Buxton secured a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Radcliffe at the Neuven Stadium on a night that saw multiple delays due to floodlight issues, with Connor Kirby and Diego De Girolamo netting late goals to clinch the win.
The match began with an unexpected twist. Just moments after kickoff, a section of the floodlights above the corner flag went out, causing the referee to halt play immediately. Both teams stood ready on the pitch as the lights flickered but failed to stay on consistently, leading to a delay. After a short wait, the referee decided to take the players back to the dressing rooms until the problem could be fixed.
After a tense 15 minutes, the lights finally came back on, and the players re-entered the pitch, met by an eager crowd ready for the action to resume.
Buxton wasted no time getting forward after the restart, and Ethan Fitzhugh came close to opening the scoring, curling a shot just over the bar following a pass from Sault.
Radcliffe had their own early chance when Scott Duxbury found some space, cutting inside and firing a shot over with his weak foot.
Buxton’s Kirby soon attempted a long-range strike, which was blocked by Radcliffe’s Rick Smith, who then cleared the ball away.
Hancock tested Buxton’s keeper, True Grant, with a low shot from range, which was confidently gathered.
Radcliffe kept Buxton’s defense alert, particularly when Mo Doro’s shot late into the half was tipped over the bar by Grant.
Former Buxton player Brad Roscoe almost capitalized on the corner that followed but headed narrowly wide, leaving the game scoreless at halftime.
Buxton came out strong in the second half, quickly creating another opportunity. Sault was played through on the counter-attack but couldn’t convert, dragging his shot just wide as Hewelt closed down the angle.
Stobbs then made a critical intervention at the other end, stopping Radcliffe’s Tunde Owolabi from getting a shot off and putting the ball behind for a corner.
As the game entered the final stages, Buxton increased their attacking pressure. Fitzhugh’s cross was sent on target, forcing Hewelt to palm it away.
Finally, in the 83rd minute, Buxton’s persistence paid off when they were awarded a free kick just outside the area. Kirby stepped up and delivered a brilliant strike, curling the ball past the wall and into the net to give Buxton a 1-0 lead for his second freekick goal in the last 4 days.
Deep into stoppage time, Buxton broke quickly on the counter. Substitutes Sam Tomlinson and Diego De De Girolamo combined with Tomlinson finding De Girolamo with a well placed pass and he finished calmly to double Buxton’s lead in the 96th minute, sealing the 2-0 victory and making it 3 wins from the last 3 games.
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