wythenshawe Town two weeks ago as Dom Smalley, Sam Rathbone and Jake Cottrell all came in ahead of Geffry Ebhote, Benito Lowe and Kane Hickman

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In front of yet another four-figure crowd, the hosts looked to make their quick start to proceedings with Hussey earning a free-kick in the fourth minute that was taken by Dan Trickett-Smith, looking for the head of Ollie Harrison but was headed behind by Sam Rathbone, Trickett-Smith's resultant corner kick was swung into the six-yard box and was headed away by the over-stretching Liam Ellis at the far post to deny Manny Duku an easy header home

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Two minutes later, another corner, this time from the right and taken by the left foot of Hussey, was cleared by the head of James Dwyer as far as Jack Bearne, whose lay-off to Harrison was subsequently passed to Elliott Johnson. The Hednesford skipper tried his luck with a first-time effort from twelve yards out that looped narrowly over the crossbar

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Avro's game plan seemed very clear from the off; keep things as tight as possible and force the Pitmen to find a way through their two banks of four that protected goalkeeper Grant Shenton. This was to prove a tough nut to crack for the home side, with the likes of Bearne, Trickett-Smith and Dom McHale all struggling to get a foothold in the game. McHale was involved in the tenth minute as he linked up well with Jamie Morgan down the right, feeding the ball through to the right-back as he made an overlapping run into the box. Morgan's intended target was Duku, but his low cross from the byeline was snuffed out by Rathbone

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Trickett-Smith played another dangerous corner into the box in the fourteenth minute, finding the head of Harrison with his ball in from the left, only for the big defender to flick the ball on and just over the head of the incoming Johnson at the far post

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Avro had been very quiet in the final third of the pitch thus far, as the Pitmen's new-look defence held them at arm's length with relative ease in the opening quarter of the game. On seventeen minutes, AJ Warburton played Ellis through with a threaded ball into the feet of the former Mossley striker, who looked to burst through on goal down the left but was pulled back by the assistant on the main stand side for an offside decision

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A flowing move from the Pitmen midway through the first half saw them open up the stoic Avro defence for the first time in the game as Trickett-Smith and Joe Doyle-Charles played some quick one-touch stuff to play Bearne through, only for the winger to be denied by a non-nonsense challenge on him from Dom Smalley to turn the ball behind for a corner kick

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Another good move from the Pitmen on twenty-five minutes saw Hussey bring the ball into the Avro half and play a delightful pass into the feet of Trickett-Smith, who took a touch twenty yards from goal before firing in a low shot that Shenton held inside his six-yard box

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Avro had a rare sight at goal just before the half-hour mark as veteran midfielder Jake Cottrell picked up a loose ball just outside the Hednesford penalty area and fed Cheikh Thiam, whose right-footed shot sailed high and wide of Breeden's left-hand post

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Simeon Maye picked up the game's first booking of the afternoon on thirty-one minutes as the combative Hednesford midfielder was shown a yellow card by referee Mr Abson for a foul on Dom Smalley

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More Hednesford corner kicks came and went with no real penetration on the Avro defence, as Hussey swung in a dangerous ball from the right on thirty-five minutes that was headed up in the air by Harrison before being hacked clear by Dom Smalley at the far post

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McHale was struggling to make his usual impact on the game, going on one of his eccentric runs on thirty-eight minutes that saw him carry the ball a little too far on the edge of the Avro penalty area and overrunning it, allowing Rathbone to clear the danger before the Magic Man could get his shot away

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Bearne and Johnson worked a good opening for the Pitmen on forty minutes down the left, with Bearne laying the ball off to the defender and allowing him to send over a superb ball that bounced inside the six-yard box but just too far in front of Duku and McHale as the pair looked to get in on goal

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Avro had the ball in the net with a minute of the first half to go as Ellis latched onto a pass from Cottrell and turned it past Breeden from close-range, but was pulled back for an earlier offside decision against him in the build-up

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A minute later, Duku forced Shenton into a rare save as McHale exchanged passes with Johnson before feeding Duku on the edge of the penalty area; he turned past Rathbone and fired in a low shot from the edge of the box that Shenton pushed away down to his right. Trickett-Smith tried to turn the ball home on the rebound but the angle was too tight for him and Avro managed to clear their lines

