Report

East Manchester are top of the league at the turn of the year with a goal from Adam Stones and a brace from Danny Williams proving enough to see off a young Bury side.

Wholesale changes were made to the starting line up with a plague of injuries hitting the East defence.  Simon Harrison was replaced in the centre by Simon Finegan while an ankle injury meant Paul Caton would miss out, Mike O’Connor filled in at left back.  Pathetically, Joe Neild decided a distant family relative's wedding was more important than playing football?  Tom Gregson came in at right back for a Manchester Premier League debut.  Also, Connor Brotherton earned a deserved chance in the first team in centre midfield, after some impressive cameo appearances.  As for charismatic Vice Captain Broadbent, he was only fit enough for a place on the bench, acting as an insurance policy if things went wrong.

Last season Bury had taken 4 points off East in two league games also causing Graham Brynes to retire from football.  Throughout the game, Bury played some nice football but seemed to lack a cutting edge up front possibly why they have drawn so many games this season.  East started the stronger of the two sides and were playing their customary concise and quick football, however, clear cut chances were limited during the first 30 minutes.

The opener came from an old fashioned cross.  The ball was floated to the back post from a Jamie Byrne free kick and Stones rose highest looping a header back across goal into the far corner.  Stones is always a threat from set pieces and the young Bury defence had no answer allowing him his first of the campaign.  East piled on the pressure and broke Bury’s resistance again just before half time.  A loose ball in a goal mouth scramble fell to Williams on the penalty spot and he rifled a low volley past the despairing goalkeeper.  It was nothing more than East had deserved and the game looked dead and buried as the ref blew for half time.

No changes were made at half time and the game continued in the same vein during the opening exchanges of the second half with East pressing but failing to create too many goal scoring chances and Bury struggling to keep possession of the ball.  On the hour, a hopeful punt from the Bury defence turned into a fantastic through ball as the forward raced ahead one on one.  He tried to round the keeper and the ball seemed to strike Paul Crompton’s foot before the forward fell into Finegan.  The referee couldn’t wait to make a controversial decision and this was his moment as he awarded Bury a penalty and sent off the captain, Finegan.  Embarrassingly, Paul Brown sprinted the length of the field, not the remonstrate with the referee’s decision but instead to take the captains armband.  Under Brown’s leadership, East immediately conceded a goal as the Bury player struck the penalty in off the post, 2-1 and with East minus a man, Game On.

Surprisingly though, Bury never really offered anything threatening and continued to pass the ball in front of the opposition with no end product.  Just as changes were set to be made, Williams produced the best moment of football in the game.  Jamie Byrne took up a clever position inside the Bury half and slipped a ball into Williams to leave him one on one.  As the Bury defenders fought to get back at Williams, he chipped the goalkeeper (Robinho-esque v Arsenal 2008/09) from 20 yards out to seal the victory for East.  A real contender for goal of the season and the first time this has ever worked for Williams, not through lack of trying.

Murray came on to replace the hard working Connor Brotherton, while Aaron Turner made a solid debut replacing the injured O’Connor (another victim of the East defence).  The game ended with little incident as East held on to collect another 3 points.

With the onset of Christmas, East are unlikely to play in the league until late January however their form and results throughout 2011 will give them great hope going into the New Year.  Only 12 league games remain and the players have the chance to write themselves into the history books as the first league winners since 1991/92 (Barney Quinn was not involved in this side either).

EMFC