FCUM MEMBERS

Both sides have won and lost by a 7-0 margin in 2019-20, Buxton achieving this in successive fixtures at home to Grantham Town and away to FCUM in October. The FCUM victory was their biggest in a Home League game since beating Glossop 8-0 in October 2006.
Tunde Owolabi has 20 League goals and the Chesterfield-raised deGirolamo brothers Diego and Nico have a combined 17 for Buxton.
Of 8 previous visits to Silverlands FCUM have won 5 and lost 1.
Gary Hayward took over as manager On December 4th and so far, has won 4, drawn 2 and lost 3.

NEXT COMMENTARY:

FC Live returns this afternoon with coverage of FC United's trip to Buxton FC.

Here is Statto Paul's Preview
https://audioboom.com/posts/7487452-fc- ... w-buxton-a

And if you cannot make this game in person, then join us from 2.30pm on http://www.fc-radio.co.uk

PRE MATCH INTERVIEW:

Last night, we caught up with FC United Manager Neil Reynolds ahead of this afternoon's game at Buxton

https://audioboom.com/posts/7487515-pre ... s-buxton-a

FC LIVE GOALS
https://audioboom.com/posts/7487738-fc- ... s-buxton-a

POST MATCH INTERVIEW
https://audioboom.com/posts/7487740-pos ... s-buxton-a

OUT NOW:

This week's FC United podcast, with reaction from Saturday's league match against Buxton, as well as another winning weekend for the Women's Team.

https://fcumradio.podbean.com/e/this-cl ... uary-2020/

Stoppage time Ennis screamer gives FC United point at Buxton
Stoppage time Ennis screamer gives FC United point at Buxton

A spectacular 95th minute equaliser from Charlie Ennis was enough to see FC United take a point away from a difficult and competitive match at Buxton on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds ran out 7-0 winners in the reverse fixture at Broadhurst Park in October, but anybody who thought a similar scoreline was on the cards had to change their minds pretty early on. The home team started the game competitively and never looked overawed by an FC United team, who had won seven straight league games, at any point during the afternoon.

FC lost Alex Curran to injury inside the first 10 minutes, with one of the standout performers of the season stretchered off with what he confirmed on social media late on Saturday evening was a broken leg and an ankle ligament injury. Everybody at FC wishes Alex a speedy recovery from this injury.

Chances were at a premium for FC and the Buxton defence seemed to be first to everything in their defensive third of the pitch, with neither team really gaining an upper hand in the early going.

The home team took the lead after 25 minutes as Diego de Girolamo broke into the left-hand side of the box and slotted the ball under Belford and into the back of the net.

From the off the home team looked like they had a plan when FC had the ball and generally dropped into two banks of five in front of their own box and waited to see what the men in red could do.

FC continued to struggle to make any clear-cut chances, but were level just before the break. Regan Linney was brought down in the box and he dusted himself off to coolly fired home from 12 yards out to make it 1-1.

The first five minutes of the second half came at a frantic pace, with a penalty for the home team within the first minute. The spot-kick was put away by de Girolamo for his second of the game. But Buxton undid that good work with a straight red card to Connor O’Grady for an overzealous challenge on Tunde Owolabi.

FC United had just over 40 minutes remaining against ten men to turn around a 2-1 deficit. You fancied the Reds to get the job done.

What followed was frustrating to say the least, the home team defended resolutely and seemed to snuff out every opportunity that FC produced.

Two goalbound efforts from Owolabi and captain Michael Potts deflected wide for corners. Balls into the box were cleared by the Buxton defence and as the afternoon wore on and the clock ticked closer to the 90-minute mark it seemed that FC would find no way through.

When the board went up for six added minutes you felt that even managing to get a point with such little time left would have to go down as a great result.

The old cliché of a moment of madness or a moment of genius being the only way a goal would go in came into play. Luckily for FC United, Charlie Ennis showed once again that he is capable of the latter as he unleashed a special strike from outside the box that flew into the top corner and levelled things up with just seconds left on the clock.

Before the game you would have maybe fancied an eighth straight win against a team second from bottom, but to take a point away from a game we were seconds away from losing must go down as a good result on reflection.

After the game Reno described the point as “massive in our quest for progression” and it does see us move third in the table and just six points off the leaders South Shields.

The Reds now look ahead to next weekend when Broadhurst Park welcomes back league action as we host Mickleover Sports.

Website man of the match – Charlie Ennis: Difficult and frustrating afternoon for the team, but the standout moment came from the substitute who had the technique to level things up late on.

Report by Craig Phillips

Brave, battling Buxton, after playing with 10 men for virtually half the match, came within a minute of securing a famous victory, in front of a season's-best home 'gate', versus high-riding F.C. Utd, who had kicked off looking for an 8th consecutive league win. 'The Bucks' started well versus a strangely unsure and seemingly nervy visiting defence and had much the better of the first-half play. Yet 'the Red Rebels' soon created their best scoring chance of the half from open play when Owolabi pulled a low ball back from the by-line but, from a good position, Sinclair-Smith totally missed connection.

By quarter-time Utd manager Reynolds was urging his team to move the ball more quickly but it was Buxton who took a 26th-minute lead through the dangerous Diego, who seized on a bad back-pass to beat 'keeper Belford with an angled, low drive. Returning from injury, Rod Orlando-Young was close to doubling the advantage within a minute, as was Simon Lenighan 4 minutes later. Utd threatened in the 41st minute but Owolabi drove into the side-netting. Then came a major turning-point in the 4 minutes of added time caused by the serious leg injury suffered by the visitors' Alex Curran. Diego broke through again but,1 on 1,fired too high and when Utd returned to the attack a penalty was awarded for a foul and Linney converted for an undeserved equaliser.

The remarkably dramatic opening to the second half was barely under way when Buxton regained the lead, also from the penalty spot, after Diego was fouled. The striker himself netted confidently (in the absence of the injured Liam Hardy) to take his goals tally to 21 in his last 20 (1) appearances. Then, almost immediately, Connor O'Grady's foul on Owolabi at half-way saw him sent off and from that time 'the Bucks' had to withstand increasing pressure, which they did with great and impressive resilience as 'keeper Grant Shenton produced a man-of-the-match display, notably with his feet to thwart Doyle's downward header. The miss-of-the-match, however, fell to Utd's substitute striker, Morecambe loanee Hawley, who,with his first touch, planted a 'free' header from an Ennis lofted pass over the bar. Meanwhile, even without the injured Diego from the hour mark, 'the Bucks' continued to offer an occasional threat on the counter with Alex Byrne now the spearhead and in the 89th minute he, Kristian Scott and Lenighan combined for the latter to shoot over the angle.

And so into the 6 minutes of added time. With substitute Aaron Chalmers an admirable deputy for O'Grady at centre-half, 'the Bucks' continued to hold out and were indeed in sight of a famous victory but were undone by the increasingly influential ex-Silverlander, 'Charlie' Ennis. In the 86th minute he had driven low and untouched across the face of goal then, at the death, he powered a wonder strike from 20 yards under the angle that even Shenton couldn't reach.

That was cruel indeed but for a 4th time 'the Bucks' had surrendered a one-goal lead in the closing minutes (for a total of 8 points lost ! ) to leave the club in 21st place. Yet with more than a third of the season remaining to retain Premier Division status and with the spirit and quality shown in this most enthralling encounter, there is scope for hope!