Pontefract Collieries 1:1 Nostell Miners Welfare (aet, 1:1 at full time)
FA Vase, Second Qualifying Round
Saturday 24^th September 2011

Ponte Colls and Nostell will replay at Nostell on Tuesday evening, after the two sides fought out an entertaining and eventual draw at The White Rose Stadium. However, Pontefract will feel that they should have won the tie in normal time, having had a first-half penalty saved and a James Hicks effort deep into injury time ruled out for an alleged push after Nostell’s centre-half appeared to fall over his own feet.

In fairness to Nostell, a replay was a fair reward for a game in which they played well, having been narrowly beaten by The Colls on the same ground in the NCEL President’s Cup, back in August.

The game started as it was to continue throughout, with both teams showing their attacking intent. A free-kick on the right flank gave Pontefract their first opportunity, with Jack Hill rising to meet an excellent delivery from Ryan Poskitt. However, the youngster was unable to generate sufficient power to trouble Gavin Ansley in the Nostell goal.

With Hill’s fellow Academy recruit Callum Green tidy and competitive in midfield, Pontefract were able to repeatedly feed Will

Ramsay and Ryan Poskitt on the flanks. When Ramsay, operating on the left during the first half, delivered a ball into the box from the left, James Hicks timed his run across the face of goal to meet the ball at the front post, but clipped his volley inches wide of the net.

For Nostell, former Ponte Academy player James Eyles excelled, offering an early display of his threat by delivering a good cross in towards Ernest Boafo, who narrowly missed the chance. Another former Ponte favourite, Matt Wilkinson, could have scored twice in the early stages, first watching a fine 30-yard drive fly over the bar, then heading over from a finely floated free-kick.

With Green offering a secure screen behind him, Scott McGrory started to push forward, and was at the centre of Pontefract’s best moves of the match. McGrory was instrumental in Pontefract winning a penalty on the half-hour mark, first breaking up a Nostell move, before feeding Poskitt on the right. When the ball was fed into Ramsay the winger – who was a constant torment to the Nostell back line all afternoon – drove into the box, before being tripped. Referee Alix Pashley had no alternative but to point to the spot.

With normal penalty-taker Liam Ormsby recovering from injury suffered at Bottesford, Ryan Poskitt stepped up to take the spot kick. Although Poskitt struck the kick firmly, Ansley pulled off a terrific save, diving to his left while flashing out his right hand to parry the ball away.

Buoyed by the let off, Nostell piled forward. Eyles fed Josh Hope, who blasted an effort just wide of the upright.

With the game taking on the timbre of a basketball match, Pontefract poured down towards the other end. When Ramsay pushed the ball past the last retreating defender, he was flattened as he bore down on goal. Although the referee awarded a free kick, no further punishment was metered out, which riled Ramsay and led to a caution for dissent for the Colls man.

A Rob Oldham corner, swung inwards from the right, incredibly managed to travel the full distance through the six yard box without eliciting a touch from any player. Down at the other end, the ball took on the role of pinball in the Ponte box as Nostell‘s  Hope, Boafo and Siaw all had shots blocked by flying Ponte bodies. When Boafo laid the ball back into the path of Jacob White, having shown good strength and technique to hold the ball up, White’s shot flew inches over the bar.

However, as the first half neared its end, Nostell took the lead. Boafo turned inside Hill, steadied himself, and sent a powerful shot beyond the outstretched hand of Lee Kelsey, and into the back of the net.

Ponte fashioned a good opening to level immediately. Scott McGrory fed Will Ramsay on the right and, when the winger’s cross cleared the Nostell centre-halves, it fell into the path on the onrushing Rob Oldham, steaming in at the far post. Oldham hit the ball first time with his favoured left foot, but Ansley was equal to it, pushing the ball around the near post for a corner. As the final act of the first half, Oldham latched onto a fine clearance from Kelsey, winning the foot race to the goal line before pulling the ball back across the face of goal and into the path of Scott McGrory, who volleyed wide of the near post.

If the first half had been entertaining, it had nothing on the second. Within seconds of the re-start, Nostell had a penalty claim waved away. When Ansley launched a long clearance, Lee Kelsey found himself in no man’s land, coming out to beat the onrushing Eyles to the ball but allowing it to bounce over his head. As Eyles sought to bring the ball under his spell, Kelsey appeared to barge into the youngster, but the officials remained unmoved and waved away the appeal.

