Pontefract Collieries 2:0 Staveley Miners Welfare
Northern Counties East League First Division
Saturday 8th April 2011

Pontefract Collieries hosted the newly-crowned champions of the NCEL First Division on Saturday, and pulled off another remarkable win against the division’s best team.

The victory was even more remarkable for the fact that Ponte were missing the services of three of their outstanding performers, with the regular centre-half pairing of Jonny Forsyth and Nicky Handley being joined by Ryan Poskitt, who picked up a groin strain in the midweek win over Bottesford that is likely to keep him on the sidelines for the remainder of the season. To compound Brendon Ormsby’s pre-match headache, Hassan Ahmed – who excelled in the Bottesford victory – was injured on the way to the game.

In the event, the new pairing of Adam Smith and Johhny Hirst were commanding in the heart of defence, while James Wilcock proved an able deputy for Poskitt on the right flank, while Leon Guest stepped back into the side in place of Ahmed.

Pontefract started on the offensive, with Guest winning the set-piece following a good run down the left. Skipper Luke Smith – delivering outswingers from the left in the absence of Poskitt – landed a beauty onto the forehead of Will Turl. The striker timed his run to perfection, but headed wide of the far post. It was a sign of things to come.

With Callum Green and Andy Broadbent competitive in the midfield, Pontefract repeatedly broke up Staveley possession and drove forward. When Broadbent fed Wilcock on the flank, the winger beat his full-back to win a corner.

This time, Pontefract made it count. Smith’s delivery – a more traditional inswinger from his favoured right side – was perfect, being met at the near post by Turl, who cannoned his header into the back of the net.

It was no more than the hosts deserved. While Staveley were able to enjoy plenty of the possession, the Pontefract defence were solid, keeping all the play in front of them and limiting the visitors to minimum opportunities to score. When Jordan Eagers did get an effort on target, it was from 25 yards, allowing Sam Dobbs time to dive low to his right to deny the winger an equaliser. When the same player chipped a free-kick into the box, Andrew Fox found himself in space in the box, but failed to connect with the header. Joe Thornton – returning to the ground that was home for half a season until he moved to the eventual champions – was denied a penalty when claims that his cross had struck Dean Twibey’s arm were waved away by referee Tom Hewitt.

Meanwhile, Pontefract created the better opportunities.  Leon Guest picked up the ball outside the box, turned and fired a low shot goalwards. Although Staveley ‘keeper Scott Dinnigan did well to get down to the effort, he fumbled the save, and found himself scrambling to reach the rebound before Duncan Bray pounced.

The visitors spurned their best opportunity when Thornton found himself with a clear run on goal. Unfortunately for the winger, the ball was on his right side, and he was unable to get sufficient power on the shot with his weaker foot to trouble Dobbs.

Leon Guest tried his luck again, cushioning a high ball skilfully before sending a looping left-foot volley goalwards, but into the arms of Dinnigan. Ponte ended the half as they had begun, with an excellent effort from Duncan Bray, who picked up the ball on the right wing, twisted his marker inside out before rifling a left-foot shot wide of the far post.

After the interval, Pontefract started as they had left off, with James Wilcock central to their opening attacks, winning a series of corners. Callum Green – who celebrated his first Man of the Match award for the first team following an exceptional display for such a young player – fed Guest on the left. Guest flighted a delicate chip onto the head of Wilcock, whose header struck the post with the goal gaping.

Bray created an opening with a driving run down the right, which culminated in a vicious ball slid across the face of goal. Sadly for the hosts, it evaded a final touch from Turl that would have doubled their lead.

Buoyed by the let off, the champions responded. They were denied by a remarkable double save from Dobbs, who tipped Damms’ effort onto the bar, then blocked Fox’s point-blank effort from the rebound. Richard Patterson went even closer to an equaliser, when he capped a fine run into the Ponte box by crashing a shot against the near upright.

Pontefract survived the scares, and pressed forward in search of the cushion of a second goal. Turl and Guest combined to create an opening in the box for Bray, but the Staveley central defenders combined to block the effort. Warren Redford – with his first contribution after replacing Guest on the left wing – chipped a cross onto the head of Bray, who nodded on for Wilcock at the far post, but the winger chose to take a touch rather than volley at goal, and his touch allowed Fancus the time to block the shot.

Staveley came back at their hosts. A cross from the right evaded Adam Smith and the increasingly assured Johnny Hirst, and was met by a far post volley from Tom Jones, which Dobbs was relieved to watch over his crossbar.

Ponte thought they had taken the lead as the game entered its final quarter, when Wilcock rifled home from close range following the latest in a long line of teasing Smith corners. As the players celebrated, they were denied by the referee’s whistle, blown for a foul by Turl on the goalkeeper.

With the game in the balance, Ormsby played his ace card, bringing Danny Frost on to pose some different questions of the visitors defenders. It proved a masterstroke, changing the momentum of the game. Frost started by beating three men during a run down the right flank before sliding a ball into the path of Turl at the near post. Turl timed his run to perfection and clipped the ball goalwards, but was denied by a save from Dinnigan, at the expense of a corner.

Pontefract then survived another scare, but this time it was Dean Twibey who came up with the double “save”, firstly to block Lee Hill’s left-footed shot, then to head off the line from the resultant corner. With Twibey and his defensive colleagues putting their bodies on the line to protect their clean sheet and secure the win, Staveley must have been starting to feel that it would not be their day. When Lee Anthony blasted wide with three minutes to go, their fears seemed to be confirmed.

However, the Colls nerves were finally settled when Danny Frost hassled and harried the visitors’ defenders until they surrendered the ball to him on the edge of the box. Frost drove towards goal, sliding the ball with precision beyond Dinnigan and into the far corner of the net.

Frost came close to making it three in the final seconds when, latching onto a through ball from Luke Smith, he blasted a powerful shot towards the roof of the net, only to see Dinnigan tip it over for a corner.

When the Colls appointed Brendon Ormsby with ten league games to go, it was with long-term aims in mind: the ten games were supposed to allow their new manager time to settle into the job, assess the players at his disposal, and build for next year. Such has been the short-term impact of Ormsby that the team have garnered 16 points from a possible 21 under his stewardship and promotion remains a possibility, albeit an unlikely one. Having beaten the runaway champions twice in the space of five weeks, the team have made a statement of intent for 2011-12, while meaning that rumours of the demise of the current season are premature – at least for now.

Pontefract Collieries:

Sam Dobbs, Dean Twibey, Luke Smith (captain), Johnny Hirst, Adam Smith, Callum Green, James Wilcock, Andy Broadbent, Duncan Bray (repl. Danny Frost, 73), Will Turl, Leon Guest (repl. Warren Redford, 68)

Subs not used: Lee Kelsey, Tom Jubb, Karl Abbott

Goals: Will Turl (7), Danny Frost (90 + 1)

Bookings: Sam Dobbs, Dean Twibey