Armthorpe Welfare 2 v Bridlington Town 4 - Baris NCEL Premier Division

Leo Fortune West oversees Armthorpe's pre match warm up

Tuesday 17th April 2012, at Church Street
Baris, Northern Counties East League, Premier Division
Armthorpe Welfare (2) 2
Stuart Preston 11, Paul Ashton 27
Bridlington Town (0) 4
Ashley Allanson 52, Craig Hogg 56, 68, Nathan Cook 64
Admission £5, Programme £1, Attendance 80
Inside the first minute, Armthorpe nearly caught Bridlington off guard, when Henry Sibenge fizzed a shot over the visitors crossbar from just inside the box.
Play switched to the other end and Craig Hogg shot wide, when he had the time and space to have done much better, it was a real let off for the home side.
Mark Wilberforce saved well from Henry Sibenge on 12 minutes, palming the ball away for his defence to clear upfield, but Armthorpe regained possession and pushed forward again.
The ball found its way through to Stuart Preston just inside the Bridlington area. If he'd hit his shot properly, Mark Wilberforce and a cluster of defenders were poised to block the effort, but he scuffed it and the ball apologetically bobbled along the ground and somehow found it's way into the net, to give 'Wellie' the lead.
If that ball ever joins the Boy Scouts, it will get it's orienteering badge at the first time of asking, with distinction, no problem.
The visitors were stung into action but when Ash Allanson set Craig Hogg up six yards out, his first effort was cleared off the line and his second, on the rebound, was well saved by Jamie Green.
On 27 minutes, Paul Ashton ran a full 40 yards, evading two Bridlington challenges and thumped the ball home from 25 yards out, to put the home side two goals ahead.
As the first half came to an end, Bridlington came close, thrice: Firstly through Tom Fleming, who's lob from the edge of the box dropped just over the crossbar, then Josh Greening tried walking the ball home when he should've just had a shot and Frank Belt, who err ... belted the ball over the crossbar from 25 yards out, moments before the break.
Half time came and Armthorpe still had their 2-0 advantage intact.The second half was one sided. VERY, very, one sided
And the side in the ascendancy was Bridlington Town.
To be frank, if I was to detail all the chances they created from here on in, I wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.
Jamie Green's string of saves throughout the game, especially during the second half, were one of the highlights of the night.
His technique wasn't always what you'd call orthodox, but the Armthorpe captain was effective. And regardless of the final score, he gave the margin of defeat a respectable look, that doesn't tell half the story of how dominant the visitors were after the break.
Ashley Allanson pulled the first goal back for the visitors on 51 minutes, when he drilled the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net from 20 yards out.
Allanson then swung a free kick from the right wing over to the far side of the penalty area, which was quickly returned across the face of goal for Craig Hogg to net the equaliser.
Shortly afterwards, Hogg drew Jamie Green and a brace of defenders towards him on the edge of the box, waited until all three were committed and flicked the ball past them all, it rolled agonisingly wide.
A left wing cross from Josh Greening found Nathan Cook unmarked in the area, he couldn't miss from there.
And from being two goals in front, Armthorpe had now caved in ... spectacularly.
Josh Greening attacked at speed and broke free into the box, with Craig Hogg racing forward to join him.
It left Green stranded, in a two onto one shoot out, the moment he opted to try cutting Greening's route off, the 'Brid' number 11 rolled the ball sideways for Hogg to claim the goal.
Minutes later, Craig Fletcher did well to block Nathan Cook's firmly struck shot from 20 yards out on the line.
And 'match report' wise, that's all you are getting ;-)
Suffice to say; it was all Bridlington from now on in.
Beside's Jamie Green's heroics, Bridlington saw chance after chance fly narrowly wide of the target for the duration of the second half, you'll just have to take my word for it.
Because I don't do 10,000 match reports!
Brett Marshall and a good few of his Retford United team (along with that nice Mr Knight and MUCH, much nicer, Mrs Knight) were in attendance tonight, they play their last game of the season away to Bridlington Town on 28th April, this performance will have given them plenty of food for thought as they prepare for that top of the table head to head.
'Brid' now lead the NCEL Premier Division table and are 2 points ahead of the Badgers, but Retford have an all important game in hand.
I felt sorry for Armthorpe's Henry Sibenge tonight.
All through the second half, he cut a lonely and isolated figure out on the wide, all on his own.
A Frickley fan who couldn't get to his team's all important away game at Rushall, couldn't understand why their main striker Peter Knox was playing up front for Armthorpe tonight instead, when Frickley were desperate for goals and a result.
Following 90 minutes at Church Street, a lot of other people were confused as to what Peter Knox was doing here too.
Not to put too fine a point on it, he was mostly anonymous, but far be it from me to single anybody out for having an off day.
For the record, Frickley drew the game at Rushall 2-2, as a consequence their Evo-Stik Northern Premier League destiny is now out of their own hands and reliant on results elsewhere going their way.
GOOD LUCK PETER RINKCAVAGE, JASON MAYBURY & CO!!!