Handsworth Parramore 2 v Ossett Town 3 - PSF

Monday August 1st 2016
Pre-Season Friendly
at the Windsor Foodservice Stadium
Handsworth Parramore (1) 2

Colin Marrison 15

Conor Higginson 84

Ossett Town (2) 3
Jason Yates 9, 41
Tyrone Gay 56
Admission £5. Programme £1.
Half time draw winner: Mr Rob Waite of East Retford upon Idle

The two main differences between both sides tonight, as Handsworth Parramore hosted Evo-Stik League team Ossett Town, was the quality finishing of Jason Yates, who the visitors, among others, will be hoping to secure the signature of before the season starts (it wasn't hard to see why is is in such demand)... and the agility and positional awareness of Andy 'Archie' Sneath. Parramore now have five dependable keepers signed on, so this was a timely reminder to his manager of just what he is capable of.
However it was Leigh Overton in goal for the visitors who had to be alert early on, when the Ambers right back Connor White tested him with an angled shot that flew narrowly past the right hand post.

White was linking up well down the right flank with Tom Dugdale, while Connor Smythe and Danny Buttle formed a similar strike force on the opposite flank and though the 'Ingfielders' (they have three nicknames, but I like that one the best), were obviously intent of making a proper game of it and giving their NCEL hosts a competitive and high tempo run out, but Micky Godber's side seemed to be coping well and as Jason Yates approached the right channel, he was met with two determined lines of resistance and wasn't going anywhere fast any time soon. Quick as a flash, Yates spotted a solution to his problematic demeanor and unleashed a dipping shot, that dropped just underneath the crossbar and put Town in front on 9 minutes.

Smythe tried to probe the visitors defence down the left flank, but Ossett closed ranks and conceded a throw in, level with the edge of their penalty area. The ball was flicked on in the area and Colin Marrison arrived right on cue to plant a header past Overton and levelled things up.

Both teams looked solid and well organised as the first half became a battle for the middle of the park.

Yates latched onto the ball, took a couple of touches and powered forward before hitting a shot on the run, that crashed against the crossbar.

But having found his range, Yates claimed a second goal just before the break, when the unsighted Sneath could do absolute nothing to stop a worldly of a free kick, from all of thirty five yards, fizzing into the top corner of his net.

So, Handsworth went into the break a goal behind, having been unpicked by two moments of individual brilliance.

HT: Ambers 1 v Ingfielders 2

That lovely Mrs Whitehead swapped my raffle ticket for a bottle of plonk at half time, which was nice.

Brad Riley picked out Steve Ridley with a great cross, but Sneath saved a close range header from the visitors player manager.

As Ossett upped the tempo, Yates went for his hat trick with a low shot to the Handsworth keeper's left, but he got down well to turn the ball around the post.

Sneath was in action again almost immediately, punching away a free kick from Alex Peterson and when Riley was on hand to pick up the loose ball and shoot, White was well placed by the upright to make a timely interception with his outstretched right leg.

From the resulting corner, Tyrone Gay forced the ball over the line, amid a flurry of activity inside the Handsworth six yard box, to make the score 1-3 on 56 minutes.

The Ambers went on the attack and Overton had to rush from his line to clear the danger as Jon Froggatt chased down a long ball forward... it is permissible to employ such tactics when you're two goals behind and the clock is ticking down, before any smart arse jumps to conclusions about the tactics Parramore were employing.

White rolled a pass down the right wing to Dugdale who was fouled. Froggatt got on the end of his free kick and got a downward header on target, but Overton did well to claim the ball.

It is mandatory for there to be approximately three dozen substitutes per side, around this time in pre-season fixtures, but the game soon settled down again after the disruption and the Ambers claimed another goal with 6 minutes to go, when Ryan Lee ran forward forty yards with the ball, in tandem with Connor Higginson, before slipping a sideways pass to his running partner just inside the area, that the 'Parras' recent acquisition slipped past Overton.

Kieran Wells, on as a substitute late in the game, getting some minutes in before his three game suspension kicks in at the start of the season, forced a right wing corner, but the visitors shut up shop and protected their slender lead until the final whistle, which by my reckoning sounded two minutes early, but I would imagine that all three match officials were packing more accurate timepieces than me, so hey ho!

FT: Handsworth Parramore 2 v Ossett Town 3

No doubt several Evo-Stik League managers were straight on the phone to their chairmen at full time on the strength of what they had seen tonight from Jason Yates.

Ossett Town have a run of friendly matches penciled in, including the visit of a Leeds United XI to Ingfield on Tuesday night, while Handsworth Parramore travel to Armthorpe Welfare on Saturday for an FA Cup extra preliminary round game.