Retford United 6 v Worksop Town 3 - WVH NMU19L

Thursday 17th May 2018
North Midlands Under 19 League (North)
at Cannon Park
Retford United (2) 6
Zach Casburn 13, 31, 86
Dec Heath 66
Alex Wonham 90+3, 90+5
Worksop Town (2) 3
Harry Dunbar 10, 21,
Christian Beaumont 79
Admission £3 inc. programme.
Attendance 81

Badgers U19

It quickly became apparent, that this local derby contest was going to be a lively contest, between two teams who were committed to playing all out attacking football, as both sides squandered a string of early chances at either end of the pitch.
In the opening exchanges Josh Carpenter muscled his way into the Retford area, before laying the ball off to Jack Crook, who drilled a shot wide of the post. And the Badgers went straight on the attack from the goal kick and moved the ball forward quickly to Alex Wonham, who also nudged a great opportunity just past the wrong side of the right hand upright.
Carpenter missed a sitter of a chance at one end and Zach Casburn maintained the games symmetrical flow by repeating the trick at the other end.

Tigers U19

Harry Dunbar broke the deadlock in the tenth minute, running on to Nial Blakemore's forward knock, following some good footwork by Crook in the middle of the park, before calmly planting the ball past George Atkinson to give the Tigers a lead, that lasted for just three minutes, when Casburn netted from close range when Callum Amendola pulled the ball back across the face of the Worksop goal from the dead ball line, after Heath had released him with a defence splitting pass on the right hand side of the visitors area.
Will Sutton tested Atkinson with two decent strikes, but the home keeper showed good reflexes to turn them both away, but there was little that he could do about Dunbar's close range poachers goal, as the Tigers number eight pounced to score from close range from Carpenter's cross/shot across the Badgers six  yard box.

Worksop pushed forward again, but when Luke Smith's delivery found Igor Mylnarski ten yards out from United's goal, Dan King did well to make a last ditch blocking tackle.
The home side were on level terms again around the half hour mark, when Amendola's corner kick glanced off of Blakemore and fell invitingly for Casburn at the back stick, who nudged home the equaliser.
Casburn beat Jake Woodward all ends up shortly before the interval, but his curling shot ricocheted back off the right hand upright and into the arms of the Tigers keeper.
In first half stoppage time, Dunbar unselfishly laid the ball off sideways to Sutton who planted the ball wide of the Retford goal.
HT: Badgers 2 v Tigers 2

During half time, I retired to the clubhouse to watch the climax of the England U17 v Netherlands U17 semi final on the TV, which had just gone to a penalties.
The young lions preserved a national tradition as they agonisingly, yet inevitably lost the shoot out 5-6 and to rub it in, they were having to play in that god forsaken crap hole of a town that is called Chesterfield.

So the second half got underway, in the same: crash, bang, wallop, you can't take your eyes off of this for a bleedin' second kind of way, and Retford went close to taking the lead (twice), as the Tigers defence blocked efforts from Heath and Casburn in quick succession, while Joe Alangel got forward to good effect on the right.
Meanwhile, back in the Badgers goalmouth, Dunbar's shot took a deflection into the path of Sutton, who diverted the ball into the advertising hoardings from eight yards out. And moments later Sutton returned the compliment, nudging the ball sideways to Dunbar, who won tonight's star prize of the 'Mister Sitter' t-shirt from four yards out.

With sixty six minutes gone, Woodward saved from Amendola, but couldn't prevent the loose ball from falling to the feet of Heath, whofired the home side ahead.
Blake Blythe moved quickly to deny Casburn a clear run in on goal from Alangel's through ball and the visitors countered at speed, with Mylnarski evading two challenges and hitting a diagonal cross towards Dunbar, who laid the ball off for Christian Beaumont to smash it past Atkinson.
Ten minutes to go, three goals apiece and the game still balanced on a knife edge.

Four minutes of the scheduled ninety left to go and Retford scored a fourth, when the Tigers struggled to clear Amendola's delivery into six yard box and the ball deflected into the path of Casburn, who claimed his hat trick with an emphatic knock.
Worksop looked to be taking a standing count as Wonham stroked a pass out wide to Alangel, who broke forward quickly, cut in from the right and launched a dipping angled shot just over the Tigers crossbar.

Worksop made a mess of executing a corner routine as the game went into stoppage time... and with the majority of their players committed to pushing for another equaliser, could only look on in horror as Wonham motored forward, kept his nerve and finished with aplomb, planting the ball past the completely unprotected and exposed Woodward.
Five minutes into added time, the Tigers capitulated completely, as the hosts attacked in a pack and Heath rolled the ball into the path of Wonham, who stroked the ball past Woodward, to net the Badgers sixth goal of the night.
FT: Retford United U19 6 v Worksop Town U19 3

Luke Pickering posing.

Russell Dodd caught unaware.

The Tigers youngsters have now finished their U19 league campaign and will take either third or fourth spot in the table, depending on how Alfreton Town fare in their remaining games.
Retford United still have a fixture left to complete, next Tuesday, when they visit Dronfield Town again; the original game was abandoned after seventy three minutes.
To see Devon Cash's blog view of this game: Click HERE