Diggle's dozen delights Devy

Photo: Paul Sterritt

NEAT FEAT . . . Danny McLoughlin rounds the Shelley goalkeeper before putting Diggle ahead

Diggle 4, Shelley 1

DIGGLE manager Richard Devy revealed the reason behind his side's recent excellent run of form in Division One of the Huddersfield and District League.

This latest victory over struggling Shelley, on a just-about playable Churchill playing fields surface, made it 12 games unbeaten in league and cup and sees the side move up to third in the table with a huge goal difference of plus 43.

Devy said: "It's about minimum touch football and movement in the top half of the pitch, something we have worked hard on in training.

"If you do those things then you get it right and that's just what the lads have been doing over the last few months.

"It wasn't our greatest performance arguably, but after the run we've been on then once we got the first goal we knew we could go on to win the game.

"We are creating so many chances, something that didn't happen in the earlier part of the season."

Weather conditions meant that Diggle used the services of a local referee to inspect the pitch at 11am.

Conditions deteriorated between then and the kick-off time of 2,15pm and the official referee expressed his concerns before finally giving the go-ahead.

ROUNDING

Danny McLoughlin set Diggle on their way in the 10th minute when he latched on to an Adam Brown pass before rounding the Shelley goalkeeper and slotting the ball home.

McLoughlin made it two for Diggle 10 minutes before the break with a neat header from Liam Gregory's cross, and turned provider four minutes later to set up Gregory for a close-range finish.

Rob Flynn's precise left-footed drive from 18-yards 10 minutes after the restart saw Diggle home and hosed, with Shelley grabbing a consolation goal late on.

DIGGLE: Fothergill, Raw, Brown, Owens, Kershaw, Flynn, Gregory, Chew, N Mayall, K Mayall, McLoughlin. Subs: Woodward, Lishman, Osbourne.

Star Man: Nathan Mayall (Diggle) - Tireless work ethic throughout.

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