Worksop Town 1 v Handsworth Parramore 2 - NCEL Prem

Wednesday 15th March 2017

at the Windsor Foodservice Sadium

Toolstation NCEL Premier Division

Worksop Town (1) 1

Jack Waddle 2

Handsworth Parramore (1) 2

Aaron Moxam 37

Stephen Warne 58

Admission £5. Programme £1. Attendance 376

I've watched some very enjoyable matches of late; that have appealed to me on a number of different levels... be it the high skill quota on display or the aesthetically pleasing entertainment I regularly encounter, as I traverse my way haphazardly around the dark corners of Planet Football: combined with the moments of high drama, the intriguing implementation of innovative tactical nous, Maltby Main's mesmerising work ethic, togetherness, teamwork, camaraderie and high tempo application, the 'craic' with the people around me... and even the breathtaking (yet amusing) incompetence of a certain match official (who shall remain nameless) at a recent game (no, not you Kenwyn).
But tonight's dour encounter had very little to offer in the way of any of the above. Not evena comedy element
In fact, it seemed to drag on for so long, that I was surprised it wasn't actually some time well after midnight when I finally got home, after leaving behind a game bereft of very much incident of any sort of note, that I could even consider attempting to write very much about at all.

Handsworth are looking to finish this season (where, if truth be told, they have underachieved) on a high. And tonight they took another step in the right direction towards that aim, when they came back from conceding a goal, early in this (s)crappy game, to chalk up their fifth win in a row.
As horses for courses go, tonight's mounts were dray horses as opposed to thoroughbreds, but three points is three points and much as some Worksop fans sat nearby grumbled that they: "Couldn't watch this route one crap every week!", I would have to say, both sides cancelled each other out and neither of them was exactly indulging in very much slick, pass and move 'total football', in a game that was bogged down (quite literally) in a best of fifteen rounds battle for the midfield.

There were a few stand out players, who provided the highlights... of sorts: such as young Harry Bamforth who thrives in battle zone. His tenacity shone through as he dug in and came up with the ball on a number of occasions, to give the Parras attackers a few options. He obviously gets his sporting prowess and intelligence from his mothers side of his gene pool. Will Eades almost put the 'away' team on level terms on ten minutes when he headed the ball across the bar from Bamforth's knock forward.
But in right back Jordan Hodder, ably reinforced by Sam Weston, Danny Buttle was involved in a proper tussle to make any kind of headway out on the flank, where he could provide the ammunition for the league's top goalscorers Aarom Moxam and Jon Froggatt.

Steve Wankiewicz, who recently (re)joined the Tigers from Shirebrook Town, had a decent game in the middle of the home side's defence too.
He was a player with Worksop Town's Under 19 team when I was their milk monitor, or whatever it was that I used to do back in the day.
I will always remember the match day announcer at Matlock Town making a monumental cock up while pronouncing Steve's name, with hilarious consequences.
If you are ever in the same boat and feeling tongue tied, it goes like this: vanker-vich.
Jack Waddle caught the eye in spells too... and when he gave the home side the lead after just two minutes, all 376 spectators present were probably expecting a far more open game, than the slug-fest that ensued.

Adam Scott tried running through the Handsworth defence several times, but as he hit them at full tilt, found Gareth Griffiths to be in an uncompromising mood and one problem that the Tigers have, is Scott is so fleet of foot, his fellow attackers are often still catching up when the need arises for him to lay the ball off, which can give the impression that he is selfish, won't pass and takes on too many opponents sometimes... please note, I am only quoting what Waldorf and Statler (two Worksop die hards who wish to remain anomynous) were saying. Scotty would be an asset to any club at this level and probably even higher up the leagues, in my opinion.

But for me, the best player on the pitch over the ninety minutes was Connor Smythe, who I also gave a glowing report to the last time I visited the Windsor Foodservice Stadium, when Parramore beat Barton Town Old Boys last week.
It was he who put the ball on a plate for Aaron Moxam to tap in the equalising goal on thirty eight minutes, after he'd swapped passes with Buttle on the overlap, out on the left and showed great close skill to take the ball along the bi-line and roll it across the face of Jon Kennedy's goal to where the 'Ambers' number ten only had to touch it over the line.

As I asked last week, what were Worksop Town thinking of when they let Smythe leave?
The Handsworth number three could've had three goals on the night, but was denied by Kennedy at full stretch with one goalbound effort and struck a twenty five yard free kick against the upright.
If I was Connor Smythe's manager, I would be tempted to convert him into an attacking outside left, he already causes enough problems in tandem with Danny Buttle, but if he was unleashed without having to hold back to cover his defensive responsibilities, the consequences could be devastating for opposition defences... but WTF do I know, eh!?
Meanwhile Kyle Jordan cut in through the right channel and drilled a shot wide of the left hand post and Moxam found himself one against one with Kennedy, but when he hooked the ball over the Tigers player manager, he also cleared the crossbar.

After the break, as the game threatened to grind to a complete halt, Scott threatened Gary Stevens goal twice, but found his route cut off by Stuart Ludlam the first time and having turned sharply on the edge of the area to make himself the time and space to shoot a few minutes later, he aimed straight at the grateful Handsworth keeper.
Worksop kept working hard in this most local of local derbies, but they were undone in the fifty eighth minute, by a goal that was virtually identical in design to the Parras first, when Buttle battled his way along the dead ball line from the left edge of the area and teed the ball up for Shane Warne to tap it in from close range.

Having taken the lead and tweaked their formation, you could see that in spite of Worksop's relentless effort, the landlords were going to take the points from their tenants now... and they almost rubbed their win in just that little bit more late in the game, when Joe Thornton, despite being forced away from Kennedy's goal still got his shot away but buried it into the side netting... with at least three Handsworth players better placed centrally.
It was dull at times, very dull in fact, but that won't trouble Handsworth too much when they check out the league table tonight.
FT: Worksop Town 1 v Handsworth Parramore 2
Elsewhere tonight, Pickering town won 2-1, with a brace of Ryan Blott goals at Albion Sports, to move within one point of league leaders Cleethorpes Town, who have three games in hand still and a massive FA Vase semi final second leg coming up at home on Saturday against Bromsgrove Sporting, who they drew the first leg with 1-1 last weekend. Up the Owls!
Honorary mention... Worksop Town's vocal support, great effort ALL night!