Eccleshill United 2:4 Pontefract Collieries
Saturday 9th October, 2010

In the words of manager Simon Houghton, Pontefract “would have settled for that before kick-off”. And they would have! However, Houghton’s post-match analysis was tinged with frustration: having seen his side take a four-goal lead with a half-hour of the match remaining, he would have wanted them to complete the job of sending an emphatic message to all title rivals and enhancing their goal difference, which could be crucial in a tight promotion race. Instead, the team’s late sloppiness allowed the Bradford side back into the game and squandered the Colls clean sheet record – the first goal breaking 530 minutes of league football without conceding a goal. It is a sign of how serious Ponte are taking their title tilt – and how far the side have come under Houghton’s tutelage – that such high standards are both expected and demanded from his team.

Despite Houghton’s annoyance, this was one of Pontefract’s most impressive performances of the season, not least because they totally outplayed one of their title rivals in their own backyard – United having been unbeaten in their previous six games. Lining up with the pacy Jason Bentley in an unfamiliar right-wing role opposite Joe Thornton, Pontefract used the full width of the park to full effect. In the opening seconds, Bentley gave a hint of what was to come by teasing his full-back before blasting over with his left foot. Within seconds, Eccleshill broke away with a direct move which resulted in Marcus Edwards turning Dean Twibey before forcing a good save from Andrew Joburns. When Andy Fieldhouse was released behind Twibey by a long ball, Joburns followed up his first save with another, this time holding on tightly to a shot that bounced awkwardly in front of him.

Following the hosts early flourish, Pontefract started to take over. Joe Thornton beat a man before sending a perfectly flighted cross onto the forehead of Lee Garside, who headed wide. This was followed by a terrific when Rian Sykes fed Luke Smith on the left, who in turn fed Carl Fothergill, whose low shot was parried behind for a corner. Pontefract were finding a real fluidity to their play: the effectiveness of Smith and Thornton down the left being mirrored by Twibey and Bentley down the right. Bentley picked the ball up from his full-back 30 yards from goal, and set off on a mazy run which saw him beat four men before lifting a teasing cross from the goal-line towards Fothergill, perfectly placed at the far post. However, Fothergill’s volley flew over the bar, denying a certain “goal of the season” contender.

Despite the away team’s dominance, Eccleshill had moments of their own, but seemed destined to send any shots straight towards the midriff of the excellent Joburns – the skipper Lee Hill aiming a firm shot at the Ponte keeper to complete a hat-trick of such efforts. Pontefract, when their real chances came, were far more clinical. Their opener was instigated by good work from Josh Wright in the middle of the park, first winning the ball before spinning clear of his marker and feeding Bentley. The winger slid a perfect pass into the feet of Fothergill, who drove at the heart of the Eccleshill defence before aiming his shot hard and low towards the far corner of the net. Tahj Bell did well to parry Fothergill’s shot, but was unable to prevent Lee Garside from sliding the ball home for his first goal of the season. With Wright and Rian Sykes increasingly dominant in the midfield – and Garside now playing like a man who had seen the weight of the world released from his shoulders – the away side did not have to wait long before doubling their lead. When Wright sent a beauty of a ball over the right-back Scott Price and into the path of Thornton, the wingers cross was cleared for a corner. When Eccleshill could only clear the corner into the path of Thornton, his cross was met by a suddenly-prolific Garside, who directed his header into the corner of the Eccleshill net for his second of the game.

Once Eccleshill had sent another two efforts straight into Joburns’ arms – first a shot from Mark Stuart, followed by a header from Hill – Pontefract punished their opponents profligacy by extending their lead. This time the provider turned goal-scorer, as Thornton latched onto a sumptuous ball from Wright, rounded the onrushing keeper and slid the ball into an empty Eccleshill net. With his team leading by three goals at the interval, Houghton replaced Sykes with Paul Haigh in the engine room, and sent his team out with instructions to maintain their clean sheet record – 5 ½ games and counting – and complete the task with a professional second-half performance. Everything seemed to be going to plan as the away side created chances to extend their lead. Thornton’s close-range effort seemed goalbound, only to be cleared off the line for a corner. Then Bentley was released by Fothergill before cutting in from the right and sending a firm left-foot shot just the wrong side of the upright.

The Colls deservedly extended their lead on 62 minutes, with Thornton again providing the supply, beating Price by heading the ball beyond the full-back before sending a perfectly-judged cross-field ball into the path of Bentley, who selflessly slid the ball into the path of Fothergill, who completed the superb move with a cool finish into the bottom corner of the Eccleshill net.

With the game won, the away side switched off, to their manager’s disgust. Within a minute of extending their lead to four goals, their clean sheet record had gone, when Lee Hill headed home a cross from the right, unhindered by absent markers. With the game now stretched, both sides were able to find space and take advantage of the increasingly slack marking, tracking and pressure on the ball. Pontefract enjoyed the best move of the match, when Bentley and Thornton combined before feeding Garside, who released Josh Wright with a deft back-heel. Wright drove towards the Bradford team’s goal, before finding Haigh, who slid the ball out to Bentley, inviting the winger to hit a first-time cross, which just evaded the onrushing strikers. But, emboldened by their goal, it was the home side who created the bulk of the late chances, with first Joe Penn and then Matthew Moore falling into the familiar pattern of firing straight at Joburns, before Hill headed high and wide when a goal seemed inevitable. The home side did score a late second when Mark Stuart pounced on a loose clearance by Matt Wilkinson, who was struggling to play with a hamstring injury, before firing home. It was too little, too late for the home side, but it was certainly enough to spoil Houghton’s enjoyment of his team’s win, which had – for an hour at least – had the away fans purring with delight.

Although the result was enough to put distance between the two sides, it was only just sufficient to leave Ponte on top of the league on goal difference, with their other promotion rivals all winning. Pleasingly for the Pontefract team, they have played several of their main promotion rivals, remaining unbeaten in these fixtures while completing dominant performances that augur well for the remainder of their campaign. With fixtures against Handsworth and Staveley to come, they will need to continue this run to ensure that the campaign stays on track over the next, crucial month.

Pontefract Collieries:

Andrew Joburns, Dean Twibey, Luke Smith, Nicky Handley (captain), Matt Wilkinson, Josh Wright, Jason Bentley, Rian Sykes (repl. Paul Haigh, 45 mins), Lee Garside (repl. Ryan Poskitt, 71 mins), Carl Fothergill (repl. Craig Stephens, 63 mins), Joe Thornton

Subs not used: Paul Staniforth, Luke Forgione

Goals: Lee Garside (16, 26), Joe Thornton (38), Carl Fothergill (62)

Bookings: Dean Twibey (26), Craig Stephens (84)