Hamson Pops Up For Pop & Mickleover Grab A Late Victory
At the Welly
Pinxton 1
Mickleover Royals 2
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Two Pinxton players try to sneak away... |
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The Royals' keeper checks out Jordan Simpson's left ear... |
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Two Pinxton players do impressions of a shoebill stork... |
Davy Hamson suddenly realised that his father’s birthday had
come round again and decided to gift him three points instead of a pair of
socks, a pair of Dirty Monkey boxers, or a Burton’s voucher, by scoring a late
winner for Mickleover Royals at Pinxton’s Welly ground, where the hosts would
feel that they had done enough to earn a draw. Certainly they had recovered
from surviving several first-half scares, began to bite harder in midfield,
where James Senior and Danny O’Donnell were afforded too much space after the
interval and then squandered three glorious opportunities, through Jake Vernon,
twice and the irksome Antony Rowley, who was really fortunate to escape a
caution after pointlessly hacking the ball out of the ground and then refusing
to go to the referee, then refusing to shut up. And continuing to refuse to
listen. It was like an annoying kid at school cheeking a teacher, so as not to
lose face in front of his mates. After a severe, hilarious and embarrassing few
minutes, he strolled away, smirking at the Pinxton bench, where the response
was, “We’ve got another ball…”
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The ref displays a smart knee bandage... |
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The Royals kick-off @ Pinxton... |
An early misplaced pass by the hosts led to Ash Foster’s
best shot of the day for Royals, for his subsequent efforts lacked either
direction or power, despite his creditable work-rate and an ability to fasten
onto loose balls in midfield; this drive scorched just over the home crossbar
from 25 yards, after good battling by Ben Blackburn. Rowley won a corner for
Pinxton but during a short period of pressure, Royals’ skipper Danny Martin
twice cleared danger from near the edge of his own penalty-box. Peter Aliguma
then exploded forward from defence for Mickleover and fired a good shot from 24
yards, which home ‘keeper Gareth Briggs slithered left for and pushed behind
for a corner. From the resulting flag-kick, taken by Danny Martin, Foster’s
vicious shot deflected off a Pinxton defender’s back and away for a left-side
corner, which eventually resulted in Jordan Simpson’s pass inside for Oli
Buxton, just 7 yards from goal, inside-left channel but he clipped his effort
wide of the right upright.
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Trouble already... |
A fine left-flank run by Rowley led to the ball rolling over
the touchline, from whence he booted the ball over the corner-flag and the
mound beyond. The player would not go to the official, who stood his ground and
spectators and players squirmed at the stand-off… No booking either, despite
the official demanding: “Shut up. Not another word…” Yet Rowley still argued
on. A quick throw on the Mickleover right led to Foster bouncing a centre
across the home goalmouth then, in a lively game, a deep Danny Martin
free-kick, left of centre was met by Hamson’s glancing header, which beat
Briggs but bounced just wide of the right upright. Foster, still not
efficiently picked up by the Pinxton defensive midfielders, fired a low effort
wide again, then another shot weakly at Briggs, but the referee was by now
taking verbal abuse from all sides. He had already overruled an assistant, made
free-kick decisions which could have gone either way in truth and consequently
annoying one of the two sets of coaches and players constantly; then he
accepted the other assistant’s contentious ruling, thus displaying all the
consistency of a rolling rugby-ball.
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Physical and... |
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...intense... |
Finally, Pinxton threatened, albeit not dangerously, when a
free-kick went backwards but suddenly a forward pass put Vernon into a shooting
position, 16 yards out, at inside-right, but a defender slowed the shot for Ash
Warner in the Royals goal to fall upon. Then, Mickleover were so close to
taking a well-deserved lead from Danny Martin’s right-flank corner. Simpson
leapt at the far post and his header beat Briggs but was headed off the
goal-line by home defender Lee Farnsworth onto the lurking Buxton and back off
the defender to safety, like a snooker-cannon to prevent a red sinking. At the
other end, Vernon received a feed from the wily Senior, who had profited from
an errant Buxton pass but the striker’s low shot rolled gently to Warner.
