Tuesday 15th August 2017
EvoStik Northern Premier League Division 1 South
at Westfield Lane, South Elmsall
Frickley Athletic (0) 1
Steve Hopewell 47
Cleethorpes Town (0) 2
Danny North 71 PenLaurence McKay 81
Admission £10. Programme£2. Attendance 255
A game in which Spencer Fearn's Frickley side ran operations from inside the final third for long spells, without creating enough of a cutting edge in front of the Owls goal, or converting the few gilt edged chances that fell their way when they did manage to penetrate the visitors defence.
And ultimately they lost, because 'Clee' toughed it out until the final whistle and having got back into the game through Danny North's penalty, raised their game and almost inevitably stole the points through sheer persistence inside the last ten minutes, long after the Blues really ought to have put the game to bed.
One could say that Marcus Newell's side possibly staged a bit of a smash and grab raid tonight, with what I believe is called a 'typical away performance'.
But you can trace the visitors approach to the game back to two seasons ago, when their cavalier and gung-ho style won them many admirers and friends along the way, but ultimately didn't deliver the promotion to the Evo-Stik League that this ambitious club were aiming for, whereas a teak to the system and adopting a more measured approach last term, built on the foundations of a solid defence, saw them sweep all comers out of the way, en route to a 108 point haul, with goal difference of 99+, which proved that all out attack isn't always the best policy, but maximising application at key times and putting opponents to the sword in concerted short spells, obviously is.
The stats don't lie.
Long term; hit and hope football will never overcome teams who use their nous as regards when and how to turn the screw and embrace a more considered, methodical and patient game plan.
Though I must stress, that analogy is my take on Cleethorpe's 2016-17 campaign, not tonight's finely balanced encounter.
The sides emerged from Frickley's new changing room facilities, which are in the far corner of the ground from their imposing main stand and don't yet have a the cage fitted that the old entrance to the pitch had, to protect the cheerfully disposed and enthusiastic locals, from the danger posed by unruly, misbehaving, voluble, loquacious hot headed Northern Premier League footballers.
Or something like that.
The last time that I had watched Cleethorpes in action was at Wembley Stadium, so they'll be getting used to visiting some of the more glamorous arenas by now, after their visit to Westfield Lane tonight.
Steve Hopewell, who the Blues acquired from Maltby Main in the summer, put in the effort of two men up front for the home side tonight, who were without striker Gav Allott, after he'd picked up a knock at the weekend, in their opening game at Newcastle Town, where the prolific hit man scored the only goal of the game, on an afternoon when the Owls announced their arrival in the Northern Premier League (Division 1 South), with an eye catching 4-1 home win against Gresley.
It was Hopewell who almost opened the scoring inside the opening five minutes, when he latched onto a clearance on the edge of the visitors area and flicked the ball into the air with his first touch and hit it on the volley with his second as it dropped, but his effort cleared Liam Higton's crossbar, as the Owls keeper struggled to get a clear sight of things, with a cluster of players in front of him and the sun shining directly in his eyes as it went down for the night somewhere beyond Hemsworth.
'Clee' had there first attempt on goal when Jonathan Oglesby, one of their mainstays during last season's promotion campaign, connected with Laurence McKay's right wing corner, but was thwarted by Sebastian Malkowski who got down to smother the ball at the foot of his left hand post.
'The Pole in goal' had received a presentation prior to kick off to mark him having made 100 first team appearances for the Blues first team.
'Seb' took a knock while he was kicking the ball to safety around the fifteen minute mark and one of the sports science staff that the new Frickley manager champions so much, attended to the former Polish international's ailment, advising him to: "Get up! Man up and shut up! Or you'll get some fist from me!" And he didn't even get a plaster to show for his troubles or 'owt.
Tis indeed a man's game in this Northern Premier League.
Note, at this juncture, my lip reading skills aren't always 100% reliable from a distance.
I took a call asking me if the two lads Frickley Athletic have on work experience from Mansfield Town looked okay in their new surrounds and replied in the affirmative, because Kane Baldwin and Teddy Bloor looked very comfortable indeed alongside their new teammates... and those cushions in the home dug out appear to have been a sound investment to that end.
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| L to R - Kane Baldwin and Teddy Bloor |
Hopewell and Tom Dugdale were both causing problems for the Owls, especially from Josh Nodder's supply of crosses from out on the right, as well as competing, along with Jacob Hazel, for the probing balls and long throw ins that were aimed into the Cleethorpes area by Nicholas Darker.
The visitors, while still looking dangerous on the counter attack, were seemingly happy to let Frickley come at them and wait for gaps to appear. Obviously they knew that throwing caution to the wind was a non-starter after what had happened the last time they had come up against a side managed by Spencer Fearn in March of last season, when Maltby Main had overcome the Owls by three goals to nil, at the aesthetically appealing and almost sexy football arena that is Muglet Lane.
You should pay a visit there soon, you won't be disappointed.
When he wasn't adding his clout to the Blues attack, Hopewell was laying deep and distributing a useful range of passes to bring Hazel and Ben Wiles into the game, which allowed Nodder and Dugdale the freedom to get forward out wide.
Hopewell chased a long knock from Nodder through the left channel and played the ball across the face of the visitors goal, but Wiles nodded it just wide at the back stick.
