Pontefract Collieries hosted Evo Stik First Division side Farsley AFC on Saturday in the first home friendly of the pre-season and, despite staying with their visitors for an hour, were eventually comfortably defeated.

The game marked Brendon Ormsby’s first pre-season friendly in charge of the club following his return from holiday, and will have given the Colls manager a chance to assess the squad he has assembled, and measure how much work there is to be done before the commencement of real hostilities in three weeks’ time.

Ormsby will be pleased with some of what he saw: debutant ‘keeper Lee Cockerham played a solid game in the absence of Lee Kelsey, and there were also positive signs that fellow debutants Rob Oldham, James McDade and James Hicks can prove to be significant players for the club in the forthcoming season.

The game also marked a landmark for Pontefract’s reigning Player / Players’ Player of the Season Dean Twibey, who was called upon to captain his home-town side in the absence of the injured Nick Handley. Twibey’s afternoon was cut disappointingly short, however, as a two-footed challenged left him hobbling from the pitch in the early minutes with multiple stud-marks down both legs. Twibey’s withdrawal gave Connor Rollinson an extended chance to impress, playing behind Ryan Poskitt, who marked his own return from injury with a promising display.

Neil Parsley’s side took the lead early on, although the hosts felt aggrieved that the assistant referee failed to spot Mark Bett in an offside position when scoring, after Graham Sides’ effort had been blocked by Cockerham and Ryan Serrant squared the ball back across the area for Bett to drive the ball into the roof of the net.

Despite the early set-back, Colls rallied well, matching their opponents in terms of possession, if not chances created. The lack of incisiveness in the final third of the pitch will be the main source of concern for Ormsby and his staff, as the contrast with Farsley starkly portrayed. In particular, the excellent Simeon Bambrook looked threatening every time Farsley broke forward, with Andy Cooper also missing a good chance mid-way through the half as he blazed over from close range. Bambrook’s 42^nd minute free kick was well saved by Cockerham who dived to his left to claim the ball.

With both managers ringing the changes after the interval as they sought to assess the new players at their disposal, the game became more disjointed after the break. Simeon Bambrook attempted to lob Cockerham on the hour, but his effort sailed over the bar. However, Bamsbrook did double the margin in the 65th minute when he latched on a poor clearance to strike home. 

The Farsley star was also instrumental in the third goal after he drew a foul from Cockerham on the edge of the area. Despite the Ponte ‘keeper’s claims of zero contact, the referee awarded the spot kick, which was coolly converted by Ben Jones to put the result beyond doubt.Despite enjoying a good share of possession, it was not until the introduction of Duncan Bray that Pontefract started to carve out openings. Bray worked his magic on the left flank, beating his marker repeatedly before sending dangerous balls into the Farsley area. From the best of these young Connor Rollinson clipped his effort onto the roof of the net, and Pontefract’s account remained blank. 

The return friendly fixture away at Farsley on 2nd August will give Ormsby an opportunity to assess his team’s progress over the next few weeks. In the meantime, this game will have given him a clear idea of how much work there is to be done.

Pontefract players used: Lee Cockerham, Dean Twibey, Rob Oldham, Johnny Forsyth, Stephen Edwards, Andy Broadbent, Paul Haigh, Ryan Poskitt, James McDade, Will Ramsey, Josh Stacey, Jono Hudson, James Hicks, Jack Hill, Connor Rollinson, Duncan Bray.

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