at the Recreation Ground, Scrooby Road, Bircotes, DN11 8JT
CMFL North
Harworth Colliery (1) 2
Ryan Paczkowski 41
James Woodward 88
Thorne Colliery (0) 1
Ross Ebbage 90+
Admission £3, Programme £1
Harworth Colliery:
Mark Latham, Jordan Hardman, Simon Brewster, James Woodward (C), Jonny Bownes, Lee Edmondson (Gaz Sides 79), Ryan Paczkowski, Gregg Archer, Tom Walker (Makenzie Tomlinson 86), Matt Smith (Gary Page), Tom Pick
Unused Subs - Ross Taylor, Steve Wibberley (GK)
Thorne Colliery:
Rob Chester, Glen Rafferty, Mark Sneap, Tom Dorgan, Stuart Rodgers, Trevor Hindson, Jonny Lugton, Neil Sheppard, Darren Fell (C), Scott Rhodes, Adam Atkinson.
Subs - Brett Thomas, Greg Houseman, Glen Hookway, Elliott Redmine, Ross Ebbage
A very entertaining game, with no quarter given, between two sides who were both 100% committed to the cause.
Harworth had the best of the first 45 minutes, but as the second half passed by, Thorne started to look more and more threatening, but the home side dug in deep and preserved their lead to claim three hard won points.
Inside the first five minutes, Si Brewster, who'd pushed forward to add some bite to the attack, almost opened the scoring.
Alas, his close range effort, had all the hallmarks of a defenders finish.
Gregg Archer, showing some promising touches on his debut, put the ball just wide of the upright after being played in by Lee Edmondson.
Archer is a quality signing and will give an extra dimension to the Harworth midfield, as well as more competition for places and squad selection headaches for the Colliery management team.
Thorne had arrived at the Rec with a five wins out five games, 100% winning start to the season intact and Harworth knew they would have to stayed focussed and keep the ball as much as possible.
Lee Edmondson's shot went behind for a corner off a Thorne defenders hand. But the referee, Gareth Carlile, ruled that it had been ball to hand, rather than a deliberate handball.
Tom Walker, bustling and busy and relishing in the kind of no holds barred encounter that was unfolding, put in a telling cross to Si Brewster, who'd shot was charged down and half cleared as far as Tom Pick, who's first time effort was deflected wide for a corner.
Brew, up in the Thorne area twice inside the space of ten minutes and registering two shots on goal, was treated for dizzy spells and vertigo and packed off back to his left back berth with a compass, where he spent the remainder of the game carrying out his more accustomed role, with his usual unsung level of aplomb and efficiency.
Tom Pick and Matt Smith combined well inside the box, but Thorne cleared their lines again.
With half time rapidly approaching, it looked as if all Harworth's pressure would count for nothing going in at the break, but Ryan Paczkowki stooped to conquer in the 41st minute and got the faintest of touches to Lee Edmondson's corner to head, or possibly even fringe, the home side ahead.
There are those who will swear blind that Eddy scored directly from the corner. On the other hand, a certain match reporter is really looking forward to a free pint Mr Paczkowski ;-)
HT - Harworth 1 v Thorne 0
Mark Latham pulled off a great save from an Adam Atkinson free kick as the in form visitors chucked everything at the Harworth backline.
Darren Fell got up well in the box and Harworth had Mark Latham to be grateful to again as he held onto the Thorne captains firm header.
Harworth attacked again and Tom Pick sprinted towards the visitors area as Rob Chester, the Thorne keeper, charged out his area to close him off.
20 yards out from goal, Pick knocked the ball past Chester and kept his momentum going, but in a last ditch attempt to prevent a certain goal the keeper made a grab for Pick. The Harworth striker tried to stay upright because he was odds on to score, but after struggling to stay on his feet for a couple of strides to finish the job off, he tumbled to the ground. It only takes the slightest of pulls or nudges to knock any player off his feet when he's moving at pace ... and Tom Pick was motoring.
It was Rob Chester's first offence, but it had prevented a clear goal scoring opportunity, so Mr Carlile had to apply the letter of the law and Chester was shown a red card. You've got to feel a bit sorry for the Thorne stopper, who had no option but to commit himself to stopping Tom Pick after he'd been left stranded, but rules are rules.
Tom Walker fire the resultant free kick wide, after Thorne had taken off their left back and sent on their substitute keeper.
Walker was thwarted again, when the substitute keeper smothered his shot, after Pick had made a decoy run to pull the Thorne defence apart.
With just two minutes of the ninety remaining, James Woodward was on hand to head home Harworth's second goal, from Tom Pick's knock back across the face of the visitors goal.
Game over?
Err ... not quite.
As you'd expect after their efforts in the second half, Thorne still weren't about to lay down and accept defeat.
And on 90 minutes, Ross Ebbage crashed home an unstoppable free kick to make it 2-1.
With Rob Chester's red card and several stoppages accounting for quite a few extra minutes being played, the game became frantic, as the visitors went for an equaliser and Harworth put up a determined rearguard action.
Deep into added time, all hell broke loose and several players from each side rushed to get involved in an unsightly melee.
Taking into account the fact that this report will appear on the official club website, I'll have to be careful what I say at this juncture (there are guidelines about these things that *must* be adhered to), but there are one or two players on both sides, who will know that they were lucky to have got away with their actions during this unfriendly exchange.
And, it needs to be said, that several visiting supporters should not have entered the field of play at any time during tonight's game either.
Prior to the messy end to the game, it had been a great advert for the CMFL North, between two teams who had both gone all out to win the game.
Harworth just about shaded it possession and chances wide on the night and deserved their win, but Thorne sure as hell ran them close, particularly in the second half.
FT - Harworth Colliery 2 v Thorne Colliery 1
