Shepshed Dynamo 0 Lye Town 2 - Report
LYE Town soared up to third courtesy of a fine first half and a solid second in this 2-0 win at Shepshed Dynamo.
Goals from Matt Funge and Oliver West were fitting reward for patient but enterprising play that might have yielded an even bigger half-time lead, and while hosts huffed and puffed they seldom looked like blowing down the house.
It marked a sixth win in eight Northern Premier League Midlands outings for Grant Joshua’s men who now sit just one point shy of the summit.
Both sides flew out the traps with a deep free-kick headed straight at home keeper Brandon Ganley and Shepshed breaking, finding Harry Wakefield in the right of the box to force a smart low save across goal from Ben Newey, all within the first minute.
West lifted into the run of Joe Palmer whose instinctive flash across goal beat Ganley but also the far post by whisker shortly after.
Lye continued to show more cohesion and spark and notched in the 16th minute when Ben Billingham slid Funge into the left of the box to float a precise finish into the top far corner.
Dynamo built pressure as the half went on but created nothing clear and the visitors went two up on the stroke of half-time.
Nathan Kabeya’s drive down the right was left by Palmer for Funge to guide towards goal and while his effort hit the foot of Ganley, the corner that followed was headed low back across goal and into the bottom corner by West.
Half-time substitute Kieran Cummings cut inside and drew Newey into the action early in the second half, while another who stepped off the bench for Dynamo, Mason Lee, was fed into the right of the box to flash narrowly past the far post after an hour.
Good work from West almost wrapped up the points shortly after that, Palmer latching onto a ricochet only for Ganley to produce a fine instinctive save at the near post.
There was little goalmouth action from there with Lee’s header wide of the near post when well placed in added time as close as Shepshed went.
Lye: Newey; Brookes, Bridgewater, Hall; Kabeya (Worsey, 90+1), Billingham, West, Tye; Ngbeken; Palmer (Snape, 73), Funge (Mikidam, 90). Unused sub: Meacham.
