Staveley Miners Welfare made two changes to the starting
lineup for this league game at Inkersall Road versus Maltby Main with Alex Pugh
coming in to central defence and Jamie Brown out on the left side of midfield.
The Trojans got the game underway heading as is tradition
towards the Club shop / hospitality end of the ground and provided most of the
attacking intent throughout the afternoon. It began with a Chris Baugh throw in
on the right hand side to Courtney Hastings who spun and passed to Jamie Brown
who laid off to Matt Varley. Staveleys captain then strode forward and stabbed
it to Kurtis Morley whose quick feet got him away from Matlbys Joe Davies and
Joshua Nodder, he then tried to slip it through to Courtney Hastings but Daniel
Reilly was alert to the situation and headed away and clear via the help of his
fellow defenders.
Staveley though were soon back in the attacking third and
forced the game’s first corner and shot on target after five minutes. Adam
Scott swung it in and Matlbys Gary Hibbert looked like he was about to stick it
into his own net but managed to sort his feet out in time but could only juggle
the ball 6 yards to Kurtis Morley who recycled possession back out to Adam
Scott with a reverse ball inside Joshua Nodder who was expecting the more
conventional ball back to Chris Baugh. Scott crossed for Jamie Brown who slid in
at the near post getting a touch to the ball and only a decent save from the
goalkeeper Jamie Bailey kept the scores level… and Bailey was to have one of
‘those’ days
He was beaten though on 12 minutes when Kurtis Morley
pounced on a poor clearance from yet another Staveley sortie forward and a
quick one–two with Courtney Hastings sent Morley into box where under pressure
from Gary Hibbert he squirmed the ball left to Jamie Brown who signed off in
style in his last game for the club before moving on to pastures new in London,
passing it back across goal and into the back of the net at the far post giving
the scrambling Jamie Bailey who had set himself expecting a shot from Morley,
no chance.
Staveley MW 1 – 0 Maltby Main
A rare attack from Maltby forced Staveleys Chris Butt into a
double save in the twentieth minute. First; clawing out from underneath his
crossbar, a Joe Davies throw-in which was flicked towards goal by a combination
of defenders and Maltbys Daniel Reilly and Daniel Swales and then repositioned
himself to block an effort on the rebound from Cameron Rigby.
Butt came off his line to gather an over hit through ball
and started arguably the move of the match from a Staveley perspective in
throwing out to Steve Carty in the left back position. Several passes into
midfield and around the back four later involving Chris Baugh, Matt Varley,
Alex Pugh, Jamie Brown and Ash Rawson eventually saw the ball landing at the
feet of Adam Scott. Where, a clever turn and diagonal run across midfield found
Steve Carty again he found Ash Rawson once he’d received the ball back from the
chest of Courtney Hastings and, whilst were at it Rawson pinged the “pass of
the match” out to Chris Baugh on the right whose first time cross into the box
aimed for Courtney Hastings who was bundled over by Daniel Reilly but no
penalty was given…to be fair to the referee it was one of those “I’ve seen them
given” type instances where some you get some you don’t but the pundits on
Match of the day in the evening were discussing several similar challenges from
the day’s top flight Premiership action and they thought all of them were
penalties.
That decision didn’t really matter though as on thirty five
minutes Courtney Hastings was sent clear by Kieren Watson after a powerful
header from Ash Rawson in midfield. Hastings latched onto the ball used his
right foot to take it away from Daniel Reilly and his left to stick it past the
onrushing Jamie Bailey.
Staveley MW 2 – 0
Maltby Main
Now if you ask the regular visitors to Inkersall road which
period of the game do the Trojans conceded the most goals? They’d say either
side of half time and whilst the stats would say they are technically just
wrong (by one goal!). Those periods are clearly something that Staveley need to
work on as the “curse” struck again on the stroke of halftime when an innocuous
looking punt into the box was headed home by Steve Hopewell.
HT: Staveley MW 2 – 1 Maltby Main
Steve Hopewell continued the curse three minutes after the
restart firing home at the far post, a Joshua Nodder pass which eluded everyone
as it flashed across the box.
Staveley MW 2 – 2
Maltby Main
So from out of nowhere Staveley had it all to do again, but
to be fair to them, Maltby have arguably been the “surprise package” of the
NCEL this season as on limited resources they’ve always produced determined
dogged sides that stick in there but seem to have added a bit of quality in
front of goal this season and are on course for their highest league position
since 1998.
And they ‘stuck in there’ right to the end of the ninety
minutes despite huge pressure from the Staveley attack…
…In the 72nd minute another decent passing moving
involving Jamie Brown, Ash Rawson, Alex Pugh Chris Baugh and Matt Varley released
Adam Lee who had replaced Adam Scott he exchanged passes with Courtney Hastings
before firing just over.
A corner swung in from the left was only partially cleared
by Liam Flint and was recycled by Ash Rawson to Alex Pugh who was up from the
back for the original corner and he ran with the ball down the right wing
getting the better of a challenge with Flint and cut it back to Matt Varley who
had also stayed forward. Varleys clip into the box met the head of Courtney
Hastings but somehow Jamie Bailey got his hand to it and kept out his goal
bound header which fell to Jamie Brown to put narrowly wide.
Bailey saved his side yet again in the closing moments when
a another corner from the left was eventually crossed in by Kieren Waston, and
headed back across goal by Matt Varley where but for the interception from
Bailey Kurtis Morley would’ve secured all three points for the Trojans. But in
the end they had to settle for a point which, given that Maltby also hit the
side netting and saw Joshua Hemmingway fluff his lines when presented with an
open goal on a rare counter attack was probably about the right result.
Ft: Staveley MW 2 – 2 Maltby Main
SMWFC:1.Chris Butt.2.Chris Baugh.3.Steve Carty.4.Ash Rawson.5.Matt
Varley.6.Alex Pugh.7.Adam Scott.(16.Adam Lee) 8.Kurtis Morley.9.Courtney
Hastings.10.Kieren Watson.11.Jamie Brown
Subs not used: 12.Richard Mintoft.14.George Johnson.15.Dan
Fletcher.17.Charlie Oglesby
