Maltby Main 3 v Staveley MW 2 - NCEL Prem

Wednesday 1st February 2017

Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
at Muglet Lane, Maltby
Maltby Main (2) 3
Ryan Carroll 17
Lewis Bemrose 22, 57
Staveley MW (1) 2
Kurtis Morley 14
Tyla Bell 60
Admission £5. Programme £1.50.
Attendance 86

When these two sides met earlier in the season at Muglet Lane, in the NCEL League Cup, the Derbyshire side left South Yorkshire a fairly comfortable 5-1 win.
Tonight however, any repeat of that kind of result was never on the cards, as Staveley found Spencer Fearn's side to be far more competitive proposition.
It was somewhat fitting that on the occasion of me watching the Miners for the first time ever as a fully fledged member of their committee, that they triumphed against a team that come from Chesterfield.
It isn't a place I hold any sort of affection for, by any stretch of the imagination... and I am very happy to report, that as regards the feelings of quite a lot of people who reside in that neck of the woods, that sentiment is mutual.
And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Ed Sheeran fan!
With matching needy roots and snorkel parka fur ensemble

Earlier in the season, I had a temporary role, acting as the matchday secretary at Maltby Main, back in October, when they took on Bottesford Town in the NCEL at Birch Park and played Staveley in the aforementioned cup game at Muglet Lane.
I won't be attending every single Maltby game as a consequence of going on board with them and I'm definitely still carrying on doing my thing with the Mansfield Town Under 18 side (who I haven't mentioned are reigning champions and current league leaders on this blog for at least the last 48 hours), for the foreseeable future... but the two roles definitely won't collide.
Time allocation (if nothing else) is my forte.
I'm really looking forward to some new and exciting challenges. I have much to offer Maltby Main... and likewise, they have plenty that appeals to me too.
One thing that I hope to be able to convince the Maltby manager, Spencer Fearn, is a good idea, will be the introduction of white numbering on the back of the home kit.
The black numbers merge with the shirt colours and become invisible to the naked eye at night games.
Just saying like!

Conner White late replacement 

for Josh Hemminway

Staveley's manager Brett Marshall had watched Maltby at AFC Mansfield on Saturday with an entourage from his club, when the Trojans game was postponed because their pitch at Inkersall Road was waterlogged again, so he will have been well aware of the danger posed by Nicky Darker's long throw ins.
Which is where the games first opening came from, but the visitors goalkeeper Lewis Naylor took a clean catch and dealt with the threat.
I was surprised that the referee and his assistants didn't spot Marshall's assistant Paul Ward blatantly stepping in front of a couple of throw ins from near the away teams dug out to thwart the potential damage that a well delivered chuck into the visitors goalmouth could cause, but he's an experienced old pro and evidently knows far more crafty tricks than the officials.
These things happen and Ward won't be the first person (or the last) to use gamesmanship to gain an advantage.

Ryan Carroll, who is in great form at the moment, tested Naylor twice with angled shots from the left hand side of the area. The visitors keeper held on to the ball well from Carroll's initial effort, but was lucky that Maltby had nobody following in when he spilled the second across the face of his goal.
But having taken the game to their visitors from the off, the Miners found themselves a goal behind after fourteen minutes, when Tyla Bell showed some neat footwork to lay Ricky Hanson's right wing ross into the path of Kurtis Morley, who drilled the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the area.
'Kurt' came through the youth ranks at Staveley when the emphasis there was still on producing home grown players, he is without a shadow of doubt a great asset to his side... but one needs to ask, why is he still plying his trade in the NCEL when he obviously has the ability to play at a higher level.

Maltby were on level terms within three minutes, when Steve Hopewell picked up the ball in his own half and released Carroll with a sublime through ball, that left Staveley's backline and midfield standing around like columns of Japanese Terracotta Warriors while the Miners front man paced forward and made light work of leaving Naylor grasping at fresh air with a quality finish, that gave the Trojans keeper, who was vaingloriously sprinting from his line no chance of saving.
Hopewell battled forward on the right hand side of the visitors area, but went to ground as Naylor dived in at his feet and the ball spun away and out of play.
From my vantage point, the referee, Paul Tomes, only had two options to choose from... and they were: was the foul committed inside the area or out?
But the official opted to award Maltby a corner instead.
Jordan Snodin delivered a well weighted flag kick into the six yard box, that Staveley just about cleared away, but the ball dropped to Lewis Bemrose, who unleashed a pile driver of a shot to put the Main ahead.

