N C East League Cup – Rnd 2
PONTEFRACT COLLERIES 1
GLASSHOUGHTON WELFARE 4
TAKING SOME TIME TO SETTLE AND ADJUST TO A BOBBLY SURFACE, WELFARE
WERE SECOND BEST FOR THE FIRST QUARTER BUT FROM THEN ON THE GULF BETWEEN THE TWO DIVISIONS BEGAN TO TELL WITH THE EVENTUAL
SCORELINE REFLECTING THE VISITORS OVERALL SUPERIORITY.
Colls had an early opportunity when Jonathan Leigh failed narrowly
to convert Paul Eastwood’s rake across the goalmouth and it was not long before the home men made use of their bright
start by going ahead, Paul Eastwood bending home a fine left side fee kick past a poorly organised wall on 8 minutes.
Pontefract came close again and Welfare were indebted to John Haigh
clearing off the goal line with keeper Karl Codd well beaten and Leigh again went close with a low drive. Welfare eventually weathered the storm and Lee Parker missed the opportunity to level when his lob beat
keeper Dave Turner but went wide but it was not too long after that Parker made amends by steadying himself to drive fiercely
past Turner after good work by Danny King on 22 minutes. Welfare’s Jermaine
Manners and Danny King were by now exposing the frailities in the Colls defence
and it was no surprise when they engineered the build up from which the visitors
went ahead, albeit from an unfortunate 35th minute own goal from John McDonald.
In the closing moments of the first period Colls were denied what
appeared to a large proportion of the spectators to be a blatant penalty when Codd advanced out to impede Leigh who had latched
on to a poor back pass, but the referee, whom it must be said was right up with play waved play on, ruling that there had
been no contact and Glasshoughton were relieved to go in at the break with the narrowest of leads.
From the restart Welfare continued to have the edge and could have
gone further ahead when Parker failed to beat Dave Turner in a one to one situation.
As the visitors piled on the pressure Manners was presented with the easiest of opportunities but appeared to want
to break the net where a simple tap in would have been more effective and somehow Turner once again denied. After Manners had blazed well over and Parker had headed an easy chance in the same area Colls looked to
raise a spirited fight back and Welfare were pleased to see Collieries Leigh slicing wide after outpacing the defence. Collieries Andy Caton was looking to pose the visitors defence some problems but on
75 minutes the game was made virtually safe when Welfare,s man of the match teenager Alex Hanson released Parker down the
left who cut in and delayed his action enough to draw Turner and slot home from a tight angle.
Collieries continued to plug away but in pushing up to salvage something
from the game were exposed at the back to leave substitute Remo Nessa the space to go on and easily beat the stranded Turner,
to take Welfare comfortably through in to the next round draw, and end a brave fight by the lower division outfit.
Team: Karl Codd, John Haigh, Alan Hanson, Paul Mattison, Justin Wilkes,
Shaun Constable
(Jason Bradley), Andy Seed, (Darren Leech), Danny King (Remo Nessa),
Lee Parker, Mark Newton, Jermaine Manners.