Ace Perkins shuts up shop for 10-man Royton
Date published: 02 April 2010
AERIAL ACTION: Royton FC’s Scott Conroy leaps to head clear from Khartoum Northern’s Roy Radcliffe.
Royton FC 2, Khartoum Northern 1
AMATEUR FOOTBALL: ROYTON FC revived their hopes of clinching the D&J Builders (North West) Ltd Oldham Sunday League Jack Abbott premier division title with a stirring win over table-topping Khartoum Northern at Foxdenton Park.
Reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Carl Caffrey for handball on the hour mark, Royton simply shut up shop to quell the threat of Khartoum, who themselves were chasing a victory that would enhance their own title ambitions.
And the shot-stopper was Alex Perkins, whose defiant heroics between the sticks for Royton was a major difference between the two sides.
Caffrey’s handball came with Royton leading 2-0, and up stepped Matt Dickenson to smash home the spot-kick at the second attempt after Perkins had parried his initial effort.
It should have been a lifeline for Khartoum, but Perkins did his best from thereon to kill off any hopes of a comeback.
Royton manager Gary Townhill said: “This was a massive victory for us and we can still win the division if we win our remaining games.
“Alex was different class, but it was a great show from everybody, especially after we went down to 10 men.”
Royton stunned Khar-toum with two goals in seven first-half minutes.
The first, close to the half-hour mark, saw Jordan Howarth’s flag kick met by the head of Mick Bowers.
And it was 2-0 moments later when Scott Conroy’s harmless-looking free-kick from 35 yards out somehow found its way into the back of the Khartoum net.
Ian Dickenson, the Khartoum manager, said: “At half time I told the lads to keep playing the way we had been doing and that the rewards would come.
“But their goalkeeper was brilliant and was a stand-out man-of-the-match.”
Two spellbinding saves late on from Perkins to deny Khartoum brothers Roy and Cain Radcliffe summed up Dickenson’s comments.
And this result means that the race for the title may still have more twists and turns in the next few weeks.
ROYTON FC: Perkins, Schofield, Howarth, Bowers, Dean, Conroy, Caffrey, Ginnever, Dalton, Hall, Davies. Subs: Siddall, Joyce, Greaves.
KHARTOUM NORTHERN: Mullin, Caveney, Caffrey, Dickenson, Hough, Stafford, Robinson, R Radcliffe, O’Keefe, C Radcliffe, Murdoch. Subs:Mills, Hewitt.
Referee: A Hibbert.