Hopewell's through ball leaves Staveley glued to the spot

Danny Patterson, who arrived at Muglet Lane from AFC Mansfield this week, slotted in seamlessly with his new team mates and looks like being a first class acquisition for the Miners.
Both sides had further chances to score before the interval, with Carroll dragging a shot narrowly past the left hand post from just inside the area, while Callum Mawbey took an eternity over preparing for a free kick, twenty yards from the Maltby goal, before slicing his shot over the bar and somewhere into the night sky in the general direction of Outgang Lane.
HT: Miners 2 v Trojans 1
That nice Mr Hawley made my missus a cracking cup of tea at half time, while she absorbed the news that had delayed telling her about me getting involved in local non league football again... and even treated her to some Pork Pie and a Custard Cream.
You don't get this kind of treatment anywhere else m'lady!
I thought she was taking things remarkably well, but soon found out I had merely given her an excuse to 'fess up to me that she had a surprise of her own to dump on me from a great height. She has purchased tickets for Ed Sheeran's upcoming tour, at £70 a throw. WTF!
I didn't have a dummy spit, or even change my facial expression, but if this person wishes to remain married to me for much longer, she will need to stop wasting copious amounts of cash, on watching such boring, mundane, wrist slittingly dull and (probably worst of all) ginger musicians.

Boring

Thankfully, our uneasy truce lasted until the teams came out for the second half and as the game got back underway, I felt confident enough to show her the new MALTBY MAIN FC 1916 tattoo that I've had done across my knuckles (I live in East Retford and as a consequence have enough fingers to accommodate such a work of art).
Ollie Lawrence, who had replaced Conner White when he took a knock halfway through the first half, who had originally replaced Josh Hemmingway when he'd pulled up injured in the pre match warm up, forced a corner straight from the restart, but Staveley cleared their lines.

Lewis Bemrose put Maltby further in front in the fifty fifth minute, with a simple tap in from six yards out, after Hopewell had pushed on into the left hand side of the visitors area, before stumbling, regaining his composure and spotting Naylor committing himself to go down at his feet, so he rolled the ball sideways to Bemrose who was well placed and added the finishing details.
It was almost game when Carroll cut inside from the right hand edge of the area and curled a shot that dropped over the left hand stanchion of Maltby's posh new goal.
I had moved from the stand behind the dug outs, where I had been watching the first half from, onto the terracing, because that was the direction that Maltby were attacking in now and on this occasion, my overview of the game was never likely to be totally impartial, even though I had enjoyed some decent banter with a few good friends who had made the journey over from Staveley.

Both teams were indulging in some man sized, firm but fair, competitive borderline tackles and when you're getting stuck in, one must accept the the opposition will respond in kind.
It all made for a very intriguing game, with neither side giving any quarter or pulling out of a few 'hospital ball' type situations.
On the hour, Tyla Bell steered the ball just inside the back stick, from a cross out on the left (apologies my view of who delivered the ball was obscured by the crowd of managers and coaches congregated in front of the visitors bench) and it was game on again.
But having got into a winning position,the Miners dug in and kept their ninth placed visitors at bay, while pinning them down into a corner of the pitch for long spells, while Lawrence did some great work, shielding the ball and running the clock down.

Carroll nearly scored again; while Danny Rusling, who has been so important to Maltby's recent upsurge in results, kept a couple of half decent chances out at the other end, behind a defence that was bolstered late on by another one of Maltby's recenyt signings, Richard Adams from Handsworth Parramore... but as the final whistle sounded to bring a pulsating game to it's conclusion, Maltby finished the night nineteen points ahead of the drop zone and heading towards mid table at an impressive rate of knots, while Staveley returned home with 'nowt for their efforts.
All told, although both teams had their moments, Maltby were worthy winners and had that little bit more in their tank than their opposition, went two big and strong, hard hitting sides went toe to toe.
Well done Maltby! :-)
FT: Maltby Main 3 v Staveley Miners Welfare 2
Athersley Recreation await Staveley on Saturday, while Maltby Main will face Clipstone at home.

Oh yeah!

While I remember, Reece Wesley didn't do anything delicate tonight; he was far too busy putting in run after run and instilling loads of hard graft to the Maltby cause, between the two goal areas, for any of that kind of stuff ;-)