N C East Prem Div
Sat. 12 Feb. 2005
GLASSHOUGHTON WELFARE
3 MALTBY MAIN
2
IN A GAME VERY MUCH AFFECTED BY THE STRONG GALE BLOWING DOWN THE PITCH TOWARD THE LEEDS END ROAD OF
THE GROUND, WELFARE WITH FIRST USE OF THE WIND AT THEIR BACKS APPEARED HIGH AND DRY WITH AN INTERVAL LEAD OF THREE WITHOUT
REPLY, BUT AS FEARED WHEN THE VISITORS HAD THE WIND ADVANTAGE THEY ALMOST PULLED THE GAME ROUND, GLASSHOUGHTON HANGING ON
DEARLY AT TIMES TO TAKE FULL PONTS.
Although being without Paul Mattison (suspended), Richard Dobson (neck injury) and Gareth Liversedge
(thigh injury) and consequently fielding a patched up defence, Welfare went in to the earliest of leads, Mark Newton putting
in a perfect cross for Remo Nesa to control and drive across visiting keeper Scott Hartley within the first minute of play. Making every use of the strong wind at their back Welfare could have increased their
lead, Martin Woolford evading tight marking to force in from the angle only to be denied by a tremendous block by Hartley,
but as Welfare kept the pressure on the second goal was not long in arriving, on this occasion Woolford supplying the cross
and Main’s Sean O’Conner, with home men breathing down his neck, put in to his own goal. Despite playing some good football Maltby were struggling to get in to the home half of the field, and
were fortunate not to go further behind when a defensive error let in Lee Parker clear on goal, but struggling to gain control
on the uneven surface the striker blasted well wide. Parker then headed wide
from a Nesa cross but eventual the striker did get reward, slipping away from his marker to dart in and side foot a Newton
cross in to the bottom corner. Maltby eventually built up a spell of pressure
to win their first corner kick after 35 minutes of play during which home keeper Carl Codd brought off a fine reflex save
and although Welfare went in at the interval with a clean sheet their was concern whether the three goal cushion would be
enough.
The expected onslaught from the visitors began almost from the restart but the home cause was hardly
helped when Welfare’s Mark Newton tangled with the visitors Darren Green and was dismissed for alleged stamping and
from the resultant 53rd minute penalty Guy Sandland reduced the arrears.
The score gave them fillip they had sought and they came at the Welfare ten men with renewed vigour, and after Sean
Constable had cleared off the home goal line, a home defensive error let in Lee Drews to drive past Codd and put the game
really in to the melting pot. Lee Parker then had the opportunity to relieve
the pressure on Glasshoughton but although appearing to be clear on goal was eventually overhauled by Nathan McHale. When the game went in to five minutes of time added on Welfare were fearing a repeat
of a recent occasion when a slender lead had been conceded, but on this occasion with some good handling by Codd the ten men
hung to take what were probably deserved points.
Team: Karl
Codd, Andy Seed, Mark Newton, Shaun Constable, Darren Leech, Jamie Thomson (Matthew Muscroft), Remo Nesa (Paul Arkle), James
Russell (Jason Bradley), Lee Parker, Carl Fox, Martin Woolford.
