Buxton 2-0 Gloucester City

Buxton 2-0 Gloucester City

National League North

Tuesday 20th February 2024

Football can often be a juggernaut with emotions which change so quickly and take you from one end of the scale to the other and that’s exactly what this game was for Buxton.

Despite grinding out a 2-0 win against Gloucester City to make it six games unbeaten and really consolidate their place in mid-table, the result came at a huge cost as all three of the Bucks’ front players went off with injuries that are likely to keep them out for a while.

And there was probably nobody feeling worse than Ben Andreucci at full-time.

Despite being QUALITY and showing absolutely everything which I came to this game to see from him - including scoring his first ever goal in senior football (and being heavily involved in the opener too by dropping back to win possession quite brilliantly), just 10 minutes after making it 2-0 and experiencing the best buzz and adrenaline rush of his career up to now, he went down clutching his shoulder and it quickly became obvious that he’d dislocated it. One of the most painful injuries a player can ever sustain!

Although he picked up the actual knock to his shoulder in an earlier challenge after about an hour, the incident where it ‘popped out’ came straight after an example of Ben doing what he does well by working relentlessly out-of-possession - closing down the Gloucester ‘keeper to try and pinch the ball and then pressing the full-back, even though there were only 10 minutes to go and most players would be knackered by that stage.

How long he’ll be out injured for is a question that currently remains unanswered but when you read this Ben, stay positive and keep believing in the impact you can make.

Your performance was really impressive. It’s ironic that you scored with a free header given how Gloucester’s defence stuck tightly to you all night, but it speaks volumes that you’ve gone into this Buxton team, earned a place in the starting line-up straight away, contributed to three wins, got two assists, fist-pumped the crowd to feed off their enthusiasm and passion, scored your first senior goal (something you’ll never, ever forget - and I knew you’d score in this game too), given everyone a boost, and instantly earned the respect of your new team-mates through your attitude, application, desire, enthusiasm, willingness and high quality level of performance. 

Everything I saw in this game - the intelligent runs into the box (not just for your goal after your involvement in the build up but also in 2-3 instances in the first half), your overall work-rate, your sharpness and acceleration off your feet, anticipation and awareness in certain situations, and the finish for the header is why I’ve looked forward to you going out on loan for months. It was a privilege to be there in person to witness your first goal. Don’t beat yourself up about the injury (one of them things unfortunately), control the bits you can such as your mindset in the days ahead when you’re in rehab, and remember the buzz, the brilliant feeling and that sheer adrenaline rush when that deft little header cushioned nicely in the back of the net. And take confidence in the knowledge you’ve done so well over the past week in all three of your appearances because you’ve made people proud and won so much respect from so many people!

This is just the start and you WILL experience that feeling again. I’ll never lose one iota of belief and, when the pain has eased, the story about ‘The night when you scored your first senior goal’ will be something to reminisce about and tell the kids/grandkids in years to come!

Keep being you!

Along with Ben Andreucci, Jake Wright also went off injured inside the opening 15 minutes for Buxton - having scored the opener with a good header, whilst Sam Osborne (another top lad who I came to this game to watch and have respected for years now back to the days when he was at Notts County) replaced him, gave his best efforts for half-an-hour and nearly scored with a swerving shot which forced the Gloucester ‘keeper into parrying it, but then pulled up infront of the dugouts just after half-time and needed to be replaced himself.

No luck whatsoever and gutting too for Ozzy. And I’m sure everyone at Buxton already knows about what he can do, his productivity infront of goal (eight league goals already this season despite it being quite stop-start) and I’d have loved to have seen him get in the ‘Team Of The Week’ again which I felt he might have done with Darlington coming up on Saturday - especially after the last game against them!

One player who I’ve loved watching in U21s football who did shine in this game and completed the full 90 minutes (phew) to be a contender for the ‘Man Of The Match’ award was Joe Ackroyd. Always tenacious, willing to graft and battle, he covered so much ground and put in an absolute shift. I’d love to see just how much distance he covered because he worked his b*llocks off and I know that performance will have been appreciated by everyone around him on the pitch too. Ackers, like the others, has had injury problems this season but it’s good to see him back playing with a smile on his face, doing what he does (still no yellow cards either since he rejoined on loan) and enjoying his football in a CDM role that suits him best. I’ve never understood why Barnsley have played him at RB recently in U21s games. 

I don’t get too bowled over by statistics in football so you’ll never see more going on about XG’s or any of that nonsense, but it speaks volumes of what Ackers adds to this Buxton team when you look at the fact he’s now played in 28 league games for Buxton across his two loan spells and has been on the winning team on 15 occasions - equalling a win ratio of over 50%. Without him, the Bucks definitely aren’t as good or resilient and he’s a good fit for this team and it’s good recruitment that they’ve got him back for the remainder of the season. Transfer that form across a full 46-game season and it’s basically form which is good enough to compete to win the league.

It’s not solely down to Ackers though - and there were plenty of other good performances in the Bucks team in this game. Connor Kirby was equally as good alongside him and they complimented each other really well, the back three put a shift in - including Jake Hull (whose first senior goal I also saw when he scored for Rotherham at Doncaster in a 6-0 win in September 2021), plus Max Hunt who I know all about having been at Mansfield many years ago - playing alongside the likes of Keaton Ward (now at Boston) and Henri Wilder (now at Ilkeston). And Sam Minihan was also solid and put in effort that was unquestionable as he was involved in lots of important bits and pieces during the game.

It wasn’t always the most stylish of football on show - the ball being in the air quite a bit, but you’re never really going to get that at National League North level. The main thing was there was a real graft, spirit and willingness to work on the night - added to the bits of quality further up the pitch, and although Gloucester had a couple of chances and could have pinched an equaliser before half-time when they had two chances (I think) both off set-pieces (one header and one that got cleared off the line), it was that TOGETHERNESS, that bit of quality further up the pitch, and that desire to work hard throughout the whole team that meant they got the points.

Gloucester didn’t offer much and one disappointment for me is that Ben Beresford didn’t get longer in the game because he’s a 6ft5 centre-forward, old school, plenty to learn and get better at (which will come in time as learning at this level is constantly making him a better player), and he’s someone else I rate highly and quite like from U21s football. The attribute that paints him in the most positive light is the fact he’s averaged a goal about every 110-115 minutes since joining Gloucester on loan from Birmingham in November (or 9 goals in 20 appearances) and when you factor in the assists he’s got in that time-frame as well, then it’s a direct goal contribution less than every 90 minutes.

‘Finesse’ will never be Ben’s style but I know exactly what he can do when given the chance, the impact he can make and where he could be playing in a few years.

Whether the Tigers can stay up is another question as it’s reaching the stage of the season now where, other than Bishop’s Stortford who are long gone, they’re starting to get cut adrift and games are running out for them but I wish them the best of luck.

The next game for me is Cleethorpes Town vs Belper Town tonight… and a catch up with Mason Warren (the most-capped player in the history of Rotherham United Reserves) and another all-round legend whose career I’ve loved following since I saw him kicking a ball around in the Millers youth team with his sweet left-foot 10 years ago!