Peter Wilson reports on VICS first home league defeat:
Vics 1 v 2 Hyde
Vics championship and automatic promotion prospects were dealt another severe blow tonight as Hyde ran out deserved winners in a game that yet again exposed far too many of Vics' vulnerabilities.
Hyde looked the better team from the start and although Sale and Allan had posed early threats the visitors took a 7th minute lead when Matty McNeil executed a clever flick on from a throw in to enable the lurking Dale JOHNSON to score from close range. Any illusions that this was no more than a temporary set back were quickly dismissed when Johnson capitalised on poor defending by Payne only to shoot straight at Rogers. Wharton flashed a free kick narrowly wide and Gerry Harrison went close from 25 yards as Vics remained second best. The home side did eventually summon some response toward the end of a hugely disappointing first half but despite some indifferent goal keeping from Ndjebayi, Sale and Allan and Payne were unable to capitalise.
The visitors dominated from the restart. Carr hurriedly conceded an immediate corner and as Vics began to look increasingly insecure at the back JOHNSON again responded before anyone else to rise and score from a left wing cross. Burr responded by replacing Anderson with Mayman and Sale with Roca as he desperately sought for a way to retrieve the situation. Allan had a shot saved low down but other than that little had changed and so the final dice was cast when forward Byrne replaced full back Chapman. The most, and arguably the only, exciting period of the game was to follow with Rogers pulling off a fine save to deny Wharton and then Ndjebayi doing well to keep out a Battersby shot. Allan went close from the edge of the box and then with four minutes remaining Vics pulled a goal back. MAYMAN collected the ball on the right to deliver a cross that, not for the first time during the game, Ndjebayi failed to deal with and without any intervention from the keeper or his fellow defenders the cross was allowed to find its way into the far corner of the net. Showing a belated belief that they might yet rescue something from the game Allan and Charnock both went close but at the final whistle it proved to be too little too late and Hyde took the maximum points they deserved.
Attendance: 850