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It had, in truth, been a fairly poor spectacle of a game so far, with chances at an absolute premium at both ends. Avro had set their stall out from the off and will have been content with their defensive display, whilst the Pitmen will have been left frustrated at the lack of time and space on offer that normally allows them to play their natural game through the channels

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McHale looked to up the tempo for the home side early in the second half, showing the little more urgency as he cut inside from the right flank after picking up a Morgan pass, drifting past two challenges before driving in a low shot at goal that Shenton saved at his near post

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Cottrell looked to pick Thiam out with a fine ball into the box on fifty-five minutes, spraying a deep, looping ball over the top of the Hednesford defence from the left and into the path of the winger up the far post. Thiam tried to turn the ball home but with the angle against him, he could only turn the ball into the side netting as Breeden covered his post well

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To have the ball in the net once more just before the hour mark as another raking pass from Cottrell found Ellis, who again ran in behind the Hednesford defence and turned the ball past Breeden; yet again, however, the striker was in an offside position when he received the ball and the goal was chalked off

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​The Pitmen made their first change of the afternoon shortly after the hour mark as the mis-firing Bearne was brought off and replaced by new signing Watson down the left flank

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Midway through the second half, Avro midfielder Sam Davidson picked up the away side's first booking of the afternoon as he was rightly shown a yellow card by Mr Abson for a foul on Doyle-Charles in the centre circle

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This was followed soon after by a yellow card for former FC United of Manchester player Cottrell as he was also booked by Mr Abson for leaving his foot in on Harrison as the pair challenged for the ball just outside the Hednesford penalty area

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With twenty minutes remaining, the hosts made their second and final change of the game as Trickett-Smith - who had really struggled to get himself into the game - was brought off in favour of Spence

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McHale went agonisingly close to opening the scoring with fifteen minutes remaining as he picked the pocket of Cottrell, winning the ball in midfield before driving at the Avro defence with purpose down the right flank. After cutting inside and into his favoured left foot, the playmaker looked to curl the ball beyond the reach of Shenton but only managed to turn his shot from eighteen yards out inches wide of the far past. So close

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Avro's first substitution of the afternoon came a minute later as the hard-running Ellis - who had barely had a sniff up against Johnson, Hussey and Harrison - came off and was replaced by former Stalybridge Celtic striker Benito Lowe

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Avro were still holding firm as Rathbone put his head in amongst a crowd of players to head Hussey's deep corner kick away from goal from virtually underneath his own crossbar on eighty minutes as Duku and Johnson looking to try and turn the ball home in the scramble

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Another superb Hussey corner kick on eighty-five minutes was met by the leap of Harrison six yards out, only for the big centre-back's effort to drop inches wide of the far post

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With two minutes to go, McHale was involved once more as his run into the box and subsequent shot was blocked by David Fitzpatrick, with the loose ball bobbling around and ending up back at the feet of McHale, whose superb first-time ball through to Morgan was clipped inches wide of the post by the right-back, who would have been offside anyway

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With time running down and the Pitmen seemingly out of ideas, Avro made a late defensive change to solidify their ranks as the vastly experienced Deane Smalley - scorer of a comedic own goal in the 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture last month - replaced Davidson

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It had been one of those frustrating afternoons that you tend to get a handful of times in the season, where you dominate play but just can't find a way through. It was the Pitmen's first shut-out of the season at Keys Park, having scored in every one of their previous eighteen games before chalking up a blank this afternoon. Avro will be pleased with their efforts and deserved their point for a dogged, well-organised display that stunted the home side's creativity throughout. Hurren's side head out on the road next weekend after a rare week without a midweek game, making the longest trip of the season up to Lancashire to face struggling Clitheroe at Shawbridge looking to get back to winning ways once more

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Hednesford Town: Breeden, Morgan, Johnson ©, Doyle-Charles, Harrison, Hussey, Trickett-Smith (Spence 70), Maye ▆, Duku, McHale, Bearne (Watson 63)    Sub Unused: Gwilt, Taylor, Brown

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Avro: Shenton ©, Dom Smalley, Fitzpatrick, Morrow, Dwyer, Rathbone, Cottrell ▆, Davidson ▆ (Deane Smalley 90), Ellis (Lowe 76), AJ Warburton, Thiam     Subs Unused: O. Warburton, Edmundson, Ebhote

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