Worksop Town 5 v Thackley 1 - NCEL Prem

Wednesday 26th August 2015
Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Windsor Food Service Stadium, Sandy Lane
Worksop Town (4) 5
Ross Henshaw 17, Jordon Cooke 22, 34,
Kyle Jordan 27, Mitch Husbands 47
Thackley (1) 1
Tom Dugdale3 31
Admission £5. Programme £1.00.  Attendance 377

Exuberant Worksop fans anticipating another high scoring win 

Worksop Town:
Kennedy, Cottingham, Waddle, Barnett, Henshaw, Cooke, Sellars, Scott (Hobson 77) Husbands, Jordan (Higginson 61), Elliott (Woolley 65)
Unused subs - Steade, Fereday
Thackley:
Hall, Moffat, Hargreaves, Bentham, Hudson, White, Farrell (Morrall 72), Whiteley, Garrod, Beckles (Cohen 72) Dugdale.
Unused sub - Clayton

Several score years ago and a bit, I wrote the following, in one of the Worksop Town fanzines of the time (either 'The Toothless Tiger' or 'TBA'):
"Alas, even when, in the next decade or so (remember where you read this first), the Tigers beat Barcelona 5-1 in the European Cup Final, there will still be a clique of moaning so called fans, who will spit their dummies out, because Worksop didn't keep a clean sheet, or did their lap of honour in a clockwise direction around Wembley, instead of anti-clock. 
We all know who they are... and frankly they would be doing us all an immense favour if they would just shut the **** up! Or stay away altogether."
Well, sadly I have to report that those same doomsayers are still at large and, although they are far fewer of them around these days, if anything, they are even more outspoken, vociferous and bitter at present, than they ever were before, peddling their poison to anybody daft enough to listen to them.

I call it 'Pufferfish syndrome' myself, unimportant, insignificant, bottom feeders, strutting their largesse and pomp, trying to kid people on that those who make the most noise, know best. When in truth, they know very little, if anything at all.
Thankfully, the vast majority of Worksop Town fans are excellent, salt of the earth people, loyal to a fault and steeped in realism and humility.
But the gobsh*te minority don't half go on and they can proper spoil a good night out at Sandy Lane, if you have the misfortune to be stood down wind from them.
For the record (it is on the internet and therefore it must be true), Pufferfish are generally believed to be the second-most poisonous vertebrates in the world, after the golden poison frog. Don't say I don't go out of my way to educate the masses who are flocking to this blog (in their dozens) at the moment, searching for enlightenment and demystification.
THE66POW has ALL the answers if you are prepared to look closely enough.

So last night I saw Tadcaster climb to the top of the table and tonight I witnessed Worksop leap frog over them on goal difference, as the early season pace setters jostle each other for positions, in pursuit of a flying start to the campaign.
 It is worthy of a mention at this point, that although Parkgate have only played three games thus far, they and they alone haven't lost a NCEL Premier Division game yet.
I don't think even the most optimistic Thackley supporter would've expected anything other than a convincing home win tonight, as the 17th placed West Yorkshire side travelled to take on third placed Worksop Town, but not many people had given Clipstone a prayer before they grabbed a 3-2 win at Sandy Lane earlier this month.
So one must always travel in hope and I am certain that 'The Trojans' from Staveley will be in a few days time.

Although the Tigers comfortably ran out winners by five goals to one tonight, it didn't go unnoticed that Thackley breached their defence nine times over the course of the game and had it not been for Worksop's very capable goalkeeper Jon Kennedy and what I will call, for the sake of politeness, some wayward and rushed finishing from the visitors, then we could quite easily have witnessed a high scoring draw tonight, especially after the home side went off of the boil a bit after netting their fifth on 47 minutes.
In the event, it was a fairly comfortable three points for Mark Shaw's side, who were understandably keeping something in reserve towards the end of the game, because they will be crapping themselves at the prospect of having to face Staveley Miners Welfare this coming weekend.
I'm told that there is possibly a few column inches in the programme for Saturday's game, penned by my own fair hand, so make sure you get your copy.

Scissors beats paper, unlucky Kendo!

It was good to hear that Ross Henshaw had his red card against Abbey Hey chalked off after an appeal, but that won't replace the revenue stream a good cup run would provide for the Tigers (not that they had played well enough to win that particular tie on the day, with or without Henshaw). A retrospective red card for 'the Red Rebels' keeper Jon McIlwaine wouldn't help Worksop's case now anyway, so it looks as though he's gotten off with it scot-free, to coin a phrase of questionable origin that is purported to have been around since the 11th century.
Now where were we?
Oh yes, there was a game of football tonight too.
It was a bit of an edgy and frantic start from the home side, egged on by those who congregate behind whichever goal the Tigers are attacking to generate a decent atmosphere, that far outweighs the input of the moaning old farts I mentioned at the outset, who, for purposes of clarification DO NOT appear on the second photo down on this report.
It took Worksop 17 minutes to break the deadlock, when Henshaw celebrated his red card reprieve by powering home a thumping header.

Jordon Cooke was on hand to nod home a second goal when the ball came back off the crossbar five minutes later (take note Staveley, defenders up for set pieces) and shortly afterwards Kyle Jordan added a third as another rout looked likely on the back of Worksop's 7-1 thrashing of Pontefract Collieries, away from home, a few days ago.
But while Mark Shaw's team attack, attack and attack some more, at times they do leave themselves short in defence and Tom Dugdale ran straight through the middle of their disjointed rearguard and knocked home a goal for the visitors to peg the score back to 3-1.

But Cooke netted his second and Worksop's fourth when Thackley decided to join in with the Tigers defensive hide and seek game on 34 minutes, meaning the visitors revival was very short lived.

Worksop score a fifth just after half time, when Henshaw knocked the ball into the path of Mitch Husbands who couldn't miss from such a gilt edged opportunity. 4-1

Conor Sellars had a penalty appeal turned away, but when you go down in installments and 'do a Klinsmann' you aren't going to get much change out of a referee of the calibre of Ed Cook, nuff said!?

Husbands almost added a sixth goal for the Tigers, but the busiest Worksop player in the closing stages was Kennedy, who kept Dugdale out a couple of times and did enough to put Mike Garrod off just before he shot wide of the target late on. But it was a case of too little, too late and too bleedin' inaccurate for Thackley, as Worksop cantered over the finishing line at half pace, knowing the three points and a place at the top of the NCEL Premier Division pile were both safely in the bag.

Best wishes to Worksop Town for their game on Saturday, but even better wishes to their visitors, Staveley Miners Welfare. Neither side have had one yet, so I'm predicting a draw ;-)

Could somebody with opposable thumbs (that rules out a lot of people from Staveley and Worksop that I know) please text me the full time score, because I will be elsewhere on that day.

FT: Worksop Town 5 v Thackley 1

Click HERE for a report from the Worksop Guardian