Daniels at the double as Heys go third

By Stephen Howard

Greg Daniels continued his goal scoring streak with two more goals as Heys defeated Cheadle Town at Adie Moran Park on Tuesday night.

After scoring four times on Saturday the Heys striker struck twice in the first half here to help secure another three points to help lift his side up to third in the North West Counties League Premier Division table. However, whilst Daniels goals proved the difference this was a hard-earned victory based on a collective showing of grit and determination, on a bitterly cold night, to overcome a Cheadle side who had won eight of their previous nine games. Whilst there were several telling contributions, a special mention must go to midfielder Pa Jenkins who was hugely influential in securing this victory.

Heys started brightly and carved out a couple of early chances with a Daniels shot deflected onto the post for a corner before the ensuing corner saw an Aaron Chalmers’ header cleared off the line.

However, it was the visitors who gained the ascendancy. Jenkins made a timely intervention to prevent a clear shot on goal for Lee Knight before Heys ‘keeper Russ Saunders, on his 100th appearance, palmed a sharp shot from Wealth DaSilva-Olajide over the bar.

Cheadle were to go close again in the 14th minute when Jack McConnell broke down the left before cutting inside and firing a shot across the face of goal and just wide of the post.

Gradually though Heys showed signs of gaining some control as they began to stifle the visitors threat and find some momentum of their own and in the 23rd minute they took the lead. Connor Berry broke forward before picking out Matt Davies in the box who saw his shot blocked before the ball fell for Daniels to sweep it home.

As the home side looked to add to their tally, Jenkins broke from midfield, into the box, but Jordan Latham dropped to his left to save whilst Berry curled a low driven free kick wide.

Finally, on the stroke of half time Heys pressure told as they doubled their advantage. Davies broke into the box but as he shaped to shoot a defender nicked the ball off his toe but only into the path of the incoming Daniels who fired a superb, angled shot into the far corner of the net.

After the break Heys set about putting the game beyond Cheadle’s reach and had three good chances to do so. In the 49th minute, the lively Ryley Smith broke into the box but blazed over with his shot with Davies in the middle waiting for a tap in.

Two minutes later, Berry turned one way and then the other in the box, before getting a shot off that was cleared off the line with the ball just eluding Davies and Daniels. Then, a great break by Davies saw him pick out Berry whose shot was fumbled by the keeper before going wide.

Cheadle eased the pressure on the hour as a ball was whipped into the box where Ryan Barrow provided a looping header that just cleared the bar.

By and large though Heys were comfortable but being unable to add a third goal kept the visitors in the hunt and they began to commit increasing numbers forward as the game entered the final quarter of an hour. Russ Saunders twice produced saves to thwart DaSilva- Olajide, First dropping to hold a 25-yard shot and then saving well to keep out a close range shot.

Heys had chances to break but were not able to execute and Cheadle went close again in the 82nd minute when Jordan Lazenbury cut into the box but pulled his shot wide.

In the 90th minute however, Cheadle did pull a goal back when as the ball bobbled about the box Lazenbury’s shot crept into the bottom corner, to sadly deny Saunders a clean sheet in his landmark game.

However, it was too late to deny Heys an ultimately deserved victory and maintain their climb up the table.

TEAM: Russ Saunders, Kyle Jacobs, Saidkhon Khamidov, Pa Jenkins, Nathan Bartram-Conway, Aaron Chalmers (Capt.), Connor Berry, Connor Brotherton, Greg Daniels, Matt Davies, Ryley Smith Subs: Nathan Emery (for Berry 72 mins), Jordan Hadlow, Jerome Wright, Danny White, Jack Coop