Pontefract Collieries 2:2 Louth Town
NCEL First Division
Tuesday 25th January 2011

Despite taking the lead against Louth Town on two occasions on Tuesday evening, Pontefract were twice pegged back by their visitors in a pulsating match at The White Rose Stadium.

Pontefract returned to league action after a weather-enforced break of two months with a home game against high-flying Louth, and were forced to settle for a point in a hard-fought affair. With the rain, ice and snow having combined to deny the Colls any taste of league action for over eight weeks – and a home match of any variety for almost three months – the Colls had some catching up to do. Having led the First Division of the Northern Counties East League on Christmas Day and the New Year, prior to the game the team had slipped to seventh place without having kicked a ball, with rivals suffering less than the Colls at the hands of the weather.

One of those teams who have overtaken Pontefract were the visitors on Tuesday night; Louth starting the game in third position, having played three games more than Ponte. Although any win would have seen the home side leapfrog their visitors and reclaim third place, the game proved the adage of “points on the board being worth more than games in hand”, with Ponte failing to make any inroads into the deficit.

With referee Paul McDean forced to make a margin call about whether to allow the game to proceed on a quagmire of a pitch, the expectations among the crowd were not high. However, the two teams served up a pulsating spectacle, with the visitors dominating the early exchanges. In fact, Pontefract hardly escaped from their own half for the first ten minutes, with the visitors pressing and probing as the home team struggled to shake off the rustiness that is an inevitable consequence of an eight week absence. During the early exchanges Ponte were grateful for the assuredness of new signing, ‘keeper Sam Dobbs, who prevented the visitors from turning their early superiority into goals with several fine saves, the pick of which saw him getting down low to his right to smother a goalbound header from Jack Debnam. When Debnam’s strike partner Steve Norton found a way past Dobbs, the Colls centre-halves were on hand to prevent the striker’s cross from being converted.

With a goal seemingly inevitable as the visitors continued to press, when it came it was entirely against the run of play. Jason Bentley picked up the ball on his left flank, beating three men before being tripped. However, the referee allowed played to continue as the ball ricocheted to Duncan Bray. When Bray returned the ball to Bentley, the Colls winger drove goalwards, evading another two challenges before being tripped in the box. Up stepped the ever-reliable Luke Smith to confidently convert the penalty and put his side into an unlikely lead.

As Louth sought parity, the combative Andy Broadbent – another festive signing for the team – combined with Paul Haigh to protect the defence, with a series of “welcome to Pontefract” challenges. Louth continued to push forward, with Dobbs being required to pull off another impressive save from a Sam Smith header.

The lead was not to be preserved for long, however. When Dobbs saved a powerful shot from the edge of the box, the rebound fell at the feet of Debnam, who stroked home the equaliser. It was the minimum the visitors deserved.

As the game neared the half-hour mark, Pontefract began to assert themselves. Lee Garside – who impressed throughout with his commitment and quality – won the latest of many aerial challenges, feeding Duncan Bray who, in turn, fed Paul Haigh. Haigh beat the Louth ‘keeper to the ball, only to see the retreating defenders clear the ball as he shaped to stroke it home. Garside followed with some good work down the left flank, outpacing his markers before cutting inside and crossing for Bray. Unfortunately for the home team, the ball just evaded their striker. Ryan Poskitt joined the party, striking a 35 yard effort inches over the crossbar. With Bentley and eventual Man of the Match Poskitt threatening on the flanks, the Colls were looking increasingly threatening, with driving runs and trickery to make a mockery of the bog of a pitch. However, when the goal came, it owed everything to sheer bloody-minded commitment: Lee Garside sliding into a challenge for which he was a poor second favourite, winning the ball and sending Bentley free on the left. Bentley controlled calmly, curling the ball beyond Craig Wherry and into the Louth goal.

The transformation in the game was complete, with the home side now looking as commanding as their visitors had done earlier in the half. When Louth did threaten, Luke Forgione displayed the professional art of defending, shepherding a dangerous through-ball out of play despite the attentions of Norton. However, a mistake from the same player allowed Town back into the game, as he allowed Daniel Pawson to turn inside and feed skipper Sam Smith, who curled a left-foot shot beyond Dobbs for the second equaliser of the evening.

With the sides level at two each, the break offered an opportunity for the crowd to catch their breath, and the two managers to re-organise their teams. The break seemed to benefit the home side, with the opening exchanges of the second half favouring Pontefract. Ryan Poskitt set off on a trademark driving run, squaring the ball for Duncan Bray who sidefooted his shot over the bar. When a corner was cleared only as far as Bentley, he blasted a powerful effort through a crowd of players and inches wide of the upright. Ponte thought they had re-taken when a free kick was headed home, but the assistant referee’s flag called offside against Haigh. Dean Twibey fed Poskitt on the overlap, for the winger to see his shot deflected behind for another corner. From the resultant corner, Garside sent a looping header onto the roof of the net.

Louth responded, with Smith sending a powerful left-footed shot goalwards, only to be denied by a full-stretch save from the fingertips of Dobbs – one of which “The Flying Pig” himself would have been proud! Dobbs then won a challenge with Norton, although the ball spilled to Smith, who could not direct his volleyed effort goalwards.

With Bray and Poskitt combining on the right, Ponte won another corner, which fell to the feet of skipper Nicky Handley, loitering at the far post. Handley skipped inside a defender – Gerard Pique at his most agile – before striking his shot wide of the post. When the returning Craig Rouse and Craig Stephens replaced the tiring Garside and Bray, the game opened up as both sides sought an elusive winner. Despite a 35 yard shot from Louth’s Archer and a volley from Stephens that flew just the wrong side of the post, it was not to be, and the sides had to settle for an honourable draw. It is a credit to both teams that they could serve up such an entertaining match on such a playing surface and, although Colls will see this as an opportunity missed, the fixture will have surely knocked off the cobwebs from the long absence, and set the team off and running for the long championship run-in.

Pontefract Collieries:

Sam Dobbs, Dean Twibey, Luke Smith, Nicky Handley (capt), Luke Forgione, Paul Haigh, Ryan Poskitt (repl. Gareth Hunter, 84),  Andrew Broadbent, Lee Garside (repl. Craig Stephens, 69), Duncan Bray (repl. Craig Rouse, 69), Jason Bentley

Subs not used: Andrew Joburns, Johnny Forsyth

Goals: Luke Smith (pen, 11 mins), Jason Bentley (35 mins)

Bookings: none