Super Colls get off to a flier

Dinnington Town 1:5 Pontefract Collieries
Northern Counties Eastern League, First Division
Saturday 6^th August 2011

Brendon  Ormsby celebrated the first match of his first full season in charge of Pontefract Collieries with a resounding away win that underlines his team’s ambitions for the season.

However, the season could hardly have got off to a worse start for the Colls, with the team falling  behind to a 28 second goal. Disaster struck for the visitors when nervousness in the defence gifted Dinnington’s John Mellor a sight of goal. Mellor took his chance with aplomb, shooting powerfully towards the near post, and benefiting from a vicious bobble which saw the ball rear up off the pitch and bounce over the sprawling Lee Kelsey in the Ponte net.

Pontefract were visibly rattled. Although they responded with vigour, they were edgy in possession and repeatedly gave the ball away as they sought to restore parity. They were almost punished when Dinnington’s Danny Lindley – who proved to be a constant threat with his pace – broke clear on the counter-attack, only to waste the opportunity to double his side’s lead by blasting over the bar.

As they ramped up the pressure, Pontefract had a penalty claim waved away, when James Hicks rose to head on a Dean Twibey cross into the path of James McDaid, who crumpled to the floor under the close attention of the Dinnington centre-half when seeking a final touch.

As Pontefract pushed forward in numbers, Dinnington broke again, with Lindley streaking clear on the right flank and sending a low cross into the path of Mellor. Although the Town goalscorer did well to keep his first time shot low and on target, Lee Kelsey saved with his legs and the immaculate Colls skipper, Johnny Forsyth, mopped up the loose ball.

As the frantic early pace settled down, Pontefract added a composure to their vigour, and pressed their hosts back inside their own half. From a Rob Oldham throw in, Scott McGrory shielded the ball, showing his strength and swiftness of foot before laying a teasing pass into the path of Dean Twibey, whose shot looped wide of the upright. Shortly after, Liam Ormsby struck a fierce shot over the bar, while Rob Oldham fired first-time efforts wide with both his right and left feet.

Pontefract came close to equalising on the half hour mark, when a Liam Ormsby free-kick was floated in from the right, headed on by Hicks towards McDaid on the far post. McDaid fed Greig McGrory, who turned to chip the ball towards the far post, where Hicks rose to head the ball inches over the bar.

With Greig McGrory using his quick feet to good effect and James Hicks winning more than his fair share of aerial balls against the imposing Town centre-halves, the hosts were living on the edge. McGrory turned his marker only to see his shot fly wide of the near post. Minutes later, the same player wriggled loose of his markers to lay the ball back into the path of McDaid, who struck a thirty yard shot “straight out of the middle of the bat” and towards the roof of Jack Aldred’s net. However, the young ‘keeper maintained his side’s lead with a fine save, tipping the ball over the bar for a corner.

As the first half neared it’s close, it seemed only a matter of time before Pontefract drew level. Nevertheless, they could easily have gone further behind when Mellor latched on to a long pass to race clear of the Ponte defence, only to be denied by the foot of Kelsey. The home side were to rue the passing of their chance to head into the interval with daylight between their visitors when, as the half passed into injury time, Pontefract were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box when McDaid was upended.

Greig McGrory, who, moments earlier, had been denied a one-on-one with the ‘keeper by a magnificent last-ditch tackle from Tom Fairweather, ushered Liam Ormsby out of the way before putting his money where his mouth was by curling in the free-kick beyond the left hand of Aldred.

Having conceded 28 seconds into the first half, the Colls’ equaliser had come 28 seconds before the break. Although parity was no less than the team deserved, the team considered themselves fortunate to be going in level, although their confidence would have been bolstered during the interval by the knowledge that they had enjoyed the bulk of possession in the opening half.

Ormsby and his assistant Duncan Bray used the break to calm their player’s nerves, focus on controlling possession of the ball, and remaining watchful against the break-away and long ball. Their words of wisdom worked. After the break, Pontefract took the game by the scruff of the neck, and displayed none of the carelessness that had threatened to unhinge all their good work in the opening 45 minutes.

Straight from the whistle, Pontefract carved their hosts open. McDaid and Scott McGrory combined to great effect down the left side, before McGrory fed Will Ramsay, who was starting to represent a real threat on the right flank. Ramsay cut inside, releasing a teasing cross towards the far post, and on to the head of the inrushing McDaid, whose goal-bound header was blocked out for a corner.

Pontefract were relentless in search of the lead. Dean Twibey picked the ball up inside his own half, cutting inside and driving at the heart of the retreating Dinnington defence. Despite his goalscoring feats in pre-season, the Colls’ reigning Player and Player’s Player of the Year selflessly fed McDaid, who curled a right-footed shot into the arms of a grateful Aldred.

