Central Midlands League (North)
at the Jones & Co. Stadium, Cannon Park
Retford FC (1) 1
Tom Gilmore 18
Glapwell FC (1) 3
Josh Parfitt 39, Josh Scully 55, Danny Russell 83
Admission £3 Programme £1
But after the break, the visitors showed why they are at the business end of the table as they upped the ante and took the game to their hosts.
Adam Kimberley set up the first goalscoring opportunity of the game, when he put a through ball into the path of Josh Parfitt, but the giant Glapwell number 9 slashed his shot across the face of Jamie Housley's goal and wide of the left hand upright.
Jason Swannack picked out Sam Hutchinson with a throw down the left wing and he crossed to Tom Sowden, but his header was cleared by Ross Murcott at the expense of a corner. By the way, that beard doesn't suit you Sowds!
Glapwell cleared thecorner and countered, but Swannack had got back quickly enough to block Parfitt's run on goal.
Retford attacked and forced a corner on the left wing and Sowden's kick found it's way through to Tom Gilmore who planted the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net with a great strike, to open the scoring on 18 minutes.
Once again Kimberley unlocked Retford's defence with a measured ball through to Parfitt, who smashed his shot against the right hand side poly vinyl coated upright. The resonance of that ping as the ball struck the post tells me that the frame of the goal wasn't woodwork, so there.
 |
| "Behave thi sen young Swannack!" |
In the 36th minute the visitors were on level terms when Parfitt stabbed home Scully's right wing cross (below).
Glapwell put in a strong finish to the first half, but Retford repelled them up until the break and the sides went in for some respite from the cold wind that was belting out a frantic rhythm on the corrugated sheeting that was protecting us from the elements.
HT: Retford 1 v Glapwell 1
The visitors had by far the better of the second half. Scully knocked a thirty yard wind assisted shot over the bar and Parfitt shot just wide of Housley's goal, as the Derbyshire side started to build up a head of steam.
Retford cleared a cross by Scully away for a corner and probably wish they hadn't, when the same player scored directly from an inswinging flag kick to put 'Glappy' ahead in the 55th minute.
Luke Tong was battling, as he does, against Ryan Cancellara, but Glapwell were defending well after the interval.
It was Cancellara who knocked the ball forward to Parfitt, who should have scored with a shot on the turn from the edge of the area, but the ball bounced just past the post.
Scully and Kimberley exchanged passes as Glapwell attacked again but Fenn stood up to them again and put the ball out for a corner.
Scully repeated his party piece, but Swannack cleared the ball on the line, with Glapwell claiming it had gone over, I couldn't really comment as to whether it had or not, but in the words of John McEnroe "Everyone could see that there was chalk dust!"
The third goal had knocked the stuffing out of the home side, who were just playing for pride now as Glapwell saw the game out.
FT: Retford 1 v Glapwell 1
