Pontefract Collieries 1:1 Teversal

Pontefract Collieries preserved their unbeaten start to their NCEL league campaign, but Simon Houghton berated his team for two points dropped in a match in which they performed poorly. The terrific entertainment provided by Ponte in their previous four games gave way to tedium and frustration in this one, as the visiting side came for an aerial battle and the Colls duly obliged by joining in. Throughout the ninety minutes, the ball spent more time in the air and out of the ground than it did on it, as feet were often surplus to requirement. To compound the poor spectacle provided by a game of “hoof and hope”, the fussy referee seemed unable to conceive that two players could challenge for a header without one of them having been guilty of something or other. Consequently, the squeal of whistle punctuated every few seconds of the ninety minutes, which further rendered any possibility of flowing football impossible.

The match started in disastrous fashion for the home team, as they fell behind in the second minute. Teversal’s  Ross Henshaw beating skipper Paul Staniforth before placing a perfect right-footed cross onto the head of Greg Tobin. Shaun Russell – returning in goal after a two-match absence – stretched out his left hand, but could only parry the ball into the net. Within minutes, Joe Thornton blasted a right-foot shot wide of the upright, as they game settled into its stop/start pattern of hoof, head, whistle.

Having scored from a cross into the Ponte box, Teversal could not be faulted for believing this to be their most fruitful avenue of attack, particularly as the home defence seemed uncomfortable dealing with the aerial threat. And so, they started aiming high balls into the heart of the Colls area from all over the pitch. Firstly, Russell made an excellent save when a right-sided free kick evaded his centre-halves. Then Tobin missed an opportunity to bag his second when another looping cross was only cleared as far as the edge of the area.

Despite their lack of control and composure, Colls created opportunities of their own as the half drew on: an incisive driving run by Ryan Poskitt setting up Carl Fothergill, who controlled and spun magnificently, before sending his shot over the bar. Fothergill followed this by sending an overhead kick into the path of Joe Thornton, whose dribble was terminated by a trailing Teversal boot. From the resultant free-kick, Ponte believed they had equalised, when Staniforth’s free-kick beat the keeper, only to loop up off the cross-bar before falling into the path of the onrushing Lee Garside. The Colls striker bundled the ball home, only to see his celebrations cut short by a raised flag. Following protestations against the apparent offside ruling – when it was clear that Garside had run from behind several defenders – it became clear that the assistant had actually ruled that the ball had crossed the goal-line, having looped up and behind the plane of the dead-ball line, before being blown back into the six-yard box and into Garside’s path by the wind.

As the Pontefract side became increasingly frustrated – by their opponent’s high-ball tactics, the referee’s endless stoppages, and their own inability to get the ball down and retain possession – their touch started to desert them. Long passes were over-hit, short passes went to the wrong team, and crosses were cut out before reaching their front-men. Even newly-crowned Player’s Player of the Season Johnny Forsyth seemed unsure of himself, first miss-timing a header to needlessly concede a corner, before slicing a clearance he would normally stroke into the channel.

During the break, the consensus among the Pontefract faithful was that the second half would provide a different story and a return to their positive, controlled football. This impression did not survive long after the re-start, when Luke Forgione – who was probably Pontefract’s most assured player throughout the ninety minutes – turned into trouble, presenting a shooting opportunity to Tobin, who sent his shot over the bar. Seconds later, reigning Player of the Season Dean Twibey got in on the act, presenting a chance to David Cockerill, who also spurned his gift by shooting too high. The entire defence then appeared paralysed into inactivity by another high ball into the box, which Tobin clipped straight at a grateful Russell when it seemed easier to score. Sandwiched in between, Pontefract created opportunities of their own, with Garside, Poskitt and Fothergill combining well to force a series of corners. Following a good run by young Connor Rollinson – who had largely been bypassed as the teams sent the ball high over the respective midfields – Poskitt over-ran the ball when running in on goal.

As the game reached the hour mark Pontefract, finally, seemed to be gathering momentum in search of parity. First Craig Goodyear sent a corner onto the head of Dean Twibey, who could not leap high enough to hit the target. Then Fothergill showed magnificent touch to control a clearance from a Teversal corner, before spinning his opponent over the half way line and sending a precise pass into the feet of Thornton. Sadly for the home side, their winger was adjudged offside. Within seconds, a free kick was floated into the Teversal box – on this occasion it was the away team who allowed the ball to clear them all – into the path of Johnny Forsyth. Forsyth must have thought he had scored, only to see a Teversal defender block his volley away or a corner. From the resultant corner, Pontefract did score, and it was simple but effective. An excellent in-swinging delivery from the left boot of Thornton being met by a perfectly timed run from Luke Forgione, who nodded the ball into a gaping net.

The goal energised the Colls. For the first time in the match, they started to dominate, coming to life. Nobody epitomised the new urgency than Goodyear, who drove his team onwards in search of a winner. It was Goodyear’s long, diagonal pass that released Ryan Poskitt, whose cross was headed into a grateful keeper’s arms by Garside. Joe Thornton joined the party, with a trademark driving run setting the Teversal defence back-pedalling. Thornton fed Fothergill, who placed a delicate chip just the wrong side of the bar, before a  Rob Uttley drive from 40 yards ended up in the keeper’s midriff, as the home side displayed some of the vibrancy of their early season performances. Craig Stephens – on for Garside – played an exceptional diagonal pass onto the head of Fothergill, who cushioned a precise header into the path of Thornton, with the goal at his mercy. Once again, the raised flag spared the visitors. Thornton and Stephens combined again in the final minute of the match, when the winger fed the silky striker, whose deft turn could not be matched by a finish.

To add a final frustration to what was an intensely disappointing afternoon, the Pontefract side were at their most dominant when the referee called a premature end to proceedings, calling time after only two minutes injury time despite their being a full quota of six substitutions, a full two minutes delay when every single one of the four match balls had been lodged in treetops (an image that accurately summed up both the match and the visitor’s approach), and several other stoppages which should have resulted in a minimum of five minutes added time.

Despite their frustration, it is a sign of how far Pontefract have climbed from their low-point of three years ago and how high their current expectations have become that drawing a match against opposition who they have never beaten on this ground provides a source of disappointment rather than achievement. Houghton now demands a full points tally from these games, whereas previous campaigns would have seen him applaud his team for achieving a draw from a game in which they had to battle, but did not play well.

The Colls have an early opportunity to return to winning ways – and the attractive, flowing football that has characterised four out of their five games so far this season – with a fixture at home to Grimsby Borough at Beechnut Lane on Tuesday evening. Houghton will be demanding both a return to form and a maximum points reward from his chastened team.

Pontefract Collieries:

Shaun Russell, Dean Twibey, Paul Staniforth (captain – replaced Sean Hammonds, 45 mins), Johnny Forsyth, Luke Forgione, Connor Rollinson (replaced Rob Uttley, 67 mins), Ryan Poskitt, Craig Goodyear, Carl Fothergill, Lee Garside (replaced Craig Stephens, 71 mins), Joe Thornton

Subs not used:  Jason Bentley

Goal: Luke Forgione (62)

Bookings: Dean Twibey (54), Connor Rollinson (66), Craig Stephens (78)
Sending off: none