Toolstation Northern Counties East Premier Division
After ten or so games the league is starting to take
shape now and the three teams with the biggest budget are setting the pace at
he top. The rest of the division is pretty exciting however and prior to this
game just ten points separated Garforth (who were on 20) in 4th
place with Athersley Recreation in 18th!! Staveley Miners Welfare
were 11th on 15 points, and as many of their rivals were in Fa Vase
action this home game against Albion Sports represented an opportunity to pull
themselves into contention for the “best of the rest” tag this season.
Jamie Brown returned to the starting line-up, in place of
Ellis Wall who, moved to the bench and Charlie Oglesby made his debut at left
back, in the only changes to the starting line up from last weekend’s 3-2
defeat away at Cleethorpes....
....Albion Sports started the day in 6th place and
kicked the game off kicking towards the kop end but they were given no time to
settle on the ball early on with central defenders Matt Varley, Alex Pugh and
the tigerish Ross Goodwin in midfield dealing with what the “lions” had to
throw at Staveley.
It took a while for the first chance of any note to
arrive and another Matt Varley header fell at the feet of Kieran Watson on half
way, who clipped a high ball over the defence to Adam Scott out on the right.
Scott set off an a trademark burst forward, leaving his marker Connor Erangey
for dead before squaring the ball across goal in the direction of Septembers
“fans player of the month” Courtney Hastings but Joshua Eastwood, covering from
rightback got there first and cleared the danger just as Hastings was about to
slot the ball home, and that’s how it continue for the first fifteen
minutes…Staveley probing but their through balls and “last passes” being
intercepted.
Albions best chance (if you can call it that) in the
opening exchanges came about due to a mishearing from Alex Pugh. Ryan
Musselwhite in goal for Staveley was clearly telling the young centre back to
clear the ball due to the proximity of number 10 Marcus Edwards, Pugh though
left the ball expecting Musselwhite to come and collect before realising at the
last moment and cleared just before Edwards nipped in.
Edwards then collected a freekick down by the byline and
pulled it back for Anil Singh to shoot on the turn inside the box but Staveleys
captain Matt Varley lead by example and dived in to block the effort.
Staveley have never been a long ball team and like to
entertain and they did just that after twenty minutes. An excellent last ditch
recovery tackle from Alex Pugh who got the faintest of touches on the ball to
knock it back to Ryan Musselwhite just as Marcus Edwards was about to pull the
trigger, after Matt Varley had misjudged the flight of a ball forward, set up
Staveleys first goal of the afternoon.
From that challenge Musslewhite threw the ball out to
Kyle Clarke and after receiving the back from Adam Scott he found Courtney
Hastings just inside the Albion half where, the inform striker rolled away from
his marker Asif Hussain and sent his strike partner Kieran Watson into the box
who under pressure from Joshua Eastwood and the scrambling-back Hussain
returned the favour to Hastings who having re-joined the attack collected the
ball on the edge of the area side stepped to the right to find an angle and
rifled the ball into the bottom corner for his 9th of the season.
1-0
Adam Scott then threatened to increase the lead moments
later when he ran diagonally across the pitch from left to right, running past
players like they weren’t even there but when in the box instead of hitting the
ball with his weaker left foot he turned onto his trusty right allowing Joshua
Eastwood time to get back and make a challenge.
Staveley were in complete control at this stage and were
popping the ball around from left to right confidently keeping possession and
only had to wait until the 33rd minute for their second goal…
Kieran Watson sent Adam Scott down the left a receiving
the ball following a sublime bit of skill from Scott, a drag back from the
touchline with his left foot then the pass to Watson with the heel of his right
foot, and after cutting inside as he approached the box he slipped in an
unmarked Courtney Hastings who rounded Jack Bentley in the Albion net and moved
himself into double figures for the season.
2-0
Albion were handed a lifeline when Fabian Smith was
harshly adjudged to have handled the ball in the box following a shot from Omar
Haeeb which had cannoned off a blocking Matt Varley, and Asif Hussain made no
mistake from the resultant 41st minute penalty.
2-1
The two goal cushion was restored three minutes later
though when a Fabian Smith freekick was knocked across the 6 yard box from
Jamie Brown out on the left and an unmarked Kieran Watson tapped home for
probably the easiest goal he’ll ever score.
Ht: Staveley Miners Welfare 3 – 1 Albion Sports.
Albion Sports threw on all of their available substitutes
at half time and Ryan Musselwhite was called upon early on when he dived at the
feet of one of them Levi Maturine who steered a flick on from another Aran
Basi, towards goal but their introduction had little effect on the balance of
the game and but for a few wobbly moments the Trojans comfortably controlled
the proceedings and looked the more likely to score the next goal.
Kieran Watson and Courtney Hastings had worked well together
all afternoon and the two combined again midway through the half when Watson
chased down a lost cause and back heeled it to Hastings to run on goal but he
overran it slightly and it was cleared.
The game was finally put to bed in the 72nd minute when a
corner was swung into the far post by Adam Scott and headed back across goal by
Matt Varley to Kieran Watson who smashed the ball home and Staveley continued
to dominate possession till the end with Adam Scott hitting the crossbar late
on.
Full Time Staveley Miners Welfare 4 – 1 Albion Sports
Attendence: 124
SMWFC Line Up: 1.Ryan Musslewhite.2.Kyle Clarke.3.Charlie Oglesby.4.Fabian Smith. (15.Kurtis Morley).5.Matt Varley.6.Alex Pugh.(14. Simon Hore) 7.Adam Scott.8.Ross Goodwin.9.Courtney Hastings.10.Kieran Watson.11.Jamie Brown
Subs not used: 12.Richard Mintoft.16.Ellis Wall.17.Mohammed Tijani
