Buxton returned to winning ways, defeating Rushall 2-0 with goals from Tommy Elliott and Connor Kirby.
The home side thought they had opened the scoring in the 19th minute when Diego De Girolamo tapped the ball into the net following a goalmouth scramble after a corner. However, the referee ruled it out, citing a foul on the Rushall goalkeeper.
The breakthrough finally came in the 29th minute, as Josh Popoola raced down the left flank with blistering pace and delivered a pinpoint cross for Elliott, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, giving Buxton the lead.
Soon after, Arlot-John nearly got Rushall back in the game, but his shot struck the side netting after a defensive lapse by Grant.
Rushall struggled to create clear chances, but just before halftime, Luke Benbow had a golden opportunity to equalize following a mistake from Finn Delap. However, his shot was straight at Grant, who comfortably collected the ball.
Buxton kept the pressure on, and deep into the 15 minutes of stoppage time, they found a second goal. Popoola once again exploited Rushall’s defense down the wing, this time setting up Kirby, who finished clinically to make it 2-0.
The second half saw Buxton continue to press for more goals. Substitute White made an immediate impact, forcing the Rushall goalkeeper into an early save shortly after coming on. Mann also came close to adding a third when a diagonal ball found him in the box, but he couldn’t quite direct his shot on target.
Late in the game, substitute Djavan Pedro won the ball in the box and was brought down by Nathan Cameron, earning Buxton a penalty and resulting in Cameron’s red card. However, Kirby’s spot-kick went wide, denying Buxton a third goal.
Despite the missed penalty, Buxton held on for a 2-0 victory. This crucial win helps Buxton regain form as they now look ahead to their FA Cup campaign against Barwell next week.
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