An early goal by Sam Osborne was enough to give Buxton all three points in their Vanarama National League North visit to Chester on Tuesday January 16th. It was a solid performance that pushed aside recent poor form, with a new goalkeeper on show and pre-match changes to team manager Craig Elliott's coaching staff.
Sam's goal came after just two minutes, accurately rounding off a swift Tommy Elliott break. Soon afterwards, another attack led by Tommy saw a defence-splitting through ball to Dylan Mottley-Henry, who tested the home goalkeeper with a powerful shot. Impressive Chester, however, had the lion's share of possession without generating clear-cut chances, as the Bucks' assured rearguard held firm for a clean sheet, managing the game well throughout.
A newcomer to that defence was on-loan goalkeeper Joe Young. In from Wolves for the remainder of the season, 21-year-old Joe is a former academy player who has represented England at under-17 level. He made a confident debut.
The Bucks have a new assistant manager as well. Ryan Qualter will work with manager Craig, along with popular skipper Josh Granite, now player-coach. Accomplished defender Ryan, 32, has switched to the Bucks from Scarborough Athletic, with earlier clubs including Matlock Town, Alfreton and Boston United. In addition to working as assistant manager at the Tarmac Silverlands, he is going to continue with his registration as a player. The club has given best wishes and thanks to assistant manager Paul Groves, now moved on.
Next for the Bucks will be Boston United away on Saturday, a club where Craig was in charge for four years. Of the impending match, he said: "There's a lot of hard work in front of us, but I hope the lads have regained confidence after this excellent result at Chester. Boston will be tough. They have aspirations for promotion, but we'll be well prepared."