Pontefract Collieries 4:2 Rossington Main
Northern Counties Eastern League First Division
Saturday 22nd March 2011

Ponte Colls jumped two places back into fourth in the table after new signing Will Turl scored one and made three goals on his debut for the club.

Turl, who was signed by Brendon Ormsby following an introduction from Football Development Manager Ian Burchnall, put Rossington to the sword with an outstanding display of forward play, striking a promising partnership with Duncan Bray, who scored twice in the win. However, the Colls were made to sweat by a good Rossington side, who came back from a 3:1 deficit with half an hour to go. The game was not settled until Luke Smith despatched a penalty with the final kick of the match to restore the two goal advantage and confirm the three points for the Pontefract side.

The game promised to offer Ormsby a tough first home game in charge, with Rossington having won seven and only lost one of the previous ten league games. With Danny Frost unavailable, Ormsby turned to new signing Turl to partner Bray up front, with youngster Leon Guest being given the nod on the left side of midfield.

The crowd – which included several new faces but was missing several familiar ones who had chosen to watch England’s match with Wales – were treated to a six-goal thriller, with plenty of chances at both ends. In fact, Ponte ‘keeper Sam Dobbs edged Turl out for the Man of the Match award, which indicates how the result could easily have been different.

Pontefract started well, their first chance coming in the second minute, when Dean Twibey won the ball with a determined tackle, before feeding Ryan Poskitt on the right flank. Poskitt crossed to the far post, with Rossington ‘keeper Marek Niedomagala doing very well to hang on to the ball under extreme pressure from Turl. The new boy – who plays for Burchnall in his Leeds University team – showed some deft touches and clever flicks to keep his team on the offensive, before a terrific cross-field ball from Rossington’s Bradley Billam freed Lee Holmes whose cross was cleared by Jonny Forsyth, out for a corner.

Although Ponte cleared the corner, they did not clear their lines, and when the ball was clipped back into the penalty area, Rossington’s Liam Charlton rose to head home the opening goal of the contest, with the game not yet ten minutes old.

It was a sign of things to come from the Doncaster side, who threatened from free kicks and corners throughout the match, allying precise delivery to good aerial skills.

But Pontefract were not behind for long. Paul Haigh and Andy Broadbent combined well in midfield, feeding Will Turl with a looping ball over the Rossington central defenders. Turl nodded the ball into his path, drove goalwards with purpose, and decisively slid the ball into the far corner of the Rossington net. It was a true striker’s goal – Turl seemed destined to score from the moment the ball was played towards him, with his positive intent leaving nobody in any doubt that the ball would end up nestled in the back of the net.

Turl could have doubled his account for the club minutes later, following a Ryan Poskitt free-kick. Although the set-piece struck the wall, Poskitt nodded the rebound to Forsyth, who lifted the ball over the visitors’ defence and into the path of the striker. However, Niedomagala was off his line quickly, and did enough to prevent the Ponte striker from heading the ball home.

As the first half neared its midpoint, Pontefract were playing with more composure and control of possession than they had shown for a long time, spreading play with quick, precise passing, despite the hard, dry pitch – the work that Burchnall and Ormsby had led on the training pitch clearing reaping early rewards. With Smith, Handley, Forsyth and Twibey firm at the back, the Colls looked secure and controlled – a firm base from which to attack their visitors. As they sought the lead, Turl left his marker and fed Twibey on the overlap, the right back putting a good ball in to Bray in the six-yard area. Bray was smothered by two defenders and a goalkeeper, and the chance came to nothing, the Rossington defence tidying up with calm ease.

Bray would not be denied for long. The excellent Turl instigated the move, spinning away from his marker in the centre circle and driving forward at pace, feeding Poskitt with a delightful ball behind the full-back. Poskitt crossed to the far post, where Bray chested the ball down before slamming it home to put his side in front.

