ST HELENS Town lost 4-0 at Chadderton having started the game well enough to suggest they would stroll to collect the three points on offer, Glyn Jones writes.

They played the opening 20 minutes in such good form against a ring-rusty Chadderton side who had played only once in five weeks, yet midway through the first half, the match turned completely round and the home side assumed complete control.

Town keeper Carl Williams was in the wars in the early stages, cutting his ear in a clash with a home player’s knee and injured himself again in another close contact soon after that, yet he pulled off a couple of very good first half saves from shots hit from distance as St. Helens kept Chadderton at bay, dominating the midfield in the opening exchanges. Danny Lomax captained the side from centre-half and he, Andy Presho and Andy Webster in defence set up attacking positions with good passes forward for Shaun Brady, Liam Diggle, Alex Ashby and Luke Edwards and Edwards was unlucky not to score when, from a tight angle, his well-struck ball landed on top of the net. Diggle and Ashby also went close in the opening quarter.

However, errors started to creep into Town’s play and these encouraged Chadderton to move forward and Williams did well to tip over from Jack Snape’s shot on the half-hour.

Soon afterwards, another error led to Chadderton’s opening goal. Williams saved well again, but could only parry the ball and Jack Turnbull prodded home from short range.

Turnbull was very much man of the moment and could have wrapped up the points himself before the half-time whistle, had he brought his shooting boots with him. Minutes later, he was clean through on goal but, unaccountably, pulled his shot wide, having done well to beat the offside trap, then roll on a few minutes before the break and, having comprehensively beaten Webster and Williams, missed the target.

No matter for from the resulting corner, skipper Reece Lyndon nodded in unopposed for the second home goal. There was just enough time before the whistle for Turnbull to miss again, but at least this time his shot was from 40 yards out and, had his attempt come off, it would have been spectacular.

Two goals down at the interval, Town did try to mount a comeback, but it was only a token effort and it soon petered out. Turnbull’s shooting did not get any better either, sending his next effort wide of the post with Williams well beaten, but at least Chadderton could relax for, within minutes, the points were wrapped up. Captain Lyndon had to retire with a hamstring strain but his fellow full-back Liam Eadsforth scored the third goal in the 59th minute and substitute Ryan Shenton netted the fourth home goal sixteen minutes from the end to hand Chadderton a 4-0 win, which moved them three places up the table, leaving Town in 20th position, with only Daisy Hill and Nelson below them. Although both teams also lost on Saturday, they have matches in hand on St. Helens and are well within touching distance and, unless Town start to win matches soon, they are in real danger of finishing the season bottom of the table.

At least this Saturday Town have a free weekend before travelling to leaders Silsden on 3rd March and Cammell Laird 1907 the following Tuesday.

Manager Lee Jenkinson was still hoping to arrange a home friendly for Saturday at Ruskin Drive and was disappointed when the planned game against Burscough had to be scrapped when the Victoria Park side were handed a re-arranged league fixture at short notice.

Readers are advised to check the Town website later in the week to see if a game has been fixed up.