And from their next attack, Frickley were unlucky when Hazel shot over from Jason Yates sideways pass.
But while the home side were just missing that clinical touch that they needed to put away the array of chances they were fashioning at one end, Oglesby was a matter of inches away from giving the Owls the lead, when his shot from an improbable angle to the right hand side of the Blues area, fizzed (just) past the left hand post.
Hazel managed to flick the ball on, in spite of the close marking of Matt Coleman, that must have virtually bordered on sexual assault and it dropped over the shoulder of Hopewell who struck a thumping shot over the bar.
Somebody having a moan at half time; told me in no uncertain terms that Frickley hadn't created any chances in the opening forty five minutes.
Aye pal! And the moon is made of cream cheese, Pierce Brosnam was the best ever James Bond, Rod Hull and Emu were funny... and up until now, I've been making everything that I've written on this match overview up.
Shurrup... you vapid, miserable, whinging arsed and blinkered pillock!
Cleethorpes finished the first half with a flourish, Danny North and the impressive Oglesby were linking up to good effect and between them set up Jack Richardson who forced a save out of Malkowski.
But right on the stroke of half time, Dugdale's short left wing corner to Wiles, led to a scrummage in the Owls goalmouth when the Blues number eleven rifled an angled shot from the return ball, that Higton just about managed to gather at the second, or possibly third attempt.
HT: Blues 0 v Owls 0
Going on the evidence displayed before me thus far, if I was a betting man and I had to pick out a goal scorer and a player most likely to weigh in with an assist, to break tonight's deadlock, I reckon the odds on a Hopewell goal from a Dugdale delivery would've been a fairly short odds bet and two minutes after the restart that is precisely what happened, when Hopewell met Dugdale's left wing corner with a textbook header.
It had been coming.
Yates threaded a pass through the left channel to Hazel whose first time shot was turned round the post by Higton. Dugdale's corner was cleared back towards him and without hesitation he dropped a cross towards the back post, with Hazel threatening and Yates getting the final touch, Higton did well to get down and claim the ball, gathering it to his chest. At two-nil the game would've been slipping away from 'Clee', but their keeper, who had been outstanding at Wembley the last time we'd watched him in action too, had kept his side in the game.
Dugdale is excelling in his role at Frickley this season and he was soon in the thick of it again, getting yet another cross in that Darker turned over the bar.
What was he doing that far forward!?
From the goal kick, the visitors looked to release Marc Cooper with a long ball forward, but Darker had returned from his stroll to the oppositions area and was well placed to head clear.
Liam Davis cut in from the right and aimed a cross towards Cooper, who was being closely watched tonight and this time it was Yates who intercepted.
Hazel forced his way into the 'Clee' area but was penalised for shoving McKay out of the way. For his part, McKay had been a stand out player for the visitors all night, popping up here, there and everywhere on the pitch, moving around off the ball undetected, in thye manner of an amphetamine fuelled mole. It speaks volumes that he is keeping Peter Winn out of the Owls side.
While all of this was going on, one piece at a time, Marcus Newell was rearranging his game plan and making changes from the bench.
Having been the provider of several decent goal scoring opportunities, when the time finally came for Dugdale to take centre stage, he didn't get a decent contact on Hazel's sideways knock and 'spooned' the ball into the nearby allotments from on the edge of the area.
The visitors were forcing their way more into the game now and Davis was unlucky to see his shot from twenty five yards go wide.
Davis was right in the thick of it again in the seventy first minute, when he was tripped in the Blues area by who looked like Jameel Ible from up on my lofty perch, in t'back of the stand.
Danny North made no mistake from the spot kick and it was game on.
Ible turned the ball against the upright (and a defenders outstretched boot) from another of Darker's long throw ins and Wiles couldn't keep his shot on target after Dugdale and Hazel had linked up to unlock the Cleethorpes defence.
Davis, who played a big part in the Owls first goal, was even more involved for their second, when he spotted the run of McKay and fed the ball into him from out on the right and the visitors left back/all over the place utility player struck a well placed effort, low into the bottom right hand corner of the net, to put his side in front for the first time with nine minutes remaining.
In the dying moments, even Malkowski went up to battle for Dugdale's long free kick into the heart of the Cleethorpes defence, but the visitors closed ranks and held onto the three points, much to the delight of their supporters who had made the trip across from the east coast.
FT: Frickley Athletic 1 v Cleethorpes Town 2
Tactically, the visitors got it spot on and peaked at the right time, but Frickley will be gutted that they hadn't taken advantage when it was raining balls in the Cleethorpes goalmouth.
In closing, ta very much to Spencer Fearn for kindnesses received by the Blonde Beelzebub and myself, thanks to the ever lovely Penny for the team details, a big up to Maltby Main chairman Wilf Race who was also at the game for his generosity of spirit and continued honesty and support... and GOOD LUCK in abundance, to both of these always (and all ways) friendly clubs in their respective FA Cup games on Saturday.
And last but my no means least... get yersen' over to the @HipHoppingYorks Twitter feed to check out some great visuals and 'live' action that was very cleverly transposed into tonight's match programme.
And last but my no means least... get yersen' over to the @HipHoppingYorks Twitter feed to check out some great visuals and 'live' action that was very cleverly transposed into tonight's match programme.
See you all again soon hopefully!
