Tuesday 11th July 2017
Pre season friendly
at Cannon Park
Retford United (2) 3
Tom Brand 9
Ryan Barker 20
Gracyn Kimczack 50
Tom Brand 9
Ryan Barker 20
Gracyn Kimczack 50
Ossett Albion (3) 7
Callum Charlton 35
James Eyles 38, 40, 56, 87
Maciej Szymanski 65 OG & 75 OG
Callum Charlton 35
James Eyles 38, 40, 56, 87
Maciej Szymanski 65 OG & 75 OG
Admission £5. Attendance 88
So, Mark Wilson's Badgers cruise into a two goal lead inside twenty minutes, when Tom Brand helps himself to an opening as a loose ball falls to his feet from a scramble for possession in front the Ossett goal and then provides the right wing cross from which Ryan Barker headed the home side's second goal.
Brad Hennessy rattled a stinging shot against the left hand upright as the Unicorns, who I can confirm never arrived in pairs nor by means of an Ark, pushed forward to try getting a foothold in the game.
Meanwhile Maciej Szymanski, denied James Eyles (who had turned out for United last season) twice, with a brace of decent saves.
Optimism abounded amongst the Badgers die hard faithful sat in 'Compost Corner' of the stand as the game past the half hour mark with their side's two goal lead still intact.
But in the space of five minutes, all of Retford's hard work thus far was undone, as Albion floored them with a triple whammy, to floor their hosts and steal the lead before half time with three goals in quick succession.
In the thirty fifth minute, Callum Charlton was afforded far too much time and space and bagged the visitors first goal and then, as pretty damn near always happens, Eyres, a striker returning to one of his old stomping grounds, netted twice, with a deflected effort in the first instance, but from a well taken strike for his second, as the Badgers defence were undone with a through ball right through the middle of their ranks that left Szymanski stranded in no man's land and unable to do anything to stop Eyres claiming Ossett's third goal.
HT: Badgers 2 v Unicorns 3
Cameron Rigby, playing wide on the left for Albion was involved in a battle royal against Sam Kaye, but started to make more ground forward after the interval.
But it was the home side who had started the second half the better, with Jake Outram causing Ossett a few problems on the right flank and five minutes after the restart, they were back on level terms, when Gracyn Kimczack advanced towards the visitors goal from out on the left flank and buried an absolute peach of a shot past Jak Murphy, who was left grasping fresh air.
Game on again!?
Well, it was,but very briefly.
As Eyles registered his hat trick with a simple tap in from ten yards, the cry of: "Where are we? It's too easy!" from the home dug out, summed up the moment precisely.
I believe what I have experienced tonight is a ground-hopping phenomena called 'goal whoring', whereby thrill seeking football travellers pick out games to attend where they think that lots of goals will be scored.
My original destination was Gainsborough, for the Trinity v Halifax game, but heavy rain had left the Northolme pitch waterlogged, so I will be heading across there on Thursday, which is when the postponed fixture is rescheduled for... and tonight, I took advantage of the fact that I only live a few hundred yards from Cannon Park, to check out Ossett Albion, on the occasion of their visit to Retford United... and ended up with writers cramp as a consequence of opting to take the path of least resistance, which entailed just doing a short blog entry, which merely concentrates on the circumstances surrounding any goals that might happen to occur over the course of the game.
My original destination was Gainsborough, for the Trinity v Halifax game, but heavy rain had left the Northolme pitch waterlogged, so I will be heading across there on Thursday, which is when the postponed fixture is rescheduled for... and tonight, I took advantage of the fact that I only live a few hundred yards from Cannon Park, to check out Ossett Albion, on the occasion of their visit to Retford United... and ended up with writers cramp as a consequence of opting to take the path of least resistance, which entailed just doing a short blog entry, which merely concentrates on the circumstances surrounding any goals that might happen to occur over the course of the game.
Brad Hennessy rattled a stinging shot against the left hand upright as the Unicorns, who I can confirm never arrived in pairs nor by means of an Ark, pushed forward to try getting a foothold in the game.
Meanwhile Maciej Szymanski, denied James Eyles (who had turned out for United last season) twice, with a brace of decent saves.
Optimism abounded amongst the Badgers die hard faithful sat in 'Compost Corner' of the stand as the game past the half hour mark with their side's two goal lead still intact.
In the thirty fifth minute, Callum Charlton was afforded far too much time and space and bagged the visitors first goal and then, as pretty damn near always happens, Eyres, a striker returning to one of his old stomping grounds, netted twice, with a deflected effort in the first instance, but from a well taken strike for his second, as the Badgers defence were undone with a through ball right through the middle of their ranks that left Szymanski stranded in no man's land and unable to do anything to stop Eyres claiming Ossett's third goal.
HT: Badgers 2 v Unicorns 3
But it was the home side who had started the second half the better, with Jake Outram causing Ossett a few problems on the right flank and five minutes after the restart, they were back on level terms, when Gracyn Kimczack advanced towards the visitors goal from out on the left flank and buried an absolute peach of a shot past Jak Murphy, who was left grasping fresh air.
Game on again!?
Well, it was,but very briefly.
As Eyles registered his hat trick with a simple tap in from ten yards, the cry of: "Where are we? It's too easy!" from the home dug out, summed up the moment precisely.
Those of a squeamish disposition and the Badgers keeper Maciej Szymanski, might want to skip past this next bit.
Ossett's number three, James Kay (unless my eyes were playing tricks) raided the Bagers back line with a powerful run down the left, but was thwarting from getting his cross in by a timely firm but fair tackle by Outram, who conceded a corner.
Kay took the flag kick, Szymanski rose to claim the ball and punched it into the roof of his own goal.
Rigby broke through the left channel and crossed to Eyres whose shot deflected wide of the right hand post. Szymanski must have wished that he had stayed at home and watched Hollyoaks and that new David Dickinson programme, when, for the second time in ten minutes, the unfortunate keeper had a problem dealing with the wet ball and dropped it over the line. Ouch!
There is nowhere to hide on a football pitch, not when you are wearing a bright pink shirt under floodlights and Szymanski's confidence must've been knocked as he went to make a routine clearance and some horrible bar steward shouted: "Shoot! You're on a hat trick!"
But the young keeper put his mishaps behind him and made a great save from a long distance effort by Stefan Holt. Despite his obvious anguish, at least he'd remained focus, so good for him I say.
Eyres went close again, twice but with three minutes to go, he made light work of taking the ball through the middle of the Badgers defence and dispatching his fourth and Albion's seventh goal of the game.
United cleared the ball off the line in stoppage time, when Ollie Yates flicked a left wing delivery from Rigby on into the mix.
FT: Retford United 3 v Ossett Albion 7
So there you have it... a short blog entry, which merely concentrates on the circumstances surrounding any goals that might happen to occur over the course of the game.
