Maltby Main 2 v Frickley Athletic 3 - PSF

Saturday 23rd July 2016
Pre-Season Friendly
at Muglet Lane, Maltby
Maltby Main (2) 2
Jack Binney 38, Jordan Poole 40
Frickley Ahletic (0) 3
Luke Hinsley 57, Nathan Curtis 67, Tom Guest 90
Admission £5
For Flickr photo group from this game click HERE

Our John

Maltby and South Elmsall (Frickley) are two of my favourite places in the whole universe.
In fact, if I ever win the lottery, I'm going to buy a luxurious retirement home in Maltby, but if I get four numbers up, I'll buy two in South Elmsall instead.
There are those who say that both these clubs were punching well above their weight to finish in the higher echelons of their respective leagues last season, but their detractors would do well to keep their guard up this time around too.

Wilf Race - Maltby chairman and ex manager

The host side originally formed as Maltby Main as long ago as 1916, but sadly the club folded for a short while during the 1950's, but reformed as Maltby Miners Welfare and played under that moniker until they reverted to the Maltby Main name again in 1996.
Current club chairman Wilf Race, has had two spells managing the team in: 2001-02 and again in 2005-06.
I'll spare you the complete league history of 'the Miners', but they having been promoted back into the NCEL Premier Division in 2004, they have maintained their status at that level ever since.

Signing on the dotted line and the
 boundary for Frickley Athletic

Frickley were officially founded in 1910, though there is evidence of a club called Frickley Colliery Athletic being in existenceas long ago as 1908. Formerly known as Frickley Colliery, before settling on Frickley Athletic in 1974.
The club finished as runners up in the Alliance Premier League in 1985-86, later to be known as the Football Conference and currently called the National League. In those heady days of 1985-86 'the Blues' also reached the third round of the FA Cup, before going out of the competition against Rotherham United at Westfield Lane, who they also lost against in a replayed first round game back in the 1971-72 season.

I possibly (though not probably) shed several pounds today (not that you'd have noticed, before somebody else says it), just watching this game, on such a stifling and warm afternoon in the people's republic of south Yorkshire; so it must have been very trying and tiring for the players, even though they were afforded the luxury of water breaks midway through both halves.

The two managers very kindly took the time out prior to the game to write down their respective team line ups for me, which was greatly appreciated. Ta very much Spencer and Karl.

Chatting to Spencer Fearn before the game, he assured me that today's run out was all about preparation and building up match fitness for the season ahead and that the result was immaterial.

Phwoar! A mystery blonde Yorkshire strumpet
modelling the line ups for this afternoon's game

The heat must have been getting to the Maltby fans today, because they were so subdued that the game was nearly two minutes old,  before the assistant referee in front of them started copping for some creative usage of the post watershed end of the English language.

"It's f***ing character building liner, get used to it!"

He hadn't actually got anything wrong, it was merely a friendly warning shot across the bows, just in case!

Steve Hopewell and Ryan Carroll both tried to force a couple of  early openings for the home side, but Frickley's Under 19 keeper Josh Diggles was out quickly to clear the danger both times.
The visitors left back Josh Grant and Maltby's Jordan Poole seemed to be relishing getting stuck into each other out on the touchline, in one of the more competitive sub plots that was unfolding around the main event.
John Lufudu almost opened the scoring for 'the Blues' (well, the Yellows, if you must) with a low, stinging shot from around twenty yards out, but Danny Rusling got down to his left and got his body behind the ball and held onto it at the second, or possibly even third attempt.

Royale Johnson exchanged passes with Lufudu before delivering a cross towards Tyler Williams, but Reece Wesley was well placed to clear things up for Maltby with a towering header.
Sam Akeroyd took responsibility for taking a free kick from just outside the Miners goal area, but must've wished he hadn't when he scuffed his shot and Rusling gathered the ball with ease down by his left stick.
During a lively spell of pressure from the visitors, the workaholic Lufudu threaded a pass into the path of Williams, who ought to have done better as he nudged the ball wide of the target from close range.

Dan Reilly was a tower of strength for Maltby today, combining his defensive duties with a box to box eagerness to get involved in the home side's forward play too... and it was he who almost broke the deadlock when his knock down fell awkwardly for Diggles and Rhys Meynell had to clear the ball off the goal-line.
The Miners advanced into Frickley territory again with Jack Binney motoring forward before linking up with Eagle who slipped the ball forward to Hopewell, but Bailey Gooda denied the Maltby frontman with a last ditch interception.
Spencer Fearn's side were enjoying a spell of pressure against their Evo-Stik Leagur opponents and Carroll saw his shot on the run turned behind for a corner by Meynell as the visitors closed ranks.

