Hobin shines in basement battle

DAMIEN Jilks, of Red Star, dribbles the ball away from Failsworth Athletic’s Aaron McDermott during their Oldham Sunday League fixture. PICTURE by CHRIS SUNDERLAND.

Failsworth Athletic 1, Red Star 3

FOOTBALL: RYAN Hobin scored twice to earn Red Star three priceless points in a 3-1 win at Failsworth Athletic in the Premier Division of the D and J Builders (North-West) Ltd Oldham Sunday League.

Hobin's two first-half goals at Mabel Road, his second a fine individual effort, effectively sealed the points for Red Star, both of them clinical finishes as befits one of the league's top strikers.

Hobin (22) who also plays for Hollinwood on Saturdays, said: "It was quite important to get the goals to help the team back to winning ways.”

Hobin's second strike came ten minutes before half-time, his first on 19 minutes when he capitalised on a defensive mix-up to crash the ball home from just outside the box.

It was 3-0 to Red Star as the game moved into its final quarter, with Carl Beamish springing the Failsworth offside trap before rounding Andrew Cooper in the Failsworth goal and slotting the ball into an empty net.

In what was ultimately a consolation effort, Failsworth veteran Dave Cain slid the ball home with 14 minutes to go when Red Star failed to clear a free kick.

And a word or two for the often unsung heroes of amateur football – the referees.

In this case it was Eddie Aspin, who is one of the Oldham Sunday League's most respected officials.

At the end of every match, both sides are asked to place a judgement on the referee's performance by giving the official a mark out of ten.

And following a fine game as the man in charge, Aspin received a nine from Failsworth and a perfect 10 from Red Star.