Worksop Town 3 v Espial 1 - WVH NMU19L

Thursday 16th November 2017
Worksop Van Hire North Midland U19 League (North)
at Sandy Lane
Worksop Town (1) 3
Harry Dunbar 16 pen, Luke Smith 58, Will Sutton 82 ‬
Espial FC (1) 1
Sam Bayne 12
‪Admission £2. Programme 20p. Attendance: 69‬

Just 24 hours after my previous visit to Sandy Lane, to watch Worksop Town's first team draw 1-1 against AFC Mansfield, in an enthralling Toolstation NCEL Premier Division game, I was back again, for this Worksop Van Hire North Midland Development League fixture, between the Tigers U19 side and their Chesterfield based opposition Espial FC.
The league table is seemingly in a constant state of flux, and after tonight's results; Worksop are only in second place by virtue of Sheffield United having a greater goal difference, as Jonno Bownes and Lee Carlin's side are now level on points at the top with a game in hand over the young Blades.
From the outset, it was apparent that both sides favoured keeping the ball on the deck and passing their way into opposition territory, as opposed to opting for a direct approach.
However, it was a long ball that undid the home side as Espial took the lead on twelve minutes, when Dan Richmond drilled a precision pass from almost on the halfway line, right into the heart of the Tigers defence to meet the well timed run of Sam Bayne, who planted it past one of Tigers heroes from their hard fought draw last night: Callum  Fielding from ten yards.

Worksop were almost on level terms straight away, when Alex Boyd got on the end of Nial Blakemore's free kick, but to all intents and purpose he missed an absolute sitter.
However, the Espial lead didn't last much longer and when Mason Gee broke into the visitors area and had his run was arrested by clumsy challenge by Matt Constable, the 'Purples' goalkeeper; Harry Dunbar stepped up and executed what I'd describe as a 'perfect' penalty kick, i.e. he hit on target and smashed the bloody thing. One apiece after sixteen minutes and everything to play for.
Kieran Larder almost had the misfortune of gifting Espial the lead again, when he misdirected a back pass past his own keeper, but Fielding managed to reach the ball in the nick of time and hooked it away.
Ryan Morris attempted to catch Fielding off guard with a speculative long range attempt, but the Tigers keeper had the situation covered and watched on as the ball sailed safely over the bar.
With both defences looking well organised and thwarting any kind of flow of goal-scoring opportunities, Mason Gee opted to let fly on the half volley from thirty yards out, but the ball fizzed past the right hand upright.
Right at the end of the first half Constable denied Dunbar, twice, and the two sides went in level at the break.
HT: 1-1

During the break, a rare occurrence took place... Birmingham City won!
Kerching!
On the way in, there was a football card by way of a means of raising funds for running costs, printing programmes and paying match officials and such like. I parted with my 100 new pence and scrawled my name in the Birmingham City box and them Blues did good.
Half the takings to Worksop Town U19's and the rest to me.
And doesn't it make a nice change that some teams actually award prizes and go to the trouble of announcing who's won? Unlike certain others who I won't mention (yet).
Mason Gee ran at the Espial defence, but that Richmond lad who'd set up the opening goal, is a big solid unit and he got a blocking tackle in.
Both teams were passing well and retaining the ball for long periods, but the defences were having the better of things as the second half unfolded, but almost on the hour mark a half chance opened up for Luke Smith and he drilled an angled shot past Constable to give the home side the lead.
The second Worksop goal opened the game up, Espial had to commit to chasing the game and regroup the defensive strategy that had been working effectively hitherto.

The ever busy Gee was enjoying the space he was being afforded to get forward into and he carried the ball thirty yards, deep into Espial territory before laying it out sideways to Josh Carpenter on the right hand side of the area, who drilled it across the face of goal, looking for Gee who had continued his run to the back post, but somehow Constable and Joe Kirk managed to scramble it out at the expense of a corner; from which Gee found Blake Blythe, but he couldn't keep his shot down.
Worksop were in the ascendancy, but they were going to have to stay focused and keep their Derbyshire opponents in check, as Morris demonstrated when he shot just wide from outside the Tigers area.
Espial won a free kick twenty five yards out, but as Morris' delivery was cleared the home side broke quickly from end to end, with Igor Mylnarski sprinting down the right flank before whipping a dipping cross into the visitors goalmouth; Dan Riley got to the ball first but directed his attempted headed clearance straight at Will Sutton, who was probably just as surprised as everyone else in the ground when the ball ricocheted off of him and into the back of the net.
Hey! They all count!

The visitors were beaten now and in the closing stages the Tigers went close again, through Gee, who put his effort narrowly wide and Mylnarski, who thumped an angled shot into the side netting.
FT: Worksop Town 3 v Espial 1
Though there was certainly an element of good fortune in the third goal that finished Espial off, there is a school of thought that says 'you make your own luck', and the young Tigers had worked hard to overcome a stubborn opposition side tonight and probably deserved a break along the way.