As the Colls sought to extend their lead, Bray turned provider, twisting and turning on the right flank, and sending a teasing cross into the box. The ball cleared Turl, but Leon Guest – steaming in from his left-wing berth – almost applied the final touch, arriving a split second too late, and clattering the ‘keeper instead. As Ponte pressed, Bray nodded a Luke Smith free kick down for Guest, inviting the youngster to strike for goal. Guest took up the invitation, but his half-volley skewed high and wide of the post.

As the first half closed, Rossington forced a series of corners, looking dangerous from every one, Jake Vernon heading the best chance inches wide of the far post.

The second half started as the first had ended, with Rossington forcing a series of corners. The visitors’ strength in the air had prompted Ormsby to instruct Turl to take on a defensive role from set-pieces after the interval, adding his height and strength to the fray. Even despite this move, Ponte were lucky to survive a triple scare, when Dobbs pulled off a fine reaction save from a header, only to see the rebound smashed against the post, and the second rebound flying wide following a bicycle kick with the goal gaping.

The let-off seemed to spur Pontefract onwards, with Turl and Bray combining to create their third goal. Turl lost his marker – creating space with fine footwork – before releasing Bray with a curling ball from the outside of his right boot. Bray took his goal well, taking a single touch before clipping it home.

Pontefract kept pushing forward, and were unlucky to miss two good chances to add a fourth – the first effort being blocked, and the second flying over the bar. It was to be the high point for Ponte, who lost the services of Forsyth with a muscle strain on the hour mark, Haigh dropping into an unfamiliar back-four role with Callum Green filling his shoes in the engine room. The changes seemed to unsettle the team, who lost their forward momentum. The team seemed to forget all the good things they had done to earn their lead – good possession, precise passing, spreading the play – and resort to the age-old approach of hoofing it clear, only to find the ball coming back at them.

Rossington gathered momentum, controlling the ball and the tempo of the match as they sought a way back into the contest. With pressure building, Pontefract had their ‘keeper to thank for retaining their two-goal lead when Dobbs dropped to his right to make a quite outstanding save as Charlton seemed certain to score.

There was nothing that Dobbs could do a minute later, however. Nathan Fraser cut in from his right-back position, taking advantage of slack defending to create an opening, before slamming in a fierce left-foot shot. With twenty minutes to go, Pontefract seemed vulnerable – particularly when Fraser tried to repeat his feat. However, this time Dobbs saved his team again, diving to his left to smother the low shot.

A ball over the top of the makeshift centre-half partnership seemed likely to undo the Colls good work, but Haigh hooked the ball off the toe of Charlton just as the Rossington striker pulled the trigger. With Pontefract’s nerves jangling – on the pitch, the bench and in the stands – Turl himself pulled off a last ditch challenge following the resultant corner.

When Ponte finally cleared their lines following a series of corners, the team seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and pressed forward, determined to keep the ball away from their penalty area for the final minutes of the match. As the game entered the final moments of added time, it was finally settled when Turl twisted and turned and was dragged to the floor inside the box, giving the referee no alternative but to point to the spot.

Luke Smith duly despatched the penalty – was there ever likely to be any other outcome? – and the referee closed proceedings.

Despite the win – and the overall good performance – Ormsby will have found plenty of areas to work on with his team: ensuring they learn how to retain possession when under pressure will be top of the agenda. However, there were many positives for the new manager to enjoy: outstanding performances from Dobbs, Bray and Turl, the quality of much of his teams’ play, and the scoring of more than two goals in a game for the first time for six fixtures.

With several rivals dropping points, the result lifted the team into fourth place, and kept alive the possibility of promotion.

Pontefract Collieries: Sam Dobbs, Dean Twibey, Luke Smith, Johnny Forsyth (repl. Callum Green, 62), Nicky Handley (captain), Paul Haigh, Ryan Poskitt, Andy Broadbent, Duncan Bray, Will Turl, Leon Guest (repl. James Wilcock, 84)

Subs not used: Warren Redford, Jack Hill, Lee Kelsey

Goals: Will Turl (13), Duncan Bray (29, 52), Luke Smith (pen, 90)

Bookings: Dean Twibey