Radcliffe tasted defeat for the second time in three days as Spennymoor Town left the Neuven Stadium with a 4-2 victory, after a goal-filled first half which set the Moors on their way to three points, before a late goal secured the result.

Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson made two changes to the team that started last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against King’s Lynn Town, as Anthony Dudley and Scott Duxbury replaced Josh Hancock and Jude Oyibo in a change of shape and formation for the hosts.

Luca Navarro had the game’s opening chance in the 4th minute, as the left-sided player cut onto his right foot before unleashing a shot at goal that flew narrowly wide of the right post.

Spennymoor’s first effort of the game led to the deadlock being broken early on, as the ball managed to find its way into the back of the net with a helping hand from the woodwork.

Issac Taylor played the ball into the middle of the park from the left flank which picked out Olly Dyson, his placed shot managed to navigate past both the defenders and Mateusz Hewelt, finding the back of the net off the post in the 7th minute.

After finding themselves behind early on, Radcliffe levelled the match in the 22nd minute as Spennymoor Town failed to clear their lines. Via a cross from the left-hand side, Rick Smith headed back across goal for Brad Roscoe to tap home from within the six-yard area.

Seven minutes after making the contest all square, Roscoe managed to beat Jonathan Mitchell for a second time to put Radcliffe ahead on the half-hour mark. The defender, who joined from Hyde in the summer and already has four goals to his name, this time took control of the ball before poking home from close range.

Nine minutes before half-time, Isaac Fletcher evened the scoreline once again for Spennymoor. Scott Duxbury was judged to have fouled his man on the edge of the penalty area and received a yellow card for his troubles, Fletcher then shouldered responsibility for the set piece and struck the ball through the wall and into the back of the net.

Before the break, Spennymoor added a third to complete a quick turnaround and give the visitors a 3-2 lead. Will Harris’ speculative shot at goal squirmed through the arms of Hewelt and towards the goal line, allowing a fortunate Zanda Siziba to react fast and tap the ball into an empty net from only yards away as the game entered added time.

The end-to-end attacking football continued into the second half, as Spennymoor tried to capitalise on the counter after Dan Rowe pinched the ball from Luca Navarro inside the defender’s own area, and despite a fast move, Harris was only able to find the gloves of Hewelt with his strike.

On the hour mark, Harris was once again a thorn in Radcliffe’s side as he entered a dangerous area before firing high and over the bar after trying to escape the oncoming pressure. Just a minute later, the Moors returned to the edge of the area and this time it was Dyson who tried his luck at goal, his shot produced a fine, diving save from the Polish goalkeeper.

Radcliffe won a corner in the 63rd minute after Rowe defended well against Hulme, who looked set to score, setting up the Boro’s best chance of the second half. Agonisingly, Lois Maynard saw his header rebound off the base of the post and our number nine couldn’t find the target on the follow-up.

A clever bit of link up play down the left allowed Navarro to break into the area, unfortunately his attempt to pull the ball back towards Anthony Dudley was intercepted by Michael Ledger to prevent a free shot in a promising position.

In the 75th minute, still down by one goal, Radcliffe made five changes to freshen up the side and shuffle the pack. Brad Jackson, Olly Thornley, Callum Rowe, Jamie Morgan, Isaac Modi all entered the fray with a quarter of an hour left on the clock.

Immediately, the changes inspired the Boro as Mitchell was forced into a quick double save, Jamie Morgan attempted to attack the near post fresh off the bench but he couldn’t put Radcliffe all square once again.

The Boro piled bodies forward in search of an equaliser and in the 84th minute, Jackson’s poor delivery was intercepted by a Spennymoor player and Fletcher ran the entire Radcliffe half of the pitch before rounding the ‘keeper for his sixth of the season, punishing the home side’s attacking overload by putting the game to bed.

After four additional minutes, Radcliffe were unable to create another chance and the referee brought the proceedings to a close, as Spennymoor Town secured a 4-2 victory at the Neuven Stadium.

Bernard and Jonno’s men now return to the road in search of our first win of the season, as we visit the Big Help Stadium in Southport this Saturday.

Radcliffe: Hewelt, Duxbury, Smith (Thornley 76’), Maynard (Rowe 76’), Hulme, Dudley (Morgan 76’), Navarro (Modi 76’), Roscoe, Wardle, Walker (Jackson 76’), Sargent

Spennymoor Town: Mitchell, Ross, Rowe, Fletcher, Taylor (Harris 27’), Ramshaw, Dyson, Myers, Siziba (McKeown 46’), Bartley, Ledger.

Unused Subs: Beals, Mondal, Howard