Match reports
Witton Albion 0–3 Fleetwood Town
The top two in the Northern Premier League met at Wincham Park on Easter Monday 2008. Fleetwood Town won 3–0 in front of the season's biggest crowd, the first real sign that Witton's long lead at the top might not last.
Match facts
Witton Albion0–3Fleetwood Town
- Date
- 24 March 2008
- Competition
- Northern Premier League Premier Division
- Venue
- Wincham Park
- Attendance
- 1,014
- Scorers
- Kieran Walmsley (Fleetwood); Andy Bell (Fleetwood); Jamie Milligan (Fleetwood)
- Witton Albion
- Kennedy; Coo (Kearney 43), Barras, Pritchard, Brownhill, Peers, MacPherson (Rapley 46), Lloyd (Evans 78), Brown, Brodie, Warlow
- Original club report by
- Andrew Simpson
By Easter 2008 Witton Albion had led the Northern Premier League Premier Division since November, at one stage by fourteen points. Only one club was still in touch. Fleetwood Town, managed by Tony Greenwood, had matches in hand and were closing, and on Easter Monday they came to Wincham Park.
Background
Witton's season under Jim Vince had been built on home form: they had not lost a league match at Wincham Park since the campaign began, and three days earlier they had won 2–0 at Marine. The meeting of first and second drew 1,014 spectators, the largest attendance at the ground all season and more than double the average for a league game there in 2007–08.
The match
Fleetwood were the better side from the start. Jamie Milligan, their captain, and Kieran Walmsley both threatened before Walmsley opened the scoring, taking advantage of a misunderstanding between Brian Pritchard and Tony Barras to shoot past Jon Kennedy from the edge of the area.
Liam Brownhill tested the Fleetwood goalkeeper midway through the half, but the clearer chances kept falling to the visitors, and the second goal was a gift: Kennedy could not hold a long-range effort from Milligan, and Andy Bell put away the loose ball. Witton made two changes either side of half-time, with Ian Kearney replacing Cavell Coo and Kevin Rapley coming on for Dave MacPherson.
It made little difference. A Mark Peers free kick that flew just wide was the closest Witton came. Late on Milligan collected a short corner and swung in a cross that drifted over everyone and inside the far post for 3–0. Walmsley also hit the post.
Aftermath
The result did not knock Witton off the top. Five days later they beat Lincoln United 6–0 and were still well clear on points, but Fleetwood kept winning their games in hand. Albion beat Guiseley 1–0 on 12 April and were then overtaken, and Fleetwood finished as champions with 91 points to Witton's 89.
The club's reporter noted an echo of 1990–91, the last time Witton had won the league: that season, too, Fleetwood had come to Northwich and won.
All the results of the run-in are in the 2007–08 fixtures and results table.