Maltby 4:2 Pontefract Collieries (aet)
FA Youth Cup, 8th Sept 2010

Pontefract Collieries Academy side crashed out of the FA Youth Cup after a thrilling tie against Maltby, and were left kicking themselves for not having won the tie in ninety minutes, having led as the tie entered its final quarter and having spurned numerous chances to extend their lead.

The match almost got off to an incredible start, when Warren Redford struck a 40-yard thunderbolt towards the top corner of the Maltby net within 3 seconds of the whistle. However, Joshua Louch pulled off a spectacular save, commencing what was to become a busy evening for the home side’s keeper. Maltby responded immediately, but when Adam Kennedy broke through the Colls defence, Tom King proved the equal of his counterpart by pulling off a fine block. With both sides showing their attacking intentions from the kick-off, the ferocity of the opening exchanges was matched by a high quality, as both teams settled into a high-tempo passing game. A fine move involving Leon Guest, Callum Green and Aaron Carrigan culminated with Ryan Vernon shooting the wrong side of the post. Maltby responded by springing the Ponte offside trap; this time it was Gould who found Tom King in fine form, the Colls keeper smothering his goalbound effort after a fine left-handed save.

With Guest and Warren Redford buzzing around and causing problems for the home defence, and Carrigan employing his quick feet to dance through challenges and set up attacks, Ponte were a constant threat. However, it was the hosts who took the lead, when Kennedy was allowed space in the six yard area to nod home a cross from the left wing. The goal seemed to strengthen Maltby’s resolve, and they dominated the ensuing minutes. But when it looked as though Gould would extend their lead, Callum Green threw himself in the way of the shot, letting out a rallying cry to his team-mates. His lion-hearted leadership seemed to re-ignite the team, resulting in Louch being called upon to pull off another fine save from Redford, as the Ponte No 10 sent a firm volley goalwards. The save did not delay the equaliser for long: Guest beating two men before sliding a measured ball across the box towards his skipper, Jack Hill. Hill crashed the ball into the roof of the net, despite the close attention of the two Maltby centre halves, to draw his side level.

With Clinton Odor, Hill, Phil Proctor and Keiran Wright dealing increasingly confidently with any Maltby threat, Pontefract pushed forward in search of the lead. Redford was denied again, this time by a last-ditch tackle, before Guest, having been released by Green, showed remarkably determination to stay on his feet when he could have gone down under the weight of a hefty challenge as he rounded Maltby’s Teesdale, subsequently saw his shot fly across the face of goal. Redford was denied by the hat-trick of fine saves when his goal-bound header was palmed away by the desperate outstretched hand of Louch, who had arguably kept his side in the game as the teams left for their half-time break at one goal apiece.

The second half started as the first had done, with Pontefract immediately taking the game to their opponents. This time it was Carrigan who set the tone, capping a great run with a shot that was blocked. Guest also had a shot blocked by the increasingly desperate Maltby centre-halves, after a clever flick from Redford has played him through. Finally, Ponte took the lead in the 57^th minute, when Redford tapped home a smart ball from Carrigan, who in turn had been set up by Guest. It was the least that Pontefract deserved, and they set about putting the game beyond their opponent’s reach. Ryan McDermott set Guest loose with a chipped pass, and Guest seemed destined to score as he streaked away from his marker, only to set his left-foot shot wide of the upright. Maltby seemed buoyed by the let off, and started to pump crosses into the Pontefract box. Having kept themselves in the game, they drew level when Teesdale rose to head home a corner. The same player was lucky to stay on the field when a dangerous two-footed tackled on Guest was only punished with a yellow card. Pontefract’s frustrated was compounded on the stroke of full-time when Hill headed over from a delightful Redford cross on the stroke of full-time.

As the game entered the added half-hour, John Redford’s team responded to the kick-off just as they had to the first two: by driving at their opponents. Redford spurned a great chance to put his side in front when he clipped the ball over the top, having been set up by some good work by McDermott. The increasingly influential McDermott subsequently saw his goal-bound effort deflected into the hands of a grateful keeper, before Carrigan – who was the outstanding performer on the night – saw his own effort from the edge of the box also fly straight at the Maltby stopper.    

As The Colls turned the screw and a winning goal seemed inevitable, they were undone by a sucker punch – a long-ball clearing the Ponte defence before being cleverly chipped beyond the approaching King and into the empty net.

The final quarter of an hour of this pulsating game starting as the first three had – with Ponte on the offensive, Carrigan dancing around three men before curling his left-foot shot high and wide. Frustration with their plight – and the seeming home bias of the referee – boiled over when the excellent Leon Guest was penalised for a sumptuous turn that had his marker losing his balance. And when Kennedy completed his hat-trick by sliding the ball past King, the Ponte players’ boiled over, incensed by the referee’s failure to spot their team-mate being clearly pulled back during the build up to the goal.

As the final whistle confirmed the team’s exit from the competition, John Redford and his coach Chris Kirby expressed both sympathy and admiration for their players, despite their own frustration at having lost a game they could have won several times over, had they converted their chances and dominance into goals, while matching the home team’s ability to deal with crosses into their box. Such is the difference between success and failure, and the management team will be working on ironing out such details as the team embark on a campaign for trophies on many fronts. Sadly, despite an excellent team performance, the FA Youth Cup will not be one of them, at least for 2010-11.

Pontefract Collieries:

Tom King, Keiran Wright, Phil Proctor, Jack Hill (capt), Clinton Odor, Callum Green, Ryan Vernon (repl. Ryan McDermott, 53 mins), Jamie Robinson (repl. Danny Ingham, 85 mins), Leon Guest, Warren Redford, Aaran Carrigan

Subs not used:  Ryan Robinson, Andy Sykes

Goals: Jack Hill (36), Warren Redford (57)