Handsworth 3:1 Pontefract Collieries
Northern Counties East League First Division
Saturday 2nd April 2011

Ponte lost their unbeaten record under new manager Brendon Ormsby, but put up a brave fight against a strong Handsworth side despite having the spine ripped out of their side.

With injuries causing the loss of regular centre-half pairing Jonny Forsyth and Nicky Handley, together with strikers Duncan Bray prior to the game, the situation was compounded at the interval when midfield stalwart Paul Haigh was withdrawn with shin splints. Despite promising debuts from new signings Tom Jubb and Johnny Hirst in the heart of the defence, it was unsurprising that the solidity of the Pontefract side was disrupted, and that much of their play was disjointed.

Pontefract started well: the ever-reliable Andy Broadbent releasing Mark Claremont in the opening minute, the pacy winger nodding the ball onwards before having his shot blocked away for a corner. Handsworth responded positively, with the excellent David Cockrill pulling the strings, feeding left-back Richard Tootle, whose deep cross could not be converted by the onrushing strikers. The same two players combined again: this time, Dean Twibey blocked the cross at the expense of a corner.

Despite the presence of several new players in the team and the lack of time to work on patterns of play, Pontefract strung some delightful moves together as the first half bedded in. A fluid move which saw the ball move from front to back and left to right involving Ryan Poskitt, James Wilcock, Andy Broadbent and Will Turl was eventually halted when Paul Haigh was tripped on the edge of the box as he shaped to shoot. Poskitt’s free-kick was blocked by the wall, and Haigh’s left-foot shot from the rebound flew wide of the net.

The game was real end-to-end stuff: Cockrill chesting down a cross from the right, before blasting over on the half volley, before achieving the same result following the Ponte centre-halves’ failure to deal with a high ball into the box; another fluid Ponte move culminating in Poskitt’s shot richocheting to Turl, who fed Clarement on the left, only to see the winger’s low cross deflected behind from the corner.

The first half flew by as both teams showed positive intent, as Pontefract sought to keep their faint promotion hopes alive while their hosts strove the overtake their visitors in the table. Although Pontefract put together the most fluid, incisive attacking moves, Handsworth enjoyed the better of the clear-cut openings, with Cockrill threatening throughout.

When the opening goal came, it defied all logic. Andy Broadbent mis-hooked a clearance, sending a looping ball high towards his own goal-line. Goalkeeper Sam Dobbs – realising that the effort was neither “considered” nor a “back-pass” – caught the ball. Referee Hristo Karaivanov saw things differently, granting the hosts a free-kick a mere 13 yards from goal. When the wall jumped to block Cockrill’s shot, the Handsworth player’s free-kick proved to be a daisy-cutter, burrowing under the wall and into the empty net.

To their credit, Ponte did not let any sense of injustice affect them, and continued to take the game to their hosts. Broadbent won the ball in the middle of the park, feeding Will Turl – the eventual recipient of the Man of the Match award for his fine display. Turl played a measured pass between defenders to release Mark Claremont on the left flank, and when the winger’s cross reached Poskitt at the far post, his opposite number sent a looping header just over the cross-bar.

On the right flank, Poskitt and Twibey combined to create an opportunity for Turl – the one-two’s releasing Twibey beyond his marker, before his pin-point cross was headed wide by the striker.

With Haigh’s injury necessitating the introduction of Callum Green at the interval, the manager’s re-structuring options were limited. However, his team started the second half well, with Wilcock and Twibey combining down the right to win a corner with the first attack. Pontefract maintained the pressure on their hosts, and were granted an early reward when Turl twisted his way beyond a marker and was tripped in the area.

Luke Smith stepped up to convincingly despatch the penalty, and restore parity to the game.

With Turl dropping deeper in order to find space and enjoy a greater influence over the game, Pontefract started to prosper. Time and again, Turl became the focal point of his team’s play, controlling the ball before feeding Poskitt to his right or Wilcock to his left. A fluid move – involving over half the team but with Turl as the inevitable fulcrum – culminated in Callum Green waltzing through several markers on the edge of the area, before going down under the weight of a double challenge. The referee waved away claims for a penalty, and the hosts breathed a huge sigh of relief, and pushed forward in search of a winner of their own.

After Cockrill had toe-poked a chance wide of the upright following a sliding pass from Daniel Smith, the hosts struck, and it was Smith himself who tucked the ball away, finding himself unmarked at the far post when a deep free-kick was pumped into the Ponte area. The Handsworth player took his goal well, taking advantage of the space allowed him to take a touch and pick his spot before striking a firm shot across Dobbs and into the far corner of the net.

Pontefract stormed back, with Wilcock feeding skipper Smith on the left. The full-back’s cross was met by Ryan Poskitt, steaming in from the right flank, but the winger’s left-footed volley flew straight into the arms of former Ponte favourite, Rob Poulter. The move was typical of Pontefract’s attacking play: terrific flowing move, but no real clear-cut opening allowing Handsworth to deal with the final effort.

At the other end, the third goal was less typical: substitute Sam Smith taking advantage of indecisiveness in the Pontefract defence and an uncharacteristically rooted Dobbs allowing Smith to latch onto a through ball, lift the ball over his marker, and stroke the ball into the top corner with the outside of his right boot.

Although Warren Redford – on as a late substitute for Wilcock – capped a good cameo by winning a free-kick in a dangerous position just outside the Handsworth box, the effort came to nothing, and any hopes of a stirring come-back had gone.

Since joining the Pontefract side – with a long-term project in mind – the short-term results have exceeded all expectations for both Brendon Ormsby and his club. Although he will have learnt much about the ability of his players over the first few weeks of his tenure, this first reversal will give him the opportunity to find out about their character. The response to adversity will teach the manager far more than anything achieved when everything is on an upward curve.

Despite being understandably hurt by the defeat, Ormsby was philosophical in his post-match comments, highlighting numerous areas in which he would work with his players. More fundamentally, he explained: “I know what they can do with their feet: now I’ll find out what’s in their hearts and their heads!”

Pontefract Collieries:

Sam Dobbs, Dean Twibey, Luke Smith (capt), Johnny Hirst, Thomas Jubb,  Paul Haigh (repl. Callum Green, HT). Ryan Poskitt, Andy Broadbent, James Wilcock (repl. Warren Redford, 76) Will Turl, Mark Claremont (repl. Adam Smith, 71)

Subs not used:  Lee Kelsey, Leon Guest

Goal: Luke Smith (pen, 48)

Bookings: none