Injury-time strike may save Northwich

Apr 21 2008 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

A BRILLIANT injury-time strike by substitute Michael Carr brought the house down in this tense Blue Square Premier game at the Marston’s Arena and could prove the goal which preserves Vics’ status for another season.

Over-anxiety prevented the Greens from fully expressing themselves and they survived some hairy moments against a useful Grays side with goalkeeper Scott Tynan forced to pull off two fine late saves from Barry Crogen and Scott Taylor to keep his side on level terms.

The decisive moment came shortly after the referee had signalled four additional minutes when Joel Byrom and Lee Steele combined on the left to square the ball across the edge of the penalty area. Carr timed his run perfectly and smacked a perfect shot high into the net to become engulfed by relieved players, the entire subs bench and a small proportion of the 769 crowd.

Their maximum return sees Vics move two places above the bottom four with two games remaining, both against play-off candidates, at Stevenage Borough tomorrow night, then at home to Cambridge United on Saturday.

Without dependable central defenders Michael Welch and Cortez Belle, both suspended, manager Dino Maamria fielded a patched-up back three in which Danny Meadowcroft emerged as the best player to collect the man of the man of the match prize. It must have been a great temptation to hand it to marksman Carr.

NORTHWICH (3-5-2: Tynan; Meadowcroft, Kerr, Roberts; Mullan (Williams 65), Crowell (Carr 70), Byrne (Burns 70), Byrom, R Brown; Steele, D Brown. BOOKING: Kerr.