Retford United 2 v Armthorpe Welfare 3 - NCEL Prem

Tuesday 5th September 2017
Toolstation NCEL Division 1
at Cannon Park
Retford United (1) 2
Jake Ashton 13
Gragjan Klimczak 81
Armthorpe Welfare (1) 3
Liam Radford 31, 61
Darren Mansaram 68
Admission £5. Programme £2. Attendance 109

When these two sides were relegated together from the NCEL Premier Division at the end of last season, the noises emitting from Cannon Park were that the club would be striving to get out of Division 1, ASAP.
Well, I'm sorry for pointing out the obvious, but that is going to plan, but not in the manner that United were anticipating.
You'd have to say that if Mark Wilson's side play in the manner that they did tonight more often, then they'll be clawing their way up the table any time soon, but even though it is far too early to be talking about the R word for a while yet, the players pulling on the Badgers stripes need to knuckle down and turn the corner sooner rather than later.

Wilson, a vastly experienced and popular manager, might not be around at the club much longer if I was interpreting what the club chairman Simon Brammer was alluding to in tonight's match programme correctly.
'Willy' has a list of players and contacts as long as any normal octopuses arms, he is exactly the sort of guy you'd want on board when the 'ship' is going down and having spoken to a good number of his players, I can vouch for he fact, that the staunch loyalty they have for the man speaks volumes for him. It would be all too easy for a few of them to bail out now the going's got (really) tough, but they are standing by their man... and will continue to do so.
Injuries, like the one that Reece Wesley is recovering from and the knock that Mickey Davies picked up tonight, aren't helping the Badgers plight, but although they are still three or four wise old heads away from being a top half side and they are currently having to piss with the cock they've got, they showed tonight that they have the fire in their belly for a scrap.
Although things might have to get worse before they get better, don't write Retford United off all together just yet... or Mark Wilson! No pain, no gain innit!?

Thankfully, the Cannon Park hardcore are a pragmatic, patient and supportive lot and they are not the sort who will destroy a team's confidence by getting on their backs when things aren't going well and confidence already appears to be low among a number of players, while others, out of necessity, are doing their level best while playing out of position, frustrated by the fact that they know that they could be having a greater influence elsewhere on the pitch, while demonstrating their willingness to adapt for the sake of their teammates.
Football is a team game when all is said and done and if there was anybody out on the field of play who hasn't embraced the 'all for one' mindset and was just putting it on for himself, then he would stand out like a sore thumb and wouldn't be of much use to this side at the current time.
For the record, if the above appears to be the rallying cry of a rabidly soap-boxing Retfordian, it is actually a neutral point of view, written by somebody who was just as gutted that Armthorpe dropped down a division last season too.

In fact, in Liam Radford and Darren Mansaram, 'Wellie' have two of the players I enjoy watching play the most in the NCEL on my regular visits to Church Street. Though I wish that the pair of them had settled for just a goal apiece tonight, to ease the pressure on one of the two non league clubs in Retford that I would like to see doing well.
Jake Ashton operating as a wide attacker, with the former boxer Mickey Davies employed as a battering ram straight through the middle of the visitors defence, were proving to be a real handful for the South Yorkshire side from the off, while Lee Betts was showing the kind of range of passes that'll undo the meanest of NCEL defences. It's shame that Liam Bennett who does a similar sort of job for the Badgers U19 side, was having to fill in at left back, because the two of them linking up in the middle of the pitch would probably have offered the Badgers even more options going forward, but needs must.

Prior to Jake Ashton's thirteenth minute goal, Retford had already gone agonisingly close twice, firstly when Josh Gibbons scooped Ashton's cross over his own head and forced his keeper Danny Montgomery into clawing the ball over the bar,and from the resulting corner, Lee Betts delivered a great ball to Ashton, who saw his strike cleared off the goal line by Danny Taylor.
Mansaram reminded the host side that although they were enjoying a good spell of pressure, this game was never likely to be one way traffic and James Gamble did well to push the prolific strijer'sshot on the turn around the post.
Davies collected the ball just inside the visitors area and unselfishly knocked it sideways to Ashton instead of milking the glory for himself and the Badgers number eleven drilled a shot across the face of the Armthorpe goal, that nestled just inside the far post, beyond the reach of Montgomery.
"One nil we're winning!" exclaimed a joyful Badgers fan as he rose to his feet with his arms in the air: "It's been so bleedin' long since this happened I can't remember what to do now!"

