Witton Albion 1 Buxton 1 (aet)

1:00am Wednesday 30th April 2008

WITTON, promotion plans torn up and cast away, will wonder how their season has come to nought.

Their players, so fluid and fanciful as Albion ascended to top spot and stayed there, were unrecognisable to their supporters and each other.

This was that side's ugly sister.

Football can find the cruellest ways to crush hope as, when Adam Warlow's stoppage time leveller secured Witton a second second chance, it seemed certain they would bring down Buxton in extra time.

Alas it merely prolonged Albion's agony, for to lose on penalties is a slap their fantastic fans ill-deserved.

Their team's meek showing proof enough that the mental damage wrought by Fleetwood's late dash for the line had been too much to repair in such a short space of time.

The game betrayed both side's reputation for positive play - it was truly turgid.

Referee Ian Edwards did little to lighten the mood.

He should have sent Buxton keeper Scott Hartley packing inside five minutes after he had curtailed Warlow's run with a reckless challenge on the edge of the box.

Irony indeed that his twin saves in the penalty shoot out would ultimately decide the outcome.

Another Edwards error led directly to the game's opening goal in first half stoppage time.

Rob Lloyd, initially fouled by Anton Foster, doled out retribution by grabbing a fist full of shirt to halt his opposite number's progress.

Scott Maxfield's free kick curved over the wall and caught Jon Kennedy by surprise, the Albion custodian spilling the ball to a grateful Neil Ross as Witton's defenders looked on.

In between there had been little to record of note.

Mark Peers' charge teed up Warlow in the quarter hour only for Michael Towey's toe to divert the ball away from danger as the league's leading scorer prepared to shoot.

Gregg Anderson's volley forced Kennedy to save smartly following Tommy Agus' corner.

The story of the second half was the same.

Junior Brown's drive deflected past the far post within a minute of the restart before Tony Barras diverted Foster's shot the same way at the other end.

Buxton fluffed their chance to settle the outcome on 72 minutes.

Sub Scott Walker was guilty of a scandalous miss as Maxfield fizzed a cross his way inside the six-yard box. With Kennedy beaten, Walker failed even to make contact.

Barras stabbed sub Matt Woolley's shot narrowly wide before another replacement, Kevin Rapley, warmed Hartley's palms.

Warlow bought Albion extra time when he hooked home a loose ball four minutes past the 90 but both sides failed to muster much in the added half hour.

James Turley's free kick was spilled by Kennedy only for Anderson to be denied on the goalline before Brown fell to the floor in the box under pressure from Grant Black. No penalty, said Edwards.

A shoot out was inevitable and, after Ian Kearney saw his shot saved by Hartley, Anderson stepped up to score a sudden death shot that ended Witton's promotion dream.

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Star Man: Mark Peers - His was an effort that rarely relented despite little going his way. The winger was still willing to take possession and was prepared to run at his opponent to create danger.

WITTON (4-4-2): Kennedy (GK), Kearney, Barras, Pritchard, Brownhill, Peers, Lloyd (Woolley 86), MacPherson, Junior Brown, Thornley (Rapley 74), Warlow
Goal: Warlow (90+4)
Booked: Lloyd, Peers (both fouls)

BUXTON (4-4-2): Hartley (GK), Black, Anderson, Bowker, Maxfield, Lees, Foster (Turley 91), Towey, Agus, Ross (Walker 69), Bradley (Lennon 81)
Goal: Ross (45+2)
Booked: Maxfield, Foster, Towey (all fouls)

Penalty shoot out
(1-0) Mark Peers (Witton) Coolly sent Scott Hartley the wrong way
(1-1) Scott Maxfield (Buxton) Repeated Peers' trick except in the opposite corner
(2-1) Adam Warlow (Witton) Made no mistake, scoring low in the corner
(2-2) Mark Lees (Buxton) Firm strike to Jon Kennedy's left
(2-2) Kevin Rapley (Witton) Feeble shot that allowed Hartley to parry with embarrassing ease
(2-3) Scott Walker (Buxton) Scuffed just right of centre at waist height but Kennedy went the other way
(3-3) Brian Pritchard (Witton) Struck low to the right, finding Hartley's right hand, but the shot had enough pace to hit the net
(3-4) James Turley (Buxton) Hit firm and low to Kennedy's right but his attempted block took all the pace off the ball as it squirmed into the corner
(4-4) Liam Brownhill (Witton) Kept his nerve to keep Witton in the hunt
(4-4) Terry Bowker (Buxton) His hard shot was pawed brilliantly clear by Kennedy to his left
(5-4) Tony Barras (Witton) No mistake with a drilled shot high into the roof of the net
(5-5) Tony Agus (Buxton) Calmness personified as he found the bottom corner
(5-5) Ian Kearney (Witton) Kicked his harder than Rapley, but Hartley made a repeat save low to his left
(5-6) Gregg Anderson (Buxton) Resisted the pressure, finding the net with a firm shot to send Buxton through to the final

Attendance: 586