Handsworth 4 v Shelley 0 - FA Vase 1RQ

Sunday 1st September 2019
FA Vase First Round Qualifying
at Sandy Lane, Worksop
Handsworth (2) 4
Leon Howarth 13,
Joe Thornton 45,
Joe Parkin 69,
Marley Grant 90+5
Shelley (0) 0
Attendance: 121

Two goals in each half were enough for Handsworth to see off the challenge of North West Counties League Division One North side Shelley Community FC, in this FA Vase 1st Round Qualifier, that was occasionally prone to several feisty exchanges.
Subsequently, both sides finished the game with ten men apiece, after the referee: Antony Wingate, dismissed the visitors striker Josh Dyson along with the Ambers play-maker Jamie Austin, for their part in a melee right at the start of the second half, involving a whole host of other players who can probably consider themselves fortunate not to have been given their marching orders too.

The 'competitive edge' and needle had been simmering just under the surface for a while, when Will Anderton lit the blue touch paper with a badly timed tackle on Joe Parkin, that earned him a yellow card for his transgression.
Joe Thornton and Carlton Pownall had already been booked during the first half too, for an off the ball incident.
But the afternoon wasn't all about the aggro and the hosts played some eye-catching football at times too. Not least in the build up to their first goal, when a neat interchange between Luke Francis and Marley Grant, created a yard of space for Leon Howarth, who controlled the the ball in his stride, before lashing into the Shelley net, with an emphatic finish, that stung Paul Day's outstretched fingertips on it's way t'ward the back of the net.

Handsworth's Joe Thornton doubled his side's lead on the stroke of half time, when Ben Townsend's long ball forward was flicked on by Francis for his captain to run onto, but Ryan Blackburn hacked down the Ambers number three and thwarted his run towards the Shelley area.
But Thornton had the last laugh, picking himself up before stroking a sublime free past Day from twenty five yards out towards the right flank, which in effect had put the home side firmly in control at the halfway stage.
HT: Handsworth 2 v Shelley 0
The multi-talented John Stainrod, entertained the crowd at half time with an impressive display of pole dancing, is their anything this man can't do!?

Townsend, the Handsworth goalkeeper, didn't have a massive amount to do all afternoon, but when he was called into action, he dealt with anything thrown his way with an assured confidence, leaving his area when required to act as an extra defender and bravely putting his body on the line for a save at the feet of Anderton, when Shelley were trying to keep the game alive and get back into things. The Ambers number 1 has been around the local football scene for a while now and seems to get better and have a more commanding presence in and around his goal area, every time I see him in action. He's definitely proving to be a great acquisition for Handsworth. As is Marley Grant, who appears to be reaching his peak with several convincing performances of late too. 

Joe Parkin got on the end of Thornton's delivery, to nudge the ball past Day and make the game safe with his first ever goal for the hosts first team in the sixty ninth minute, to top off an accomplished performance.
Howarth was chipping away around the edges of Shelley's tiring defence while having to endure some (very) close marking and hefty challenges at times, while Grant took the game to visitors via the wide channels and continued to torment the visitors defence.

Lewis O'Connor was denied by an excellent reflex save by Day, but deep into stoppage time, Grant collected a forward knock from Josh Dacre, before striding forwards and slotting the ball past the advancing Shelley keeper, to complete the scoring for the afternoon, as Handsworth moved through to the next round of the Vase, in a confident and convincing manner.
FT: Handsworth 4 v Shelley 0

Owing to international call ups, Handsworth don't have a game at the weekend, but they have back to back games at Sandy Lane the following week, when AFC Mansfield are the visitors for an NCEL Premier Division game on Tuesday 10th September and Glasshoughton Welfare roll into town for an FA Vase 2nd Round Qualifying tie on Sunday 15th September... it's all go innit!?