Hemsworth MW 3:3 Pontefract Collieries
NCEL First Division
Tuesday 26th April 2011

Pontefract Collieries threw away a winning position in the last ten minutes of their league season to surrender a 3:1 margin and two points against Hemsworth.

In a game that proved a microcosm of their whole season Pontefract played some good football in intermittent passages, got themselves into a winning position, then contrived to surrender their lead by surrendering possession and failing to defend their goal against an aerial onslaught.

Ponte started their final game of the 2010-11 campaign on the back foot, with Hemsworth missing an early opportunity to open the scoring when a shot from their striker flew across the face of goal. However, the visitors responded well, with Paul Haigh enjoying his new-found freedom to push forward with a shot towards the corner of the Hemsworth net. The Hemsworth keeper scrambled across to cover the drive.

Pontefract forced a succession of corners, which came to nothing, before fashioning the best move of the match to create another opening for Haigh. The move started with a goal kick from Lee Kelsey, which Will Turl rose to nod into the path of Danny Frost. Frost – always lively in attack for the Colls – flicked the ball into the path of Leon Guest wide on the right. Guest looked up, and seeing Haigh ghosting into the box, picked out the midfielder with a good cut-back. Sadly for the Pontefract side, Haigh lifted his shot over the bar.

When Frost was fouled on the edge of the box, the striker chanced his arm from the resultant free-kick, bouncing his curling effort just in front of the keeper, who did well to read the bounce of the ball and parry it around the post for another corner.

When the Ponte goal finally came, it was little surprise that it was Haigh who found himself on the end of the move, which was started in his own half by skipper Luke Smith, who read a cross-field pass to pick off the opposition before driving forward and feeding the returning Will Turl. Turl returned the compliment by slipping the ball into the path of the overlapping Smith, who slid a neat pass into the feet of Hassan Ahmed in the box. Ahmed twisted and turned, sending a delicate cross towards the far post. Despite the finger-tipped clearance from ‘keeper Walstow, Guest picked up the ball, striking it goalwards and forcing a goal-line clearance, which only fell into the path of Haigh, who volleyed home with his left foot.

The lead did not last long. Former Pontefract player Craig Goodyear took a free-kick from his side’s left wing, curling his effort inside the near post to beat Kelsey, who was clearly expecting a flighted cross towards the far stick.

Frost and Haigh both blasted efforts over the bar as the visitors sought to restore their lead before the break. At the interval, Brendon Ormsby replaced Kelsey – who had struggled throughout the first half with a recurrence of his knee trouble – with Sam Dobbs. The change seemed to do the visitors no harm, as they raced into a two-goal lead within the first ten minutes after the interval. Turl was denied by Walstow, who did well to get down to reach a well-directed far-post cross. However, there was nothing the ‘keeper could do about the big striker’s next effort: Turl nodded the ball past the centre-halves, took a touch as he bore down on goal, the smashed a fine shot into the roof of the Hemsworth net.

Pontefract became dominant. Frost slid a perfect ball in to Haigh – enjoying another forage into the Hemsworth area. Haigh attempted to lift the ball over the ‘keeper, who managed a fine save to deny the youngster his second of the game.

However, the third was only delayed. Hassan Ahmed set off on a jinking run which appeared to have floundered, before the youngster showed his growing maturity to retrieve the ball and feed Frost to his left. Frost finished with aplomb, passing the ball beyond the keeper into the net.

Pontefract seemed destined to run away with the game. Haigh – capping a Man of the Match performance – showed all sides of his game, first winning the ball in his own half, then driving forward into the heart of Hemsworth territory, before playing his equally exceptional midfield partner Andy Broadbent in when lying on the floor following a crunching challenge. Broadbent squared the ball to Frost, whose attempt on goal was denied by Walstow.

Leon Guest joined in the fun, cutting inside from his right-wing berth and sending a left-footed shot goalward, only to see it blocked out for a corner. With Pontefract rampant, a fourth goal seemed inevitable.

Instead, it was the hosts who scored the next goal, with their substitute clipping home a cross from the left that cleared defenders and ‘keeper. Hemsworth built on their momentum, pumping the ball forward in search of an equaliser. With the shift in belief, Pontefract lost their composure, repeatedly surrendering possession and inviting their opponents to come back at them. Hemsworth accepted the invitation, grabbing an equaliser when their left winger rose to meet a cross from deep and direct it beyond Dobbs for the equaliser.

As the game reached its final moments, the hosts were the most likely winners, but could not find a finish to complete a fine comeback.

It was a disappointing end for Pontefract, who should have been able to close the game out from a winning position. For the hosts, a point was their reward for persistence and courage, and the desire to keep going when seemingly beaten.

Pontefract Collieries:

Lee Kelsey (repl. Sam Dobbs, half-time 45), Dean Twibey, Luke Smith (captain), Adam Smith, Jack Hill, Paul Haigh, Leon Guest (repl. Johnny Hirst, 85 mins), Andrew Broadbent,  Will Turl, Danny Frost (repl.Warren Redford, 68 mins), Hassan Ahmed

Subs not used: Stefan Furness

Goals: Paul Haigh (29), Will Turl (52), Danny Frost (55)

Bookings: Paul Haigh