Wednesday 26th September 2012, at Inkersall Road
Baris Northern Counties East League, Premier Division
Staveley Miners Welfare (0) 1
Gavin Allott 87 minutes
Scarborough Athletic (2) 2
Patrick Miller 38 seconds, James Bennett 45+2 minutes
Ta very much to Ele Reaney for the team details and Barry R Dyke for the photographs, greatly appreciated :-)
Admission £5, Programme £1, Attendance 140,
Weather bloody horrible.
Left click on any of the images used in this post for larger versions.
A decent sized visiting support had travelled down to support Scarborough, though there would probably have been even more Boro fans present if the road and weather conditions weren't so treacherous in North Yorkshire at the moment.
Those who did make the trip were rewarded by a great performance from Rudy Funk's team, who were excellent tonight and made a very good Staveley side look very ordinary at times.
Staveley will no doubt pick up and start to climb the table once the new signings have all gelled together in the team, because they're punching a bit beneath their fighting weight at present.
But that's not meant to take anything away from Scarborough's performance.
They were well on top for most of the game and deservedly took all three points home with them.
The home side went looking for an immediate response, but Darryl Winter bravely put himself in the way of a twenty yard strike from Andrew Fox and blocked the ball.
Ouch! He would've felt that one.
However Boro, playing with a back three and a fluid overlapping midfield/attack formation, had other ideas ... and after their flying start, they were in no mood to let the tempo drop, despite getting their noses in front early on.
The game was fast paced throughout, from start to finish, in what must've strength sapping conditions, as the rain barely let up for a few minutes, every now and then, all night.
Ryan Blott saw that Richard Ayres was off his line a tried to catch him out with a long distance lob, but Ayres managed to get back and tip the ball over at the expense of a corner.
Blott was foiled by Ayres again, when the visitors centre forward tried to steer the ball over the Staveley keeper from ten yards out, but the 'new goalie' plucked the ball out of the air comfortably.
A Staveley attack was thwarted when Andrew Fox was fouled out on the right flank. Joe Thornton swung a dangerous ball into the area from the free kick, which found the 'new striker' Gavin Allott at the back stick, who thumped a header against the upright.
With his tireless hard work and tendency to pop up anywhere across the midfield, while making himself available at all times, he's the vital cog in Scarborough's engine room. Stop Hackworth getting the ball and you're halfway towards bringing his team to a halt too.
Richard Patterson made a saving tackle when Peter Davidson threatened to put the visitors two ahead. It was reminiscent of that one Bobby Moore made against Pele in Mexico during the 1970 World Cup.
Well, from where I was sat it looked a bit like that one anyway.
Ryan Blott, once more, tried his luck from the edge of the box, but the ball flew narrowly wide of the post.
Gavin Allott rounded Stephen Wilson in the visitors goal, but he was adjudged to have strayed offside.
As Staveley looked to get back on level terms before the break, Andrew Fox cut in from the left flank and drilled a low shot towards the visitors net, but Wilson was alert to it and Boro's slender lead remained intact.
In fact, two minutes into first half stoppage time, Rudy Funk's side increased that lead, through James Bennett (see below).
HT - 0-2
A neatly improvised free kick saw Ryan Damms homing in on goal right at the outset of the second half, but the visitors defence recovered and got the ball clear at the last moment.
Paddy Miller, fancying his chances after his early strike, tried his luck again from twenty yards, but Richard Ayres saved the full back's effort this time.
Staveley badly needed a goal to get back into this game, but by committing men forward, they left themselves vulnerable to a Boro counter attack, which was clearly demonstrated when Andrew Fox's free kick to Kyle Hawthorne was cleared up the park and Dave Kemp, one of the visitors subs, hit a forceful shot, which Ayre took the sting out of ... but it still needed his defences intervention to scramble the ball away and prevent it from crossing from the goal line.
Ryan Blott beat off the challenge of Tom Copping and Richard Ayre made a double save before the threat was cleared.
Gavin Allott got free at the other end, but he headed narrowly wide of the Boro goal.
It just wasn't going to be Staveley's night.
Scarborough Athletic had bossed the game for long spells, but if the Blues could've taken the chances that had come their way, they would've been on level terms.
On the balance of play, the visitors certainly deserved to win this game, but sometimes, on grim nights like this, points are won by battling on until the final whistle and fashioning a win out of graft rather than guile.
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| Gavin Allott's debut goal |
Ryan Blott tried to put the game out of Staveley's reach, but when he broke into the box from the left flank, Staveley's mustered a clearance and put the ball out for a corner.
With three minutes of normal time remaining, Stephen Wilson parried a cross and Gavin Allott pounced to smash home the goal that gave Staveley a glimmer of hope.
Right at the death, Chris Bettney played Richard Patterson in on goal, but the Blues number six couldn't quite get enough on the ball to steer home a late equaliser.
In truth, justice was done, because a draw would've been unkind on Scarborough, who had thoroughly deserved their win tonight, putting on a great performance, in spite of Staveley's dogged determination not to give up on the game right until the final whistle.
Full time: Staveley Miners Welfare 1 v Scarborough Athletic 2
Next up: No football for the next few few days.
Normal service will be resumed after the weekend.
Missing you already! XXX
