United Worksop 1 v AFC Dronfield Res. 0 - Sheff County Senior League Div 2

Saturday 23rd March 2019
Sheffield County Senior League Division 2
at Manton Sports & Social Club, Retford Road, Worksop
United Worksop (1) 1
Patryk Zukowski 18
AFC Dronfield Reserves (0) 0

There were those amongst the United camp today, who would've liked to have had this game rescheduled, so that they could go and watch Worksop Town playing at home today, but that wasn't to be an option as the County Senior League decreed that the show must go on.
In the event, the Tigers won the other game, being played across town today, 2-1 against second placed Penistone Church, to claim a club record twelfth successive NCEL Premier Division win, to cement their place at the top of the table. It's about time that the Worksop Town faithful, who've stood by their club, through exile to Gainsborough, Hucknall, Ilkeston and Retford over the years, while watching them slide into decline, had something to smile about, so good for them... and the 1.628 people who turned out to watch their record breaking win today.

Last time out, the Manton based side had drawn 3-3 at home against Thurcroft Miners Institute, while AFC Dronfield's Reserves had gone down 7-3 at fourth placed Ardsley Athletico in their previous outing.
It was wet, windy and bloody horrible, the last time that these two sides met, at the Gosforth Fields back in December, in a game that today's Derbyshire based visitors won 3-2.
Patryk Zukowski, who scored twice for United Worksop that day, scored the only goal goal of the game today (he'd also scored twice in United's draw with Thurcroft), in this 2PM kick off at Manton, as the home side held on to claim all three points, despite having to dig in at times and withstand a lot of pressure from Dronfield, especially towards the end of the game.

United Worksop

With just a solitary point separating these two sides prior to kick off, it was always likely to be a closely contested affair... and there wasn't much to choose between these two sides, who both contributed to an enjoyable and very competitive game, with no quarter given, nor even a single challenge pulled out of. It was the sort of game where you could in all likelihood pick up a few bruises, from merely standing by, watching the action unfold, from the relative safety of the touchline. Acting as a temporary ball-boy was probably good exercise for yours truly, but there's only so much charging about in pursuit of stray passes, a man of my dimensions and senior years can indulge in before it becomes undignified.
Jestem za stary i niezdolny do tego wszystkiego!!! As you might well say.

Zukowski, United's prolific goalscorer, was causing the visitors a few problems early on, while Vasile Cuciuc was unlucky to see his long range free kick, clear the top right hand corner of Jake Woodward's goal.

Jack Wiggett was pivotal to most of Dronfield's attacking intentions early on... and they seemed keen to get the ball to him as often and quickly as possible, as he peppered the hosts goalmouth with a string of decent crosses.

Wiggett against Jakob Gasior, made for an interesting sideshow, as their personal battle for possession, saw two of the most skilful players on the pitch go head to head. 

The visitors went close twice in quick succession, when James Cliff's back post effort from Lewis Meakin's right wing corner, was turned away round the upright... and Ash Rycroft hooked a shot narrowly past the right hand post from the edge of the Worksop area.

Rycroft went close again, when Adam Fern picked him out in the six yard box with an in-swinging free-kick, but the ball sat up sharply in front of the Dronfield striker and he struggled to keep his shot on target.

Dronfield were left to rue their early clutch of missed chances, when Aleks Szynal broke forward on the left, took the ball past Danny Glossop-Hamilton (who sounds way too posh to be hanging around at Manton Welfare on a Saturday afternoon) and pulled the ball back to Zukowski, who drilled home what turned out to be the only goal of the game from just inside the area, in the eighteenth minute.

Dronfield had the ball in the net less than two minutes after they had gone behind, when Rycroft twisted and turned to make himself some space before laying the ball off into the path of Matt Hague, whose half volley across the face of United's goal, crashed back off of the right hand post towards Lewis Talbot, who planted it into the back of the net... but the referee disallowed the effort.
Rycroft went close again, but his free kick from twenty yards out, skimmed past the left hand post.
Zukowski then helped the ball into the visitors net again, but his effort was ruled out too... probably something to do with the fact that you're not allowed to shoulder charge the opposition goalkeeper over the line once he's claimed the ball, I shouldn't wonder.

At the other end of the pitch, Piotr Strycharz was marshalling his goal and the surrounding area well, comfortably taking a couple of clean catches and moving swiftly off of his line, to gather the ball, thwarting the visitors increasing attempts to get back in the game before the interval.
Right on the stroke of half time Cuciuccleared away Rycroft's audacious angled curling shot, from virtually off of his goal line. And Worksop were still in front at the halfway point.
HT: United Worksop 1 v AFC Dronfield Ressies 0 

Dronfield continued to press for an equaliser, but when Talbot was released by Jordan Price's measured knock forward and got his shot away under pressure, he was denied by Strycharz, who pulled off another fine save.

The visitors attacked in numbers again, with Meakin, Rycroft and Hague combining well down the left hand side, but when the latter of them put the ball into the mix, Wiggett (who'd now been moved into a more central role) was a whisker away from connecting just six yards away from the Worksop goal.

Price knocked a bouncing ball forward for Rycroft to chase, but there was a collision on the edge of the area as the Dronfield number ten reached the ball and lobbed it over Strycharz and into the unguarded goal... and the referee ruled the effort out. 

Nathan Pogson, the match official, must've seen something that I hadn't when he made his decision... and he was much better placed to call it than I was. But Rycroft was obviously unimpressed by Mr Pogson's ruling.

Rycroft rode two challenges and laid the ball off to Fern, but Karol Szczyglowsk put his body in the way and blocked the resulting shot. Szczyglowsk is a big, strong and sturdy midfield enforcer, so I thought better of asking him if he knew that in England, Karol is a lasses name.

Out of sheer frustration that things just weren't happening for Dronfield, Fern launched a long range effort wide of the Worksop goal, when he perhaps had better options available. It was a forty yarder... that is to say, forty yards wide of it's intended target.

Rycroft was caught with a late challenge twenty five yards from the hosts goal. He took responsibility for the free kick himself and though he kept the ball on target, Strycharz was equal to it and moved sharply to his left to hold onto the ball and keep it out of the top left hand corner of his net. 

Cliff caught the eye in the middle of the park for the visitors, winning the ball inside his own half several times and motoring forward, before feeding his attack with a few decent deliveries, but Worksop were entrenching themselves across the final third now and hanging onto their lead in a determined fashion. While Gasior and Aleks Szynal were covering a lot of ground for the home side. I couldn't work out which role Szynal had been given this afternoon, not in a bad way, but because he was liable to pop up just about anywhere on the field of play and seemed to be completely tireless.

Inside stoppage time right at the end, Strycharz got down quickly to hold onto the ball ans stop Hamilton-Glossop's effort from sneaking in by the right hand post and when Sam Baxter's long throw in found it's way through to Meakin, his first time strike that looked destined to earn his side a point, took a coat of paint off of the goalpost and bulged the side netting instead.

FT: United Worksop 1 v AFC Dronfield Reserves 0

Straight after the final whistle, the host side Tweeted, thanking AFC Dronfield Reserves for providing them with such a great game. I'm certainly glad that I dragged myself out of bed and made the effort to get here, after my late night/early morning arrival home from the England game at Wembley last night.

To see all of this season's remaining fixtures in the Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League 2nd Division, click HERE.

You can thank me later ;-)