Handsworth Parramore 1 v Hall Road Rangers 4 - NCEL Prem

Tuesday 26th September 2017
Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
at Sandy Lane, Worksop
Handsworth Parramore (0) 1
Jon Froggatt 47
Hall Road Rangers (2) 4
Dan Chambers 23, 37, 56
Chris Spinks 80
Admission £5. Programme £1.50. Attendance 104

Not that I'd want to take anything away from Hall Road Rangers, who thoroughly deserved their win, took their goals well and might've had a penalty right at the end, if only the referee, Sam Kane had spotted a quite blatant two handed shove in Dan Chambers' back, amidst the crowded Ambers area as the home side struggled to get the ball away from Chris Butt's goal, it still needs to be said that Handsworth were poor at times tonight.
The two sides were evenly matched from the outset, weighing each other up for the contest that was gradually unfolding before our very eyes, but the main topic of conversation, centred around who was playing up front tonight alongside Aaron Moxam... with his orange peel coloured skin and ginger hair, the 'new striker' seemed to be some kind of an hybrid mash up of David Dickinson and Kieran Wells, but as the Ambers number nine held up the ball, while Danny Buttle sprinted forward on the overlap, the Parras winger shouted: "I'm free Frog!

On my life! No effing way! 

But upon closer inspection, it was indeed Jon Froggatt, who must've adopted his new look to outfox defenders with this cunning disguise.

A stray pass to Moxam was cleared forward by the visitors, who broke clearly from box to box, to where Josh Batty forced Chris Butt to race from his line to make a blocking save, but the rebound fell kindly to Danny Chambers who calmly picked his spot and put Rangers ahead after twenty three minutes.

The anticipated fightback by the Ambers, who you might've expected to be looking for an instant response, never really materialised.
And through a combination of the visitors staying tight on Jas Colliver's team, restricting their movement and preventing any real creativity across the middle of the pitch, while Handsworth went long and adopted a direct approach as a consequence, as any team who had the luxury of both Froggatt and Moxam to aim for up top, probably would have done.

But the visitors demonstrated how best to adopt a long range balls policy, when Chambers spotted that Butt was on the edge of his area and launched an audacious effort from near the halfway, that dipped just underneath the home keeper's crossbar, beyond his reach as he despairing tried to get back to salvage the situation.
Just before half time, Steve Istead flashed a long shot just past the upright, but at the interval, the Ambers were two goals down, to two intuitive finishes from Chambers, while several of their own players lethargic approach had been a major contributory factor too.
HT: Ambers 0 v Rangers 1

By rule of thumb, when Danny Buttle plays well, Handsworth play well too.

He was substituted at half time.

Looking down the team sheet, Sam Finlaw in the middle of the park seemed to be the most likely candidate to had a spark of inspiration to the home side, but given the regular trajectory of the ball thus far, he would've had to nip out to the adjacent B&Q to buy a step ladder if he was going to get anywhere near it.

We spent half time in the company of a pair of Leicester born, but Sheffield based 'neutral' ground hoppers. It is always good to hear how other people have been viewing things and get a few different opinions and a bit of perspective.
I hadn't seen Steve Holmes at the ground tonight, but suspect that he was holed up in his public announcements booth, given that the tunes being played were displaying two of his usual traits... they were too loud and even though Steve is a jolly good fellow, his taste in music is awful.
Two minutes after the restart, Parramore were back in the game, when Froggatt stormed straight through the middle of the Rangers defence and halved the deficit with a well placed shot from twelve yards out.
Chris Spinks was having a great night, linking up well between the visitors midfield and attack, while Handsworth, now only one goal in arrears, reverted to playing in the same off the pace manner they had done before the interval

Eight months on, Steve Smith was becoming increasingly
concerned about environmental health services arriving
and making him dispose of his 'lucky' Bamf corpse.

Any chances of a late comeback, that hadn't really looked to be on the cards anyway, were all but wiped out, when Chambers advanced into the right hand side of Parras area, skipped past two challenges and drilled a diagonal shot across Chris Butt that settled in the net just inside the left hand post.

Jamie Yates tried to chip Phil Dobson from twenty five yards, but the visitors keeper reached the ball just underneath his bar in the top left hand corner to keep it out. 

Froggatt went close again, but having claimed three goals for himself already, Chambers rolled a sideways pass to Spinks and he made it 1-4 with a curling shot from the edge of the area.

Danny Norton pushed forward down the right for the visitors and delivered a cross towards Chambers, who was pushed in the back on the referee's blind side, as Handsworth road their luck.

In stoppage time, Brad Nicholson forced a left winger corner for the home side and Yates found Will Eades at the back stick with his flag kick, but the Ambers number three headed wide.

FT: Handsworth Parramore 1 v Hall Road Rangers 4

A very fair result if you ask me.