Two brilliantly taken goals by Damola Sotona crowned Trafford’s magnificent 3-1 victory against a physical and uncompromising Wythenshawe Town side.
Manager Karl Marginson kept faith with the starting eleven who had performed so well on the City of Liverpool artificial pitch on Monday night. However, this was a completely different proposition altogether as the hosts posed an aerial threat and powered the ball forward at every opportunity.
After early pressure from Town, the visitors took the lead with their first attack in the 4th minute, Rio Clegg holding off a challenge by home full back Matthew Liptrott and crossing for Matty Lusakueno to tap home from two yards.
Trafford keeper Sam Booth saved at the foot of the post to deny ex-Premier League star George Boyd but was powerless to prevent the equaliser in the 25th minute when his defence failed to clear a free kick from the right and Jacob Blyth pounced on the loose ball to net from six yards.
Booth’s goal was coming under increasing pressure as Trafford struggled to cope with the intensity and sheer physicality of the home side but they shocked their opponents once more with another moment of quality in the 34th minute, Isaac Noble feeding Damola Sotona who skipped past his full back, rounded keeper Greg Hall and fired home from the tightest of angles.
At half-time, manager Marginson introduced substitute Jordan Fagbola into the action in an inspired move that changed to momentum of the game.
Town continued to pound the ball forward incessantly but Fagbola and skipper Harry Norris repelled everything that was thrown at them.
And in the 69th minute Sotona struck again to make it 3-1 when a Rio Clegg shot was saved at full length by Greg Hall, the ball was half cleared, but fell into the path of Sotona who struck a magnificent first time drive into the far top corner.
Sam Booth parried a fierce drive by Town substitute Jean-Louis Akpro and then produced a sensational one handed save to push a header by Louis Jeanne over the crossbar.
In the dying seconds of the game Rio Clegg almost made it four when he rounded off a lightning fast breakaway with a low shot that was saved at full length by Hall.
This victory moved Trafford up into sixth place in the NPL West Division table, one point outside the play-off spots but with three games in hand on fifth placed Wythenshawe FC