Betts threaded another quality pass forward for Davies to run onto,but as he powered forward, Montgomery advanced bravely from his line to nick the ball away at the last moment. The old edict that all goalkeepers are bonkers is obviously true... if I saw Davies charging towards me at full tilt, I'd turn on my heels and put on a right turn of pace to get to my car and away from the ground ASAP, never mind throwing myself at his feet... it looked like a borderline attempt at committing suicide from where I was sitting.
Betts came forward again, keeping his powder dry until he spotted that Davies had made an overlapping run to his right and rolled a slide rule pass into his path that the former Rossington player lashed inches wide of the right hand post and into the side netting with Montgomery clutching at fresh air.

But in spite of the home side's sustained pressure as they looked to build on their one goal cushion, Armthorpe pulled level on thirty one minutes, when Radford netted from an improbable, almost outrageously tight angle on the dead ball line, squeaking the ball through the eye of a needle just inside the right hand post.
Both sides were certainly treating the 109 spectators who had turned out at the Leverton Road ground tonight, to some quality finishing and well taken goals.

Hands up! I must confess that I was only here because I had nodded off on my sofa while watching 'Tipping Point' after getting home from this afternoon's Central League, Rotherham United v Mansfield Town Reserves game at Parkgate... and, having woken up at around 7.35pm, not knowing whether Elsie from Bury St. Edmunds had won today's jackpot or not, I was relieved that Cannon Park is just over the railway and canal bridges from my homestead. 

And although I missed the game I was originally intending to watch, I couldn't complain about the quality of the entertainment on offer at the football ground that stands on the outskirts oof Little Gringley tonight. 

And don't even think about questioning the geographical accuracy of that last sentence.

Before anybody tries to point out that the Stags have an Under 21 team in the Central League, not a reserve side, just let me say... shut up! 

It's been a moot point with me for some time, that Mansfield should have a reserve and an Under 21 side, not a predominantly first team over-spill players stiffs side, that is merely called the Under 21's, while the youngsters at the club continue their development elsewhere, outside the auspices of the Stags development team set up and away from the discerning eye of their own coaching staff. 

The 'work experience/loan' system works wonders for some (Hi Teddy Bloor, it's great to see the progress you're making at Frickley Athletic pal), while others run the very real risk of vanishing into obscurity... or even Solihull Moors! However, this is neither the time or the place for that particular rant (even though the subject isn't a closed matter in my book and probably won't be for a considerable time), so manoeuvring swiftly back on topic.

Mansaran and Radford were both proving to be problematic for the Badgers, but it was the North Notts side who finished the first half strongly and must've been wondering how they weren't in front again before the break.

Having found his range with a couple of good knocks along the flank from his unfamiliar role at left back (though I suspect he's going to have to get used to that position a lot more any time soon), Bennett advanced down the left wing and hooked a cross to Ashton, he in turn laid it off to Davies who appeared to have regained the lead for the Badgers, but his strike was blocked on the line.

Brad Kilner's cross reached Nathan Joynes whose downward knock was saved by Montgomery, with his feet... when things aren't going your way, at times, it is almost as if the fates are conspiring to gang up against you.

HT: Badgers 1 v Wellie 1

Straight from the restart, Josh Gibbons drilled the ball narrowly wide of the right hand post as Armthorpe came flying out of the blocks.
Mansaram tried turning Kilner on the edge of United's area, but the Badgers captain recovered and nipped a goal scoring opportunity in the bud.

Chris Gowen launched a long punt towards Garry Collier and the home side could consider themselves fortunate, when the ball sat abruptly as the Welfare number seven had plenty of space and time to make good of his half chance.

Just after the hour, Gamble had little choice but to run from his area in a vainglorious attempt to thwart Radford, but the Armthorpe attacker, claimed a second strike, when he nudged the ball past the Retford keeper, who obviously couldn't use his hands or he would've been shown a red card... and finished well from twelve yards out.

Davies picked up possession, forty yards from the visitors area and battled his way through a crowd of bodies before laying the ball off to Ashton, who couldn't keep his shot on target.
But within moments Mansaram drilled the ball past Gambles, after picking it up on the left hand side of the field, motoring forward five paces and unleashing a powerful effort.

Both sides were still going at it hammer and tongues with a string of chances going begging at both ends and with nine minutes still left to go, Gragjan Klimczak threw the Badgers a lifeline, when he took a pass from Jack Carter and swept a long range dipping shot into the top right hand corner of Montgomery's net. 

Game on? You bet!

Sam Kay's long free kick was headed wide by Davies while at the other end of the pitch Collier went close to netting a fourth when he nudged the ball past Gamble, who recovered in time to clear the danger with a saving tackle.
Both teams hit the woodwork in the closing stages,with Collier going close at one end and Klimczak repeating the trick at the other and right at the death Gamble made last ditch saves to deny both Collier and James Handley.
FT: Retford United 2 v Armthorpe Welfare 3
Well played both sides.