Hyde 1 Stafford Rangers 0 - Report
Stafford Rangers succumbed to their fourth league loss in a row as they lost 1-0 away to Hyde in the Northern Premier League, writes Luke Powell.
Edy Maieco finished fantastically for the home side, finding the net and scoring the winning goal to send the Rangers back home with nothing.
Manasse Mampala forced the first save from Stafford keeper Cameron Belford in the sixth minute as he saved well to his left.
Callum Saunders then thought he’d given Stafford the lead two minutes later as he diverted Alex Kiwomya’s shot past Dan Atherton in goal. However, the forward was in an offside position and the goal was ruled out.
Belford denied Jack Redshaw diving low to his left, holding well from the Hyde top scorers’ shot in the 15th minute.
Andy Burns looked to curl a left-footed shot into the top left corner from just outside the box after Alex Kiwomya missed the ball completely hoping to register an effort on goal himself.
Appeals for handball on Tom Tonks in the area were waved away for the away side before Callum Saunders was unable to convert from Stafford’s best chance of the first half. The forward headed over the bar from close-range in the 37th minute following a throw-in on the right.
Callum Spooner hoped to test Belford before the end of the half with his speculative effort on goal going just wide to the left sending the sides in with nothing between them at half-time.
In the second half, Hyde enjoyed possession as they pressed for an opener at home, and they found this in the 69th minute through substitute Edy Maieco.
Spooner delivered a beautiful cross to the right-side of the box where Maieco was alone to volley across goal past Belford to give the home side the lead.
The Rangers hoped to hit back quickly two minutes later as Jack Baxter struck the inside of the right post with his long-range shot from the left side, before midfielder Tom Tonks fired over.
Cameron Belford denied Maieco his and Hyde’s second late on as Matt Hill changed to three at the back, sending defender James O’Neill up front in a late bid to salvage a point.
Yet the Rangers were unable to test Atherton of Hyde in goal and fell to their fourth league defeat in a row, remaining winless away from home since the 5th November.
