STEETON fell to a second league defeat of the season, slumping to a disappointing 1-0 home loss to league leaders Euxton Villa.

An under-par first-half performance punished the Chevrons as they were unable to mount a comeback after the break despite an improved display.

The tone for the afternoon was set in the first 20 seconds of the game.

As the visitors pushed for an early goal in this North West Counties Football League First Division North clash, Jack Lynn brought down a Villa man out on the left touchline.

The officials deemed the early challenge sufficient enough to produce a yellow card despite it being the first foul of the game.

Euxton then thought they had the afternoon’s opening goal but were denied by a superb diving save from James Catlow between the sticks for Steeton.

The early exchanges were frantic as neither side really settled into the game.

And that was shown by some questionable challenges, one of which was a late tackle on Arale Mohamed.

Mohamed continued to push through for a number of minutes, but in the end the Chevrons forward succumbed to his ankle injury and was substituted off.

With the visitors now on top, they eventually found the breakthrough they had been desperately seeking throughout the first half.

Joshua Brooks in the Villa goal sent a goal kick high and long down the pitch.
Well into the Steeton half, Rajwinder Uppal outjumped home player Josh Walne in the air to flick the ball on behind the defensive line.

Patrick Bibby raced on to the flick on and towards the goal, where he slotted the ball round Catlow into the back of the net to put his side into the lead.

Now in the lead as well as the ascendancy, Euxton had the wind in their sails.

They had an opportunity to double their lead shortly before the interval as Uppal cut in from the wing to get a sight of goal, however Walne raced across to clear the ball and the danger.

And they squandered a further chance just before the whistle was blown as Aidan Tait put his effort straight at Catlow.

With the words of both Roy Mason and Stewart Airdrie ringing in their ears, the Chevrons began the second half brightly.

An equaliser nearly followed as the wind caught a Toby Jeffrey free kick and carried it just wide of the far post.

The rain that had blighted the first half returned as Nathan Parish was booked for a late challenge on Mo Farhan Subhani.

Subhani then had an effort on target for Steeton, but a deflection off a Villa defender took the ball comfortably into the arms of Brooks in the Euxton goal.

It was then the turn of Jeffrey once again, as he skipped through the Euxton defence to get an effort on goal, but Brooks turned the ball over the bar with a strong save.

The push for the goal to get back in the game continued and Josh McKiernon was desperately unlucky to not find the back of the net as the ball came off his shin from a Jez Milambo delivery and went just wide.

Surviving a handball shout for a penalty against them, those in green and white continued to turn the screw.

And there was one final chance in injury time as the ball bounced around inside the Villa area from a Jeffrey cross, but it was cleared.

Steeton will look to bounce back at Ilkley Town tomorrow night, while Silsden, not in action at the weekend, also have a Tuesday night game, as they host Thackley in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division.