Glasshoughton Welfare 2:3 Pontefract Collieries
Baris Northern Counties East League, Division One
Monday 2nd January, 2012

Delighted Colls celebrate their derby win

A freshly rolled pitch at Glasshoughton was just the conditions Ponte required and they went to go on to relish. Ponte have a good record away from home and obviously a good surface was played right in to their hands as the Ponte lads have proved, when they play football on the floor they are quite capable of ripping teams apart.

The Colls started the brightest and immediately put pressure on the Glasshoughton back four with Scott Mcgrory on the edge of the box firing a good shot in, however with an equally great save to deny the goal on this occasion.

James McDaid quickly took charge in midfield and went on to have his best game in a Ponte shirt this season and with the consistency of Liam Ormsby who was again at the heart of every move on the field, there was only ever one outcome on the cards for this match. Also a much improved Steve Edwards putting in a good solid performance and linking up well with his winger.

Jack Nodder opens the scoring for the Castleford team

Unfortunately against the run of play Glasshoughton ended up for the first time in Ponte’s half where Steve Edwards grappled with the Glasshoughton forward and ex-Ponte player Carl Fothergill. The referee adjudged it was a free kick and no-one from Pontefract could argue any different. Josh Corbett, Glasshoughton’s set piece expert took the free kick and hit a decent ball in, this hit the upright and dropped kindly for the defender Jack Nodder who had ran up for the set piece,  all he had to do was nod it in for the first goal of the match on 10min.

Ponte equalise through Liam Ormsby's spot kick

Although a massive blow to Colls, they didn’t let it worry them and quickly got back in to dominating the match and within 4mins they were back on level terms with McDaid winning another ball in the battle of the midfielders where he knocked the ball out wide to Ryan Poskitt who was a constant threat, especially in the first half and he then sent a ball in to the penalty area where another ex-Ponte player, Rian Sykes stopped the ball proceeding to waiting striker Grieg Mcgrory with his hand and the referee was on the spot to give the inevitable spot Kick which Ormsby cracked home.

Scott McGrory smashes home for the visitors

Glasshoughton could have got themselves back in to the game, however only with the aid of set a piece and this seemed the only likely source of a goal for Glasshoughton with Corbett putting some good quality balls in to dangerous positions, fortunately for Pontefract the chances were never taken.

Wingers Poskitt and Conner Rollinson attacked with venom time after time and the pressure on Houghton was unrelenting, albeit a couple inevitable flashes of quality from Fothergill who never stopped against his old club and on one occasion fired the ball in, long range, which smashed against the crossbar and safely in to Ponte Keeper – Lee Kelsey’s hands.

McDaid put his body on the line on many occasions and went on to bring a fantastic save out of Glasshoughton keeper Simon Kemp and it is fair to say the keeper did not have a poor game, more a fact that Pontefract dominated the game and he was well and truly in the firing line.

Grieg McGrory scores the third - with former Ponte player Rian Sykes powerless to intervene

Poskitt definitely came on top with his opponent, Glasshoughton’s Luke Smith, yet another ex-Ponte player, with fantastic running at the defender and any others who he came up against. The next Ponte goal came from sheer quality football with Ormsby beginning by winning the ball from Paul Sykes in midfield, then a fantastic team effort with the ball on the floor out to Poskitt, passed neatly then back McDaid, across to Rollinson who in turn nicely in to Scott Mcgrory who sent brother Scott through on goal and he finished off nicely with a cracking goal right at the stoke of halftime and a killer blow for Glasshoughton – 43mins.

2^nd half

Pontefract came out in the second half much the same and dominated proceedings and could have gone further ahead with McDaid firing just over from the edge of the box and Scott Mcgrory being brought down in the box. On this occasion no penalty was awarded.

With 12mins to go Colls manager Brendon Ormsby let all three subs on to the field of play – Paul Haigh, Tom Robinson and Gary Lumbley for tiring, Poskitt, Rollinson and Greig McGrory, however nothing can be taken away from the three replaced, as they all played a massive part in this well earned victory.

Pontefract attack the host's goal

Ponte lost a little momentum whilst the substitutes settled in and a defensive shape was formed for the last 10mins. Glasshoughton seized on this opportunity and pressed to try to get back in to the game with good pressure from the tireless Andy Seed and Liam Radford. Corbett lofted a ball in to the far right-hand post and fortunately for Glasshoughton Keeper Kelsey slipped and Glasshoughton sub Lee Bennett was on hand to head the ball past the sprawled keeper to the obvious distaste of Ponte manager.

Unfortunately it was all too late and Pontefract came out on top and took the bragging rights for two legged league matches over Christmas and the New Year and take the four valuable points to go top of the league for 2012.

Although it was a good team effort with everyone playing their part, including the Manager getting his tactics spot on, James McDaid took the Man of the Match award and  Ponte will be expecting and hoping for more performances like that in the coming battle ahead in the second half of the season

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

Pontefract: Lee Kelsey, Dean Twibey, Stephen Edwards, Nick Handley (captain), Gareth Roberts, Scott McGrory, Ryan Poskitt, Liam Ormsby, James McDaid, Greig McGrory, Connor Rollinson

Goals: Liam Ormsby (14), Scott McGrory (40), Greig McGrory (43)