Steeton throw away win against Runcorn Town after errors

Flying out the traps in their first home outing for seven weeks, the Chevrons raced into an early two-goal lead in Saturday’s North West Counties Football League First Division North clash.

But in what is fast becoming the ongoing story of their season, a capitulation followed, as they conceded three goals without reply to again be the creators of their own downfall.

On a cold and windy afternoon at Marley, the game’s opening exchanges were flowing yet frantic as both sides looked for the afternoon’s opening goal.

With a quarter of an hour on the clock, Steeton broke the deadlock.

Ben McCready, on his first start since October following injury, showed his experience with a quick free kick delivery that caught the visitors cold.

After an initial touch on the edge of the area, Foley Nkem composed himself and scored inside the far post to register the first goal of his second spell with the club.

Now with the momentum, the men in green and white immediately pushed to double the advantage and found a breakthrough shortly after.

Alfie Gibbon played a long floating ball that caused chaos in the Runcorn defensive ranks.

The goalkeeper and centre half collided, allowing Josh McKiernon the time and space to tuck the ball inside the far post with an open goal at his mercy.

Steeton had a glorious chance to score a third goal and put themselves out of sight, but Luke Baldwin was denied by an outstanding save from visiting keeper Jake Barrow.

This proved to be the turning point in the game, as Runcorn rallied to head into the half-time break level on the scoreboard.

After inviting pressure on their own goal, Steeton saw their lead halved as a tame strike at the near post from Mamadou Djabi somehow snuck under home keeper James Catlow and into the back of the net.

Steeton conceded three soft goals, this the first of them, to somehow lose at home to Runcorn Town. (Image: Ian Meachin.)

The Steeton collapse before the interval was completed when the visitors levelled on the stroke of half-time.

After failing to clear their lines several times during a frantic goalmouth scramble, Neil Weaver punished the home side by smashing the ball into the back of the net from close range.

With their tails firmly up, the Runcorn onslaught continued in the early exchanges of the second half.

Once again, their relentless pressure on the Steeton goal forced an error, from which the Cheshire outfit took full advantage.

A mix-up at the back saw the hosts fail to clear a through ball and Djabi reacted quickest to that fatal Steeton hesitation by take the ball past the sprawling Catlow and slotting home into the back of the empty net for what proved to be the winning goal.

Just when Steeton thought their afternoon could not get any worse on the back of their implosion, the luckless McCready was forced from the field shortly after the hour mark with a foot injury.

The Chevrons pushed hard for an equaliser in a manic end to proceedings, but they were denied by a combination of the woodwork and outstanding saves from Barrow in the Runcorn goal.

The visiting keeper initially parried a strike from Steeton debutant Emerson Mitchell, before recovering to deny both Josh Walne and James Edgley as the defensive pair followed the strike in.

The Runcorn goal was living a charmed life, and Ezio De Santis struck the woodwork before his cross avoided Josh Coe’s outstretched foot by the narrowest of margins.

In the dying seconds, Barrow produced one last piece of heroics for Runcorn, making a miraculous diving save to somehow get his fingertips Toby Jeffrey’s goal-bound effort, which had looked destined to find the top corner and earn Steeton a point.

The Chevrons will not get the chance to bounce back until Boxing Day, when they face their tenants Route One Rovers at Marley.

The Bradford side will go into the game as favourites, as they currently sit second in the 18-team table, with Steeton languishing down in 13th as it stands.