FC Halifax Town record their fifth win of the season and maintaining their 100% record at home with a 1-0 victory over Gateshead on Bank Holiday Monday in front of 1688 fans at the MBi Shay Stadium.
Jordan Preston opened the scoring against his former club with a minute to go in the first half. Matty Kosylo received the ball on the halfway line and charged at the Gateshead defence. Kosylo slipped the ball into the path of Preston on the left side of goal. Preston opened his body and slid the ball under Aynsley Pears.
Kosylo earned a free kick from another charging run just after the half hour mark when he was brought down by Gateshead captain Robbie Tinker who received a yellow card.
Halifax started promisingly with a chance in the first couple of minutes when Ben Tomlinson rose at the near post with a header just wide of the post.
Dayle Southwell forced the first save of the game shortly after 10 minutes. Southwell received the ball and took a few touches then fired at goal from outside the box and Pears dived to tip the ball past his right-hand post.
Jordan Preston almost opened the scoring moments before his goal when Kosylo done well to beat his marker on the left. He drilled a cross low towards the centre of the area and Preston couldn’t connect fully with his slight touch off the studs took the ball out for a throw.
Five minutes later Southwell done well to beat a defender in the right corner flag and cross the ball into the box. However, Kosylo couldn’t reach the header to direct it towards goal.
Nathan Clarke who has two goals this season could have doubled his tally in the first half with two clear headers both over the bar.
The first of which came in the 21st minute from a corner which was floated to the far post by Ben Tomlinson and Clarke’s header flew over the bar.
The second opportunity came 7 minutes later from a free kick just inside the Gateshead half Tomlinson with a curling cross to the far post was meet by Clarke and his header was always rising over the bar.
Gateshead had their first chance with 10 minutes left of the first half with a cross from the left side was floated in the box which found JJ O’Donnell on the penalty spot whose half volley drilled into the floor was pushed away by Sam Johnson
Gateshead had the first opportunity of the second half when Jack Hunter had a scuffed chance on the edge of the box and Sam Johnson claimed the ball with a low save.
Jonathan Edwards who was a second half sub had the first Halifax chance of the second half with his first touches. Coming in from the left had two defenders in front of him and his curling effort with his right foot drifted just over the bar.
Halifax soaked up a lot of pressure in the last 15 minutes for the second half saw out the game. However, Gateshead didn’t have a testing effort on goal.
Gateshead best chance of pulling an equaliser back came from a corner in the 75th minute when Fraser Kerr climbed high at the far post and his header down was collected by Sam Johnson.
Edwards had a chance to score in an open goal with five minutes left of normal time as pears raced out his box to clear a ball away was deflected up in the air off the back of his own defender and it couldn’t fall for Edwards to aim at the open goal.
My Man of the match: Jordan Preston
FC Halifax Town: 1 Sam Johnson, 4 Nathan Clarke, 5 Matty Brown ©, 7 Matty Kosylo, 9 Dayle Southwell (10 Jonathan Edwards 71), 14 Ben Tomlinson, 16 Simon Lenighan, 18 James Berrett, 19 Jordan Preston, 39 Joe Skarz, 40 Jacob Hanson
Subs: 21 Shaun Rowley, 11 Sanmi ODelusi, 22 Mekhi McLeod, 8 Cameron King,
Gateshead FC: 23 Aynsley Pears, 2 Robbie Tinkler ©, 4 Jack Hunter (10 Steve Rigg 64) 5 Fraser Kerr, 8 Greg Olley, 11 Cameron Salkeld, 15 Tom White, 14 JJ O’Donnell, 12 Jon Mellish, 19 Scott Boden, 9 Luke Armstrong
Subs: 1 Mark Foden, 18 Tom Devitt, 7 Connor Thomson, 17 Elliott Forbes
Goals: Preston (45)
Yellow Cards: Tinker 34, Rigg 79 mins
Red Cards: None
Attendance: 1688 (104 away)
FC Halifax Town 1 Gateshead 0
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