Pontefract responded well, putting together the best move of the match to fashion an opening for Oldham, following good approach work involving Hicks, Green, Ramsay and McGrory. Oldham’s shot was blocked out for a corner. As Pontefract ramped up the pressure, one corner led to another. At the fourth attempt, a fine inswinger from Poskitt was met by the head of Tom Robinson, who rose above the defence to thunder a header down onto the foot of the near post. As Nostell scrambled to clear the rebound, Hill blasted wide and the chance had passed.

Nostell came close to doubling their lead when their captain, David Watts, headed a free kick over the bar. Ramsay then responded, turning his marker before blasting wide at the near post.

Pontefract almost imploded as the game neared the final minutes of normal time. Kelsey, perhaps un-nerved by having allowed the ball to bounce over him earlier in the half, could not decide whether to stick or twist when Nostell launched another long ball into the flight path of Eyles. Eyles nicked the ball around Kelsey 35 yards from goal, before sending it goalwards. However, young Hill had read the situation perfectly, and cleared the effort on the line, much to the relief of Kelsey and his team.

With Steve Lyons and Greig McGrory added to the fray, Pontefract pressed in search of an equaliser. Lyons sent a fine cross inches over the head of Hicks. Callum Green then showed his attacking prowess, driving towards the area before playing a neat one-two with Hicks to create an opening. Nostell were equal to Green’s efforts, closing ranks to block off his shot.

As the game entered the four allotted minutes of injury time, it became “The James Hicks Show”. From the corner resulting from Green’s effort, Hicks headed wide. He was not to be denied for long. When a deep free-kick was delivered to the far post, Tom Robinson nodded the ball back across the face of goal. Hicks was on hand to head home, and Pontefract were level, with extra time looming.

However, Hicks was not finished. As the game entered the final minute of the four, the big striker chased down a ball lofted into his path by Robinson. Nostell’s Hope stumbled, Hicks picked up the ball, advanced on goal and slid his effort beyond Ansley and into the net. However, Ponte’s celebrations were cut short by the linesman’s flag, waved for a foul on Hope that nobody else in the ground seemed to have witnessed.

If Pontefract felt they had been robbed, they put their sense of injustice aside and steeled themselves for an extra half hour. Scott McGrory – who edged out Tom Robinson for the Man of the Match award for a fine performance – skipped around his man and shot from 30 yards. Again, Ponte were denied by Ansley, who parried the shot away. McGrory then played a delightful ball behind the left back, inviting Twibey to cross. The Colls skipped landed the ball onto the forehead of Hicks, who headed wide. Nostell then allowed another Colls corner – this time swung in from the left by Ramsay – to clear everybody in the six yard box, before it was knocked off the line.

As both teams sought a winner, White was denied by a fine save by Kelsey. Scott McGrory, now on a mission to drive forward and settle the tie, rounded his marker but saw his shot cleared for a corner.

The final period of extra time continued at a relentless pace. Greig McGrory took the ball out of the sky with a great first touch, before clipping it round the ‘keeper only to see it roll the wrong side of the post.

Connor Rollinson, on as a replacement for Hicks, won a corner for The Colls, but the home team again failed to get a touch on a fine delivery.

Nostell responded, with Eyles lobbing Kelsey with a half-volley, but seeing his effort drift wide of the far post.

In the final minute of the two hours, it was the visitors who almost won the game, when a free kick from the left was flicked onto the top of the cross bar and behind for a goal kick.

With both teams enjoying plenty of chances, Ponte missing a penalty, having a “goal” chalked off for a doubtful foul, both teams hitting woodwork, and plenty of action at both ends, the game was a credit to both sets of players, who somehow managed to retain the intensity right until the end of the two hours of football.

Roll on Tuesday night!

To see the full Facebook photo album from the match, click here

Pontefract: Lee Kelsey, Dean Twibey (captain), Stephen Edwards, Tom Robinson, Jack Hill, Scott McGrory, Ryan Poskitt (repl. Greig McGrory, 73), Callum Green, James Hicks (repl. Connor Rollinson, 99), Will Ramsay, Rob Oldham (repl. Steve Lyons, 79)

Subs not used: Warren Redford, Lee Stretton

Goal: James Hicks (90 +1)

Cautions: Will Ramsay, Dean Twibey