Louth Town 2:0 Pontefract Collieries
Baris Northern Counties East League
Saturday 5^th November 2011

Ponte Colls recent run of four consecutive league wins came to an end in Lincolnshire, when the team were beaten by Louth Town for the second time in a month.

Reviewing the game, the Colls will consider themselves unlucky to have been denied three blatant handball claims. Although none of these were in the penalty area, they would have all presented the visitors with free kicks in promising positions. As with the team’s previous visit to Lincolnshire – against Bottesford in September – the performance of the officials was way below an acceptable standard. However, the team cannot point to the officials when seeking for reasons for their defeat: Pontefract seemed to have forgotten the good things that had earned them a 12-point-from-a-possible-12 record since being beaten by the same opponents at the start of October. They allowed their opponents too much space to play, while repeatedly gifting the ball back to their hosts with wasteful passing and aimless long balls. Such wastefulness meant that the visitors were never able to build up any meaningful momentum in the match.

In terms or momentum, the hosts were gifted the perfect start. Before the game had been allowed any chance to settle into a pattern, a long clearance from ‘keeper Craig Wherry was headed on by Jamie Rowbotham, in the direction of his strike partner, Steve Norton. Norton, noticing Lee Kelsey off his line, volleyed the ball over the Colls’ ‘keeper and into the back of the net. Despite a hint of offside, the goal was allowed to stand, and the Pontefract team found themselves behind after two minutes.

With the hosts continually putting Ponte under pressure from long balls delivered into the path of their two dangerous strikers, the Lincolnshire team pinned their visitors back inside their own half. When Ponte regained the ball, a series of clueless long balls allowed lone striker Greig McGrory no chance – he continually found himself chasing down lost causes or beaten to the ball by his marker, Louth captain Carl Martin, who made the most of enjoying height and reach advantage over the Colls’ front man.

Ponte did create one opening in the first quarter of the match, when a free kick was delivered into the Louth box from deep by Liam Ormsby, eventually landing at the feet of Tom Robinson, six yards out. Robinson shot low but wide of the upright, and was doubtless relieved to see his blushes spared by the raising of an offside flag.

In contrast with his opposite number, who had set up the opening goal with a decisive clearance, Lee Kelsey almost gifted Louth their second when a mis-hit clearance landed at the feet of Phil Winter. The Town player aimed at Kelsey’s unguarded net, but skewed his shot wide from just inside his opponent’s half.

As his team huffed and puffed to try to establish a foothold in the game, Paul Haigh – by some distance the best player on the pitch – was at the centre of every good thing that Pontefract did. Haigh won every header that came within his radius, repeatedly robbed his opponents of the ball, and showed the way when in possession by finding himself the space to deliver a pass before calmly rolling the ball to an unmarked team-mate. His game was brilliant in its simplicity. Unfortunately, too many of his team-mates were way below par, and found themselves unable to find team-mates.

Haigh’s efforts should have been rewarded with an equaliser. The youngster won the ball in the centre circle, turned free of the two-man team trying to outmuscle him and, spying space in front of him, drove forwards with the ball at his feet. When the Louth skipper abandoned his post alongside McGrory to close down the advancing Haigh, the midfielder slipped the ball beyond him and into the path of McGrory. McGrory – enjoying his first experience of space during the afternoon – bore down on goal, before shooting goalwards. However, Wherry was equal to it, diving low to his left to push the ball behind for a corner.

That was as good as it got all afternoon for the Colls. During the remaining hour of the game, Wherry was not called upon again to make a save.

If Greig McGrory had been denied at one end, brother Scott was to become the one doing the denying at the other. When Elliott Broughton broke into the Ponte box, McGrory senior had tracked the player a full forty yards, and delivered the coup de grace by nipping the ball off his opposite number 6’s toe as Broughton shaped to shoot.

Liam Ormsby, finding his efforts to find a team-mate in a forward position repeatedly frustrated, chose to roll the ball back to Kelsey instead when being hunted down by a swarm of Louth players. With the back-pass falling short, Kelsey did well to race out and crash the ball into the hoardings. Ponte’s relief was short-lived, however, and they found themselves facing a two-goal deficit before the half hour mark had passed.

When Louth took a corner from the right, the ball was rolled towards the edge of the box into the path of Sam Smith, who had left his marker to make a good run into space. Scott McGrory did read the danger, put slipped as he exploded out of the starters blocks in attempt to close Smith down. Smith took full advantage, striking the ball first time into the near-post corner of the net. It was a special strike, enjoyed by the jubilant home crowd.

Smith was denied a second minutes later, when a good Louth moved culminated in the player shooting goalwards from 30 yards. His fine effort was deflected over Kelsey, but rattled back off the underside of the cross-bar. As the hosts sensed blood, Rocky Rawlings had a shot blocked by Edwards. Smith picked up the rebound and shot goalwards, but was denied by a headed clearance from Gary Lumley. Sam Smith, who could have already completed his hat-trick, was then denied by the outstretched foot of Kelsey, who did well to prevent the Louth man from sliding the ball inside his far post, having broken through the static Colls back line.

After the interval, Ponte did at least start with more positive intent. Liam Ormsby led the way, picking up the ball just inside his own half, driving forward, then sending a 35 yard effort goalwards. The ball was blocked by a Louth hand 20 yards out, which the officials somehow failed to notice. A free-kick in “Ormsby Country” would have presented the visitors with a snippet of a way back into the game, but it was not to be.

At the other end, Smith carried on as he had left off in the first half, curling an effort wide of the far post. Steve Norton fed his strike partner Rowbotham inside the box. The No 9 turned inside his marker, but rolled his shot wide of Kelsey’s far post.

Ponte won a corner on the right, following some good work by skipper Twibey and Connor Rollinson down the right. Liam Ormsby delivered the corner onto the head of Gary Lumley, who had timed his run to the far post to perfection, but was unable to keep his header below the bar.

Rollinson escaped from a tight spot on the right touchline, showing quick feet and quicker thinking to beat his markers before delivering a fine cross into the area, from where it was cleared at the expense of a corner. Following the corner Scott McGrory, with back to goal, rolled the ball into the path of Man of the Match Haigh, who shot wide of the upright. As they tried to force an opening, Twibey had a shot blocked into the path of Scott McGrory, who sent his left foot volley wide.

The introduction of Warren Redford seemed to lift the Colls, with the youngster offering another outlet up front. Redford found himself bearing down on goal on two occasions, but both opportunities were denied by the combination of retreating Louth defenders and the refusal of the ball to drop for him.

When a Rollinson cross was handled outside the box, the officials failed to spot the offence, and the visitor’s frustration was complete.

Although the Ponte faithful would have been delighted by 12 points from a possibly 15 following their home defeat to Louth a month earlier, the nature of this defeat will have a few of them worried. The return of the old wastefulness, the reliance on aimless long, high balls, and the failure to win individual battles will be giving Brendon Ormsby and his management team cause for concern. At least they have an early opportunity to put things right, away at Teversal on Tuesday evening, and a shining example – in Paul Haigh – of how it should be done.

To view the full Facebook photo album from the game, click here

Pontefract: Lee Kelsey, Dean Twibey (captain), Stephen Edwards, Tom Robinson, Gary Lumley (repl. James McDaid, 86), Scott McGrory, Connor Rollinson, Liam Ormsby, Paul Haigh, Greig McGrory, Will Ramsay (repl. Warren Redford, 65)

Subs not used: Rob Oldham, Duncan Bray

Cautions: none