Spennymoor Town 1 Farsley 0

Nathan Fisher kept Spennymoor’s play off hopes well and truly alive with a superb winner against fellow play off chasers Farsley at the Brewery Field last night.

It needed something special to break the deadlock between two well-matched teams in a sometimes physical game. Moors are still sixth in the table, but just a point away from the play off places.

Farsley were first to create a chance after 9 minutes when Moors failed to deal with an outswinging corner, and Spencer Harris had a left foot shot from ten yards blocked on the line.

Moors had a couple of shots off target, before Fisher cleverly laid the ball off for Liam Henderson to race into the box, but his left foot shot was touched around the post by Farsley keeper Tom Taylor.

Both sides worked really hard and cancelled each other out, and a mistake nearly led to the opening goal. Robert Briggs curled a corner into the Farsley six yard box, Taylor completely mis-punched the ball back to his own goal, and Moors defender Joe Tait couldn’t turn the ball home.

Moors went even closer just on half time from another corner when Anthony Peacock beat Taylor but a defender cleared off the line, and when the ball looped into the air and Peacock advanced towards the ball, he claimed that he was bundled to the ground by a defender but the referee waved his away his penalty claims.

Moors broke the deadlock on 49 minutes when Henderson chested a long ball down – although Farsley claimed there was use of the arm – for Nathan Fisher to fire powerfully into the top left hand corner of the net from just outside the area.

As tempers began to rise, Moors nearly got another with a characteristic 30 yarder from Kallum Griffiths that whizzed just past the post.

Moors thought they’d scored when Taylor couldn’t hold a low shot by Fisher and Henderson tapped in, but the flag went up for offside against Henderson.

Moors were nearly caught on the break with 15 minutes left. A Griffiths free kick went into the Farsley wall, and the visitors broke away quickly through Gibraltar striker Adam Priestley, who hit a low 30 yarder that just missed the left hand post.

However, Fisher was bursting with confidence, and he ended a good run with a left foot shot towards the top corner that Taylor just managed to tip over.

From the corner that followed, Tait’s downward header at the far post went wide when he should have got it on target.

Sub Gavin Cogdon nearly finished it with a right foot shot towards the bottom corner that Taylor just touched away.

Spennymoor manager Jason Ainsley said; “That was a big result in the scheme of things against a team that has got the same aim as us. I told the players before the game that it’s a six week season. I thought Nathan Fisher and Liam Henderson were superb as a partnership up front.”

Spennymoor: Coddington Griffiths, Mason, Briggs, Tait, Capper, Stephenson (McReady 89) Henry, Henderson, Fisher (sub Cogdon 80), Peacock.

Subs not used: Dodds, Roberts, Groves.