The action was with Pontefract. Whereas in the first half they had pinned their hosts back, but looked susceptible to the counter-attack, they now looked impregnable, with the back line of skipper Forsyth, Twibey, Rob Oldham and Tom Robinson snuffing out any threat with seeming ease. The renewed defensive solidity gave the team a firm foundation on which to build, and they did not disappoint. They piled forward. All that was missing was the goal that would open the floodgates.

As Ponte turned the screw, Will Ramsey cut inside his full back and unleashed a powerful left-footed effort wide of the near post. (For sure, the observant Ormsby will be berating his players about the folly of repeatedly missing at the near post after his team missed no fewer than five shots in this fashion over these ninety minutes.) Ramsay, who was becoming a real thorn in Dinnington’s side, proved to be the man who put his side in the lead.

The Colls’ second goal owed much to the magnificent attitude of Liam Ormsby, who harried and harassed Lindley until the Town player eventually conceded possession. Ormsby cut inside, feeding McDaid who, in turn, slid the ball into the feet of Greig McGrory. The striker turned his marker inside out, before lifting a delightful ball towards the far post. Ramsay met the cross with a firm downward header that evaded Aldred and put his side in front.

Taking the lead seemed to free Pontefract from their inhibitions. Where their play had been fierce but nervy, they now played with confidence and freedom. With Liam Ormsby and Scott McGrory pulling the strings in the middle of the park, and Will Ramsay and Man of the Match James McDaid causing problems out wide, Greig McGrory and James Hicks started to find space in the middle of the park. Hicks almost exploited the space when blasting wide (at the near post: where else?) before Scott McGrory had a goal-bound shot bravely blocked by Dinnington’s Greg Ramsden. It seemed only a matter of time before Pontefract scored a third, although the risk always remained, with the lead at a single goal, of a morale-sapping sucker punch.

When the third, decisive goal did come, it came, ironically and indirectly, from a rare Dinnington attack. When Rob Oldham was fouled in his own half as the hosts broke forward, the outstanding left midfielder, who had answered his manager’s call to drop into left back and proved himself very adept in his unfavoured role, delivered a perfectly-flighted free kick into the box. While Aldred dithered between coming out and staying put, James Hicks made the decision for him, rising to thump home with his head.

It was to be Hicks’ last action, as he picked up a knock to the knee in the process of scoring, having done a good job for his team on debut. The striker was replaced by young Warren Redford, who enjoyed the space afforded to him and started to cause Town’s defence a fresh set of problems.

Greig McGrory was also finding gaps in the Town back line, and proving a real handful for the defenders. He turned Fairweather, but sent his 20 yard shot over the top.

The result was placed beyond doubt with the fourth goal, scored on 67 minutes by Redford. Once again, Ormsby was at the centre of the action, chipping a delightful diagonal ball over and behind the Town back line and into the path of the youngster, who had timed his run to perfection. Unmarked, but with the ‘keeper to beat, Redford maintained his composure and slotted the ball calmly into the bottom corner of the net.

With the result seemingly beyond doubt, Pontefract almost allowed their hosts back into the game, when Mellor ran clear on the right flank and bore down on goal. Rob Oldham had other ideas, tracking the striker before putting in a last-ditch challenge just as Mellor shaped to shoot. Unfortunately for the talented youngster, he picked up an injury in doing so, and was replaced by Stephen Edwards for the final 15 minutes.

Edwards threw himself into the action, sending a brace of fine deliveries into the Dinnington box, before feeding Greig McGrory, who turned his defender and fed the ball into the path of McDaid, who, in turn, shot wide of the near post. (Where else?!)

As the game entered injury time, Greig McGrory added a final flourish, latching on to a poorly-directed back header to slot away the fifth goal of the afternoon for his team.

With good performances all round from Ponte players (established players and debutants alike ), several talented youngsters blurring the boundary between academy and first team, and a number of stalwarts returning from injury and holiday, the Colls’ squad is deep in quality, and there is real competition for places. With a heavy fixture list – and the manager promising to take every competition seriously – there are likely to be many rotations of personnel in the coming weeks as Ormsby seeks to juggle his resources and fight on many fronts and his talented group of players seek to show their gaffer their worth.

This superb opening-day win was not a bad way to start!

Pontefract: Lee Kelsey, Dean Twibey, Rob Oldham (repl. Stephen Edwards, 78), Johnny Forsyth (captain), Tom Robinson, Scott McGrory, Will Ramsay, Liam Ormsby, James Hicks (repl. Warren Redford, 68), Greig McGrory, James McDaid

Subs not used: Connor Rollinson, Lee Stretton, Mick Walpole

Goals: Greig McGrory (44, 90+1), Will Ramsay (54), James Hicks (67), Warren Redford (75)

Cautions: none