By Match report: Clee Town suffer defeat at home to Stockton Town
Cleethorpes Town were edged out by Stockton Town at home on Saturday afternoon.
The 2-0 defeat at the Myenergi Stadium against the second-place side dealt a blow to the Owls’ playoff hopes.
After picking up four points from the past two games, manager Nathan Arnold decided to make two changes from the side that beat Grantham 3-1 in midweek, with Leon Dawson and Jack Moore-Billam coming in from the start.
The opening 20 minutes of the contest proved to be quite tight, as neither side managed to gain the upper hand.
An Alex Flett corner forced a scramble in the box, while James McKeown made a smart one-handed save to prevent a fierce drive from finding the net.
The visitors made the breakthrough 30 minutes into the game through Stephen Thompson in slightly bizarre fashion.
After picking up the ball near the centre circle, he hit a lofted shot from about 40 yards out that flew over the head of McKeown and into the net.
Although Clee battled hard to get back into the game, they struggled to create any clear-cut chances and went in one down at the break.
In the opening stages of the second half, Paul Walker got forward to head over from a corner for the Owls, before he then quickly reverted to his defensive duties to make a timely clearance at the other end.
Stockton ensured the points would be heading back up north to Teesside on 65 minutes when Louie Hall nipped in at the near post to convert a cross from the left at close range to put his side two ahead.
Dan Gallimore, who made his debut off the bench after arriving on loan from Scunthorpe United, came agonisingly close to providing a lifeline for the hosts, but the keeper tipped his curling effort behind.
Despite fighting until the end, there was to be no way back for Clee, who will be looking to bounce back against Pontefract next week.
Contact Gi Grimsby
Email us: news@gi-media.co.uk
Follows us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest local stories, breaking news and to join the conversation
