Pontefract Collieries U19s 3:1 Scarborough Athletic
Northern U19s Alliance
Wednesday 19^th October 2011

John Redford’s U19s side secured their first victory over a strong Scarborough outfit at The White Rose Stadium last night, coming from a half-time deficit to run out winners by scoring three unanswered second-half goals.

With the Colls yet to secure a victory against the Seadogs at this level, the Ponte lads tore into their opponents from the off, seemingly determined to put right their poor record in this fixture. In fact, with better finishing, the home side could – and almost certainly should – have been out of sight by the interval.

Provider-in-Chief was Leon Guest, who swung in a flurry of dead-balls with uncanny accuracy. The first sailed deep into the Scarborough area and onto the right foot of the on rushing Karl Abbott, who timed his run into the box to perfection but was unable to keep his volley below the bar, shooting over from six yards with the goal beckoning. Guest’s second delivery – again, swung into the danger area from the left – evaded all-comers before his third was headed clear only as far as Aaron Carrigan, whose powerful volley flew straight into the arms of a grateful Scarborough ‘keeper, Gareth Allan.

With the home side and their supporters scratching their heads in trying to understand how their team were not in the lead, the visitors finally managed a meaningful sortie across the half-way line. Needless to say, they scored: the goal being entirely needless, owing itself to an unnecessary penalty, rightly awarded for a hand-ball by Keiron Wright after Scarborough had swung a hopeful cross into the Ponte area. Danny Glendinning stepped up for the visitors and calmly despatched the spot kick to put his side into the lead.

If Ponte had been dominant before, they now ramped their control up a notch. Karl Abbott took over from Guest as main supply line, launching a series of powerful long throws beyond the Scarborough back line and into the path of his rampaging strikers. Warren Redford was first to profit, but his drive was fired too close to Allan, who deflected the goal-bound effort behind for a corner. Abbott then duplicated the trick, this time freeing Redford’s strike partner Carrigan, who also managed to find the arms of the ‘keeper with the goal beckoning.

Rob Oldham joined the supply team, swinging in an inch-perfect cross onto the head of Abbott, who managed to repeat his early trick of aiming too high – this time, with his head. Warren Redford set up a chance for himself, executing a good turn before shooting inches high from the edge of the D. Leon Guest followed, having a powerful effort deflected behind for a corner.

Pontefract did have the ball in the net as half-time approached, but Abbott’s volley was ruled out for a push during the build-up. On the stroke of half-time, Redford summed up his team’s profligacy, beautifully cushioning a long-range effort from Carrigan,  turning his marker, then shooting over the bar with the ‘keeper prone and the net gaping.

If the Ponte team were frustrated at the lack of reward for having created so many opportunities, they did not let it show. In the first minute of the second half, Guest delivered another pearler of a free-kick – this time from the right – only to see it headed wide, yet again.

When the goal did finally come, it owed a great deal to the tenacity and good feet of Callum Green. The Colls’ outstanding performer, who seemed to enjoy so much time on the ball throughout the evening, despite operating in the busiest area of the pitch and attracting the attention of multiple opponents, somehow escaped from appearing to be boxed in by a scrum of opponents, skipped around a couple of challenges, then fed Rob Oldham with an incisive ball between centre-half and full-back. Oldham moved the ball first time, leaving the right back standing before sliding the ball across the face of goal and into the path of Warren Redford. The striker made no mistake, slotting the ball into the back of the net to draw his team level.

John Redford made a double change, and the introduction of Grant Chapman proved decisive, although in a way that none would have expected. With time running out for the hosts, Chapman fed Ryan McDermott from a throw in. When McDermott cushioned the ball back to Chapman, he swung in a high, looping cross. Despite the lack of real pressure from Ponte strikers, Allan misjudged the flight of the ball, allowing it to fall behind his head and over the goal-line.

McDermott, echoing the tenacity of Green that had led to the equaliser, repeated the trick to set up the third. When his own poor ball handed possession to the opposition, McDermott pressed and harried, creating an opening for Guest to retrieve the ball and drive towards goal. Guest slipped a neat ball into the path of Oldham, who rounded the ‘keeper before slotting the ball into the net to seal the victory.

The game ended on a sour note when a clumsy challenge in the middle of the park lit the fuse of both sets of players, igniting an unseemly fracas involving most of the 22 on the pitch. The 22 were reduced to 18 after some deliberation between the officials, with Redford and Oldham being dismissed for the hosts.

Despite the explosive ending, the game proved a triumph for John Redford and Jon Paul Cartledge in  the dug-out, with their young charges dominating throughout and, despite their own wastefulness before the interval, showing the character to come from behind and turn a deficit into a victory.

The Academy team’s record in the league now stands at played 2, won 2, with the team growing in stature and maturity week by week.