Pontefract Collieries 1:0 Albion Sports
Baris NCEL First Division
Saturday 10^th September, 2011

Pontefract Collieries won their first ever meeting with Albion Sports thanks to a headed goal by Paul Haigh, as they arrested their poor run of recent results.

With The Colls short of confidence after three straight defeats, manager Brendon Ormsby called upon his players to dig deep into their reserves of mental strength and physical commitment, and find a way of winning the game to turn their form around. They responded with a whole-hearted, battling display that, despite the lack of fluid, flowing football that characterised the opening games of their season, will have delighted their manager nonetheless.

Despite starting strongly and keeping their visitors penned in their own half for the first three minutes of the game, Pontefract ceded an early chance and lost the early momentum when Tom Robinson needlessly conceded the first corner of the game when under little pressure. The nervousness which contributed so strikingly to their defeat at Eccleshill seemed to have carried over into the game, and the home side were thankful that Albion were unable to take advantage.

With Ponte edgy and the away side relying on long crosses and a series of terrific long throw-ins delivered into the heart of the box, the game was scrappy in it’s early stages. When Scott McGrory failed to clear one of these long throws, the tentativeness seemed to be hanging over from Wednesday night: McGrory was relieved to see the resultant shot deflected behind for a corner. With Lee Kelsey seemingly flat-footed and edgy in the Ponte goal, indecision reigned in the Ponte box as Albion repeatedly pumped and threw the ball towards the six yard area.

When Paul Haigh dwelled too long on the ball inside his own box and lost possession, he was relieved to see Jay Sobers’ effort blocked for a corner.

After twenty minutes of aerial bombardment, Pontefract started to push forward and ask some questions of their own. A quickly-taken free kick from Will Ramsay – after the same player had been fouled on the half-way line – released James McDaid down the right. McDaid cut inside his marker and hit a left-foot shot over the ‘keeper, only to see the effort cannon back off the bar. James Hicks picked up the re-bound, but hit his shot directly at the ‘keeper, Aaron Brian.

It was the first real attempt on goal for Pontefract, and it seemed to allay some of their edginess.

If there was any doubt about the team spirit within the Ponte ranks, it was laid to rest when Liam Ormsby was clattered by Sobers and the two angrily wrestled with each other. As the incident threatened to turn nasty, all eleven Colls players surrounded their team-mate, with players from both sides seemingly itching for a fight. The referee consulted his two assistants, booked two players, and calmly restored order where chaos had ruled.

With both sides showing real commitment, and Albion enjoying height and weight advantage, the game became increasingly physical. However, despite several robust challenges, close-contact combat and crunching tackles, the game was being played in a surprisingly good spirit, with both sets of players giving no quarter. It must have pleased the Pontefract management team that their players – who had capitulated meekly in Bradford in midweek – were giving as good as they got.

The brawl seemed to snap Ponte out of their tentative, indecisive state. Tom Robinson – nicknamed “Prince” by his team-mates for his alleged similarity to Prince William – was transformed into Richard the Lionheart, putting his head on everything that came into his vicinity. With young Jack Hill assured alongside him and flanked by Stephen Edwards and the ever-reliable Dean Twibey, the Colls defence seemed suddenly solid. Twibey, clearly relishing his captaincy duties, started to drive his team forward. When Twibey fed Scott McGrory, McGrory spread a searching ball diagonally across the pitch and into the path of Will Ramsay. Ramsay dipped his shoulder and ran at his man, until he was felled as he bore down on the box. Picking up the mantle, Paul Haigh drove powerfully towards the Albion goal before being fouled himself.

From the resultant free-kick, Liam Ormsby’s effort struck the wall and looped skyward. Twibey, venturing forward into Albion territory, headed the ball across goal, where it was met by James McDaid, who volleyed inches wide.

With Pontefract gaining momentum, they were almost sucker-punched by a break-away move from Albion, with the excellent Joe Brown racing free of the Pontefract defence. As Brown shot, Kelsey positioned himself well, and saved with his legs, at the cost of a mere corner.

As the first half neared it’s end, Pontefract should have taken  the lead. Will Ramsay, having being released down the right following a terrific piece of work by James Hicks, cut inside to give himself a good sight of goal. Having done the hard work, Ramsay struck his shot over the cross-bar.

With The Colls having displayed the stomach for a battle in the first half and seemingly overcome their nerves, they ended the first half strongly.

At the start of the second half, they added some quality to their effort, putting together more fluent football in the opening 30 seconds of the second half than either team had mustered in the opening 45 minutes. Liam Ormsby broke up Albion’s possession and wriggled free of his markers, finding Paul Haigh in space in the centre of the pitch. Haigh drove forward, beating his man before sending a slide-rule pass between the centre-half and full-back and into the path of Ramsay. Ramsay hit his cross first time, but the ball was deflected behind for a corner with Hicks waiting to convert.

When the goal came, Ormsby, Ramsay and Haigh were the key figures again. When Ramsay was fouled on the half-way line, he pushed forward, leaving the dead-ball in the capable hands of Ormsby, whose delivery rarely disappoints. Ormsby clipped the ball over Ramsay who, despite the left-back attempting to shepherd the ball out for a free-kick, would not be beaten, and managed to hook his foot around the ball inches from the dead-ball line and whip it across the face of goal. Lying in wait was Haigh – who clearly enjoys his licence to push forward – who looped his header over Brian and into the net. It was a reward for persistence and positive thinking.

With Albion’s battling spirit rattled by the goal, the visitors pushed forward. Substitute Andrew Bailey volleyed wide across the face of goal, when released by a looping forward pass. As Albion pressed forward, Joe Brown was denied by a reaction save from Kelsey.

When Jordan Missin struck a fierce volley at Kelsey’s near post, the Ponte ‘keeper dived full length to push the ball behind for a corner. As Albion poured forward in search of an equaliser, their efforts seemed to have been rewarded when the ball fell at the feet of Brown, six yards out, after a pinball-style ricochet in the Ponte box. With the net gaping, Brown cannoned his shot off the cross-bar.

Despite the Albion pressure, something had changed in the Pontefract ranks. Where they had been nervous and tentative, now they were back to their old selves. Kelsey became loud and dominant. Robinson and Hill were first to every ball played into their area. The whole team put their bodies on the line to protect their goal and, when they retrieved possession, they lifted their heads and drove forward. Ormsby – yet to experience anything other than a league win in a Ponte shirt – was simply immense. Ramsay and Poskitt drove their visitors backwards whenever released, Ramsay being rewarded with the Man of the Match trophy for his efforts.

When Paul Helliwell headed wide in the final minute of injury time, the win was confirmed. Despite not stringing many fluent moves together, Pontefract has scrapped and battled their way to three points.

With this win, Pontefract will be able to view their recent defeats as a blip in an otherwise strong start to the season. With the team standing on 12 points from 5 games, they are well placed to push on. If they can match the commitment and workrate displayed here with a return to the mature, controlled football they have displayed in other games in the opening stages of the season, there is no reason why they cannot string a good run of results together.

For full Facebook photograph album from the game, click here

Pontefract: Lee Kelsey, Dean Twibey (captain), Stephen Edwards, Tom Robinson, Jack Hill, Paul Haigh, Will Ramsay, Liam Ormsby, James Hicks (repl. Steve Lyons, 67), Scott McGrory (repl. Andy Broadbent, 81), James McDaid (repl. Ryan Poskitt, 77)

Subs not used: Greig McGrory, Warren Redford

Goal: Paul Haigh (51)

Cautions: Paul Haigh, James Hicks