Brodsworth Welfare 1:7 Pontefract Collieries
NCEL First Division
Saturday 12th February 2011

Carl Fothergill inspired his team to a six-goal second-half haul, as Pontefract returned to winning ways with a resounding win at lowly Brodsworth.

With the teams level at the interval following a sluggish first half, Fothergill showed why he is so highly valued by the club and respected by his teammates, with a display that combined high energy, great leadership, skill and pace, scoring one and playing a crucial role in three more of his teams goals.

 Pontefract started slowly, showing all the signs of complacency: perhaps understandably, given the lowly status of their opponents; yet surprising, given their poor results since the turn of the year. However, they did create the best of the early openings, a sumptuous ball over and behind the left back from Josh Wright releasing Dean Twibey on the right wing. Twibey and Ryan Poskitt combined, before the Brodsworth centre-halves broke up the move. Paul Haigh immediately won the ball back, and fed Fothergill, who beat his marker before crashing a shot into the near post.

Fothergill and Haigh then traded roles: Fothergill feeding Haigh, whose left-footed shot elicited a good save from Brodsworth ‘keeper Ross Adamson.

Poskitt drove forward with a positive run but chose the wrong option, failing to spot Haigh pulling clear into space to his left, and choosing to pick out Fothergill, who was comfortably closed down by two defenders. Poskitt redeemed himself seconds later, capping another driving run with a perfectly-measured pass into the feet of Fothergill, who spotted the ‘keeper out of position but sent his shot just wide of the near post.

As the game passed the 20-minute mark, Pontefract were creating all the openings, without really imposing their dominance on their opponents. Perhaps inevitably, they were made to pay, as Brodsworth took the lead with their first meaningful attack of the game – Ian Sharp taking advantage of slack marking to send his shot goalwards. Although Luke Smith did well to cover the shot, he could only deflect it into his own net.

Pontefract created further openings without creating any real high-octane momentum: Danny Frost blasting a shot over the bar following a corner which had been cleared by Jamie Cooke; Johnny Forsyth heading wide from a corner; and Josh Wright sending a powerful shot inches wide of the upright from 30 yards, having been set up by a neat lay-off from Jason Bentley.

Bentley was starting to give the home defence cause for concern with his pace and trickery, repeatedly leaving right full-back Haydan Tomlinson in his wake.

However, it was a switch to the right by Bentley that created the opening goal: Wright feeding the ball in to Fothergill, who executed a perfect first-time lay-off to Bentley, alone on the right flank. Bentley slid a perfect ball into the “no man’s land” between ‘keeper and retreating defenders, and Danny Frost was on site at the far post to slide home the equaliser.

As the first half drew towards a close Pontefract almost took the lead when Luke Smith raced onto a deep free-kick from Sam Dobbs, taking advantage of the hosts’ indecision, before lifting the ball over both ‘keeper and bar.

Bentley was denied a penalty when he was tripped in the box as he danced past his marker, although Poskitt picked up the loose ball to tee up Frost, whose effort fell straight into Adamson’s grasp. The final chance of the first half was a replay of an earlier move, with Fothergill again freeing Haigh in the box, only for the midfielder to shoot too close to the keeper.

With the sides level at the interval, Pontefract fans sensed another frustrating afternoon. Their anxiety was compounded in the opening minute of the second half, when Ian Sharp raced clear of the defence, only to be denied by Dobbs. Fothergill had seen enough. Quite simply, he took over, driving his team forward and injecting a sense of urgency into proceedings. Picking the ball up deep on the right, he drove past left-back Luke Kelly, winning a corner from which Nicky Handley’s powerful header was tipped over by Adamson. When the second corner was cleared, Fothergill picked up the ball and drove past Kelly again, this time sliding a dangerous ball across the face of goal. Jamie Cooke could only deflect the ball into his own net, and the visitors were in front for the first time in the afternoon.

Spurred on by their lead, Pontefract went for the jugular. Fothergill again skinned Kelly – who by now was in the throes of a torrid afternoon’s toil – before driving a powerful shot low into the net.

With Duncan Bray and Lee Garside replacing Frost and Poskitt, Fothergill was now operating on the right flank, paired against the hapless Kelly and driving his team on. When he fed Garside, the striker sent in a fine cross that was nodded on by Bray, into the path of Jason Bentley on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box. The winger made no mistake, controlling the ball before curling his shot into the far corner of the net.

At 4:1 it was game over, but Pontefract were not finished. Fothergill – who else? – crossed from the right, his ball neatly chested down by Bray before the striker slammed home. Pontefract added a sixth when Fothergill collected a high, looping clearance from Handley, drove beyond Kelly and sent in another searching cross. This time, the ball evaded Bray, but was met first time by Bentley, who sweetly stroked the ball home to complete the best goal of the afternoon.

Brodsworth did create an opening, substitute Nathan Hall pulling clear of Luke Smith, only to be denied when Smith caught up with him and executed a terrific blocking tackle. Forsyth cleared up the pieces, and the five-goal margin was retained.

Young Leon Guest was introduced into the fray as the game entered its final quarter – apt reward for an outstanding display for the U19 Academy side. The sixteen-year old did not look out of place, executing several good passes and linking well with Fothergill and Wright in particular.

Guest played a key role in the seventh goal, turning artfully before releasing Garside on the right flank. Garside curled an inch-perfect ball with the outside of his right boot into the path of the overlapping Twibey, who crossed for Bray to repeat his earlier feat of chesting the ball down before smashing it into the bottom corner of the Brodsworth net.

Fothergill continued his role of provider-in-chief, this time releasing Garside, whose shot cannoned off the ‘keepers’ legs and out for a corner. When the corner was cleared to the edge of the box, it fell to Guest, whose powerful shot missed the target. It would have been the perfect way to cap an impressive cameo for the youngster and a superb 45 minutes for his team, but was not to be.

Although several Pontefract players impressed – Twibey excelling as an overlapping threat, Wright instrumental in the team maintaining control of the football with his promptings, Guest looking every inch a first teamer on his debut, and Bentley as incisive and exciting as ever – but there was only one candidate for the Man of the Match trophy….

Carl Fothergill, take a bow!

Pontefract Collieries:

Sam Dobbs, Dean Twibey, Luke Smith, Nicky Handley (captain), Johnny Forsyth, Paul Haigh (repl. Leon Guest, 72), Ryan Poskitt (repl. Duncan Bray, 63),  Josh Wright, Carl Fothergill, Danny Frost (repl. Lee Garside, 63), Jason Bentley

Subs not used: Luke Forgione, Andy Broadbent

Goals: Danny Frost (39), Jamie Cooke (own goal, 57) Carl Fothergill (63), Jason Bentley (66, 74), Duncan Bray (67.79)

Bookings: Nicky Handley