East Cheshire Football League
Higher Poynton stun Packhorse
By Matt Eagles
May 12, 2008, 01:32

Macclesfield & District FA

Sunday Cup Final at Moss Rose – 11^th  May 2008

Packhorse    1             Higher Poynton    2

 30’ Andy Atkinson                      4’ Mark Toomey

                                                      46’ Curtis Tompson

Stockport Premier League side Higher Poynton turned the form book on it’s head as they inflicted the first defeat of the season on the Packhorse and prevented them gathering a clean sweep of Sunday league trophies.

Two goals , one at the beginning of each half did the damage as the Packhorse failed to cope with the high tempo start set by Poynton from the first whistle. Man of the Match Curtis Tompson unsettled the Pack defence and as early as the fourth minute Poynton took the lead. Dan Toomey hoisting a huge throw into a packed penalty area where he found brother Mark who looped a header beyond Matt Towns and into the top corner. Minutes later Sam Davidson had a great chance to make it 2-0 when he latched onto a misdirected header from Nick Ward but he scuffed his effort and the danger was cleared.

Packhorse always looked dangerous, Lee McIntyre hit the bar on fifteen minutes and Jono Campbell and Lee Malkin forced saves from Chris Brown. However their main threat  came from centre half  Andy Atkinson whose delivery from deep inside his own half seemed to cause Poynton  real problems. With half an hour gone referee  Ray Rigby awarded a free kick just inside the Poynton half  and upstepped Atkinson from fully 40 yards to blast the ball high over a stunned Chris Brown into the net.

With the sides going in level at half time and little between them it was going to take something extraordinary to break the deadlock. Barely 40 seconds into the second half and with fans still returning to their seats  Higher Poynton stunned the Pack by taking the lead. Curtis Tompson’s cross come shot somehow finding its way into the net in slow motion over keeper Matt Towns.

It seemed to ignite the game and on 53 minutes Poynton but themselves in difficulty  when they were reduced to ten men as centre half  Nathan Singleton saw red following words  with  referee Ray Rigby. Packhorse, still chasing the equaliser threw Andy Atkinson up front to try and take advantage of their spare man . If anything it had the opposite effect, Sam Davidson, Poynton’s  striker who’d been kept quiet by Atkinson  came back into the game and began to create space for Steve Rhodes and Alan Hay.

On 83 minutes Packhorse thought they’d equalised when Lee Malkin smashed home but they hadn’t seen referee’s assistant Nigel Poole flagging for offside.

Packhorse manager Brian Ault brought on Simon Band as they fought to get back in the game but Bands’ enthusiasm boiled over as he clashed late on with Simon McMahon and he too saw red. It was the last throw of the dice for the Packhorse as Higher Poynton hung on to take the trophy and spark celebrations from their travelling support.