At the other end, Nathan Curtis failed to connect properly with Johnson's right wing cross and nodded the ball harmlessly wide.
Reilly, renowned for his prowess in the air, had a crack at goal from twelve yards, but the destination of the ball proved to be more problem-some for the linesman than the visitors goalkeeper, but the big number 5 atoned for his error a few minutes later, when Corey Eagle floated a free kick into the Frickley goalmouth from the halfway line and Reilly picked out Binney with a downward header and he gratefully thumped it past Diggles from close range on 38 minutes.
Almost from the restart Maltby scored again, when Eagle played a sideways pass to his right to Poole, who nicked the ball past Grant's attempted challenge and sprinted forward for forty yards,before planting the ball past Diggles. There was very little that the young keeper could've done to stop that one.

Williams worked himself a yard of space on the edge of Maltby's area, but when he got his shot away, he was narrowly off target and the visitors were lucky not to concede a third goal just before the break, when Reilly knocked down Eagle's right wing corner to Ryan Poole whose first shot was charged down and second attempt from the rebound ended up somewhere near the allotments on Outgang Lane.
HT: Maltby 2 v Frickley 0
Although this was only a friendly, Karl Rose's side had obviously had their pride dented towards the end of the first half and they came out after the interval, looking determined to impose themselves on the game more than they had done thus far.

Grant hit a shot from outside the area that deflected over the bar... and he took the resulting corner himself, picking out Meynell who headed the ball also cleared the crossbar.
Frickley were pushing forward with predatory intentions and a goal looked inevitable as Maltby were forced to implement an all hands to the pumps rearguard action.
Lufudu found the Miners defence to be in a determined mood as he looked to work a way through their crowded ranks and Gary Hibbert blocked his path and knocked the ball away, but unfortunately for the robust defender, his clearance fell to Luke Hinsley 25 yards from goal, who, without hesitation, shot first time and halved the deficit with a quality strike.

Hopewell was close to regaining a two goal cushion for the home side, but saw his shot turned away round the right hand post.
From their next attack, Frickley were on level terms, with the simplest of goals as Curtis arrived unnoticed on the edge of Maltby's penalty area to head home Williams' free kick.
John Ballington came to Maltby's rescue, hoofing the ball away to safety after Hartshorn had nodded a looping header over Rusling.
Hinsley charged down an attempted clearance from Hibbert but couldn't keep his shot down.

Hibbert was in action again soon afterwards, intercepting Sigworth's break down the right flank. The Frickley substitute has a more famous sister, Jess,who plays for Doncaster Belles.
Reilly does what he does best, clearing Williams' cross deep into the Maltby box.
Tom Guest delivered a pinpoint corner kick to the back post, where the unlikely figure of his manager popped up to head the ball wide.
Having had the better of the first half, Maltby were now coming under the cosh a bit and Ballington was forced into whacking the ball away to safety, when Jake Ellam carved out an opening with a measured through ball towards Sigworth from out on the right flank.

Frickley manger Karl Rose in action

Ellam was soon up in support of his attack again, but his route to goal was blocked by Jordan Poole, who along with Eagle had a great game for the Miners day, in my humble estimation.
Williams was flattened by Reilly as he tried to break into the Maltby area from the left flank and after dusting himself down and having a quick count to see if all of his limbs were still intact, he took the resulting free kick himself, but Rusling rose to collect the ball unchallenged and the danger was gone.
But in stoppage time, Williams was back and showed some neat touches, dancing through the Maltby defence on the byline, before rolling a precision pass across the face of the goal that only needed a touch and Guest provided it and snatched a late, late win for Frickley in the 90 somethingth minute.

It was too late for Maltby to go looking for a draw now, but as their manager had said, results at this time of the year aren't important.
It was a tough workout for both teams and an enjoyable spectacle for the spectators who'd turned out to bask in the un-British climate.
Neither Maltby nor Frickley ever tackle as if football is a non contact sport, even in these sort of games, so there will be a few sore legs about in the morning no doubt.
FT: Maltby Main 2 v Frickley Athletic 3

Steady girls!
Maltby club secretary John Mills in action