Hallam 3 v Swallownest 0 - NCEL Division 1

Saturday 17th February 2018

Toolstation NCEL Division 1

at Sandygate

Hallam FC (1) 3

Callum Greaves 11
Mitchell Dunne 81, 88

Swallownest FC (0) 0

Admission £5. Programme £1.50

Attendance 184

For more photos from this game, click HERE

Thanks to Mark Radford for the team line up details

Having made light work of getting through the back roads of Sheffield and the usual Saturday bumper to bumper traffic, en route from my first game of the day at Hillsborough, I entered 'the oldest football ground in the entire known universe', around ten minutes before kick off, after doubling my journey time driving around in circles looking for a place to park in one of the side streets in the vicinity.
A few minutes after I'd paid my five pounds to get in and purchased a programme, Dean Bamforth, the third in

command to Scott Bates and Stephen Whitehead in the managerial hierarchy at Sandygate dashed into the ground, with just moments to spare.
Apparently he had been delayed when his photo shoot for the new 'Man at Poundstretcher' catalogue had overrun... and he had to skedaddle across "right onto Manchester Road and left at the Crosspool Tavern" in double quick time, still wearing their new Winter/Spring range.

Swallownest got the game underway and woosh! 

The first half seemed to pass by in no time at all, as an absorbing game of football ensued, played at a breakneck pace, featuring two sides giving it their all and charging up and down the infamous Sandygate slope to their hearts content, as the lumpy and bumpy surface cut up in places and added to a certain amount of unpredictability to how the ball was going to behave.

Danny Mullooley almost gave 'Swall' the lead inside the opening three minutes, but his shot was blocked, virtually on the line.

But as the game continued at a rare old pace from end to end, Hallam took the lead on twelve minutes, when Pat Carrig combined, out on the right, with Jake Currie,who dropped a shoulder and saw off two challenges to make himself a yard of pace, before powering forward and drilling the ball across the face of James Pollard's goal, where it a nick off of Jay Atkin, the Swallownest central defender and fell kindly for Callum Greaves, who picked his spot and cracked a shot off into the back of the 'top end' goal from ten yards out.

Dave Darwent, the hosts keeper, was in a determined mood this afternoon, as per usual and having thwarted Jack Denton, when he was tested with a slightly deflected shot, he also got across his goal well to keep out Ollie Grady's effort from long range moments later.
In front of Darwent, Liam Flint was putting up a great display of battling resistance to protect his keeper.
Sam Smith unselfishly laid flicked the ball sideways to Currie, who managed to divert the ball towards the visitors goal, in spite of Atkin trying to get inside his shorts with him, but Pollard was well placed to deal with the situation.
The 'Swall' keeper was called into action again moments later, when he did well to claim a long, high ball aimed towards Smith.

Jay Short challenged for the ball as Darwent gathered it up, and as the Hallam keeper cleared his lines, they exchanged a few words.
The conversation went something along the lines of: "Steady on old chap you almost kicked my gloves there"... "Well, it was there to go for, but might I offer you my profound apologies if I alarmed you in any way". I think that is what I heard anyway.
Micah Bishop drilled a ball that Pollard could only parry but as the ball fell to Cannig, it sat up on a bobble (possibly two) and his shot fizzed wide of the right hand post.
As the first half reached it's conclusion, Lloyd Gelsthorpe, who'd been making a nuisance of himself down the right flank all afternoon, crossed towards Lill, but Flint managed to intercept the ball and deny the diminutive yet prolific striker the opportunity to level things up from close range.
HT: Countrymen 1 v Swall 0 

Many of the great and goodly characters of local football had made their way to Sandygate this afternoon... and Ryan Hindley (currently between jobs) was there too. The guy always has me in hysterics (even when he doesn't mean to be funny), and I think it is fair to say that the mutual banter score was level between us today, with no offence intended or taken either way. 

Which is how local football should be. 

But I cannot post details upon a blog that is apparently suitable for a family audience, because embarrassed parents might have to field awkward questions along the lines of: "Dad, what is an 'involuntary erection in Morrisions' when it's at home". Those who need to know, will already know, those who don't... err, stay out of supermarkets!

Swallownest will probably be disappointed that the final result, perhaps didn't entirely reflect the balance of play, but between Dave Darwent, who continued to confound the visitors in the second half and Mitch Dunne, who is ironically a former Swallownest Under 19 player, the visitors were edged out by a few moments of individual application, that gave Hallam that little bit more impetus and juice in their tank to win the day.

Looking at both subs benches, there would've been a decent five aside match to be add there, given the quality of the strength in depth both sides have been building on, as they've quietly got on with their business this season.

It was the subs who kept the tempo of the game high when they entered the fray.

Gelsthorpe played the ball forward to Mitch Ward, who knocked to Short on the edge of the area, took the return pass and tried his luck with a curving shot from eighteen yards, but Darwent moved to his right and got behind the ball with the setting sun shining straight into his goalmouth, potentially causing the Hallam keeper sighting problems.

Mitch Dunne raced forward, chasing a flick on from midfield, but his shot from the left hand side of the visitors goalmouth was blocked.

Dunne was soon back though, feigning a step over on the right flank before forcing Pollard to save down by his left hand upright.

As the game entered it's final ten minutes, it could still have gone either way, but when Smith poked the ball into the path of Dunne for him to sprint after and he beat Pollard in a race to reach it before nudging the ball beyond the advancing keeper and into the back of the net, the pitch wasn't the only hill that Swallownest now had to climb.

Jay McFadzean was introduced late in the game for the visitors and he was soon involved in some goalmouth action, but Connor Chappell blocked the 'Swall' players first shot, with his posterior and when the ball came back to McFazdean, his second attempt deflected wide off of Flint's back. Top marks for putting yourselves in the line of fire you pair.

Hallam wrapped the game up with a minute left to go, when Dunne fed Sam Fewkes' overlapping run to his left with a cheeky back heel, then ran forward to meet a low ball into the mix from Fewkes, to steer the ball home from eight yards. It was a quality move to provide a fitting finale to a very lively and competitive game.

FT: Hallam 3 v Swallownest 0