Buxton then swiped wildly at Senior to earn a just caution,
as a few naughty challenges began to litter the half, before Blackburn, a rover
on the Mickleover right, moved onto an Aliguma pass, won a physical challenge
with a defender but fired a delivery not only across Briggs but also beyond the
far post. Foster was next to be justly booked for the visitors for a sliding
tackle, which looked wild but collided with no part of an opponent and after
the quiet Chris Martin’s long shot had been deflected for a right-wing corner,
Danny Martin’s centre caused a problem for Briggs, who crashed into a defender,
as Aliguma jumped; the defender fell, the ball flew out for a Mickleover shot
but the referee stopped the game, even though the prone player appeared not to
have sustained a head injury. Interesting stuff…
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Foster is about to see yellow... |
Half-time, rain was imminent and although the second period
began with a Blackburn centre and Hamson stepping over the ball, Royals failed
to capitalise. After Foster’s next shot rose off target, Danny Martin, in an
offensive position, lost possession and Pinxton raced away, three on two, with
the linesman behind play. The eventual pass rolled left to Vernon, who was just
onside but Warner’s advancing challenge saw the striker fall to the ground and
win a penalty, which he put away into the net, neatly as a pair of socks into
the left side of his bedroom drawer.
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Pinxton lead 1-0... |
Scrappy play soon ensued at the edge of the Mickleover
penalty-box, people fell over, feet hacked like a fallen deer in a ditch and
home player Tom Ellis was subsequently cautioned. Buxton’s fine right-wing
centre saw Simpson drop off a defender beyond the far stick but his downward
header, to his own horror, bounced gently into Briggs’ arms at the near post,
with colleagues in the middle dribbling with anticipation. Chris Shelton, a
tall, lively winger replaced Ellis for the hosts, Josh Gregory replaced Danny
Martin for the guests and then Aliguma’s shot, following Mickleover pressure
struck a defender, with Aliguma claiming a penalty, which was rightly not
given. Simpson couldn’t direct a far post header from Shaun Roberts’ left-side
corner, before Pinxton missed their opportunity to make the game all but safe.
Senior, in too much midfield space, chose to fire a low 27 yard shot and
although Warner seemed to be saving comfortably, falling left, the ball chose
to take a late hop, bouncing away from him and before the big ‘keeper could
recover, Vernon was there, like a vulture at a carcass, only to steer his shot
wide of the left post from 6 yards, amazing everyone to the point that we
thought Warner had saved it. He hadn’t.
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A spectator wonders where the game has gone... |
The turning point thus reached, Royals won a right-flank
corner, which was played back for Roberts, whose drive apparently struck the
arm of a defender and the referee signalled a penalty, which Roberts, who had
not affected the game as much as surely he would have liked, smacked low into
the net, a shot which rapped against the hoarding behind the goal and flew back
out, like against a school playground wall. Ryan Booker had spent a few seconds
bending Roberts’ ear to put him off but had failed and Josh Parker had been
booked for grumbling and mumbling about the decision. Roberts had stayed calm.
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Roberts (8) has equalised and Chris Martin carries the gold, but we seem to be missing the frankincense and myrrh... |
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Simpson (4) explains that his friends didn't mean to say nasty things to each other... |
Royals’ Nashan Wilson replaced Blackburn, whose deliveries
had been somewhat erratic from the right, despite his endeavour and James Buck
took the place of the hyped-up Aliguma and when Wilson’s low cross evaded
several sets of boots, like Messi was dribbling it, Buck collected it, made for
the left byeline, crossed superbly to Wilson but the winger headed upwards and
well over the crossbar from a good position at the back stick. Another hopeful,
long, low drive by Pinxton’s Senior caused Warner to slither across his now
slick, damp goal-line and nudge the ball away for a right-wing corner, but the
flag-kick flew off what looked like Hamson’s challenging body at the near post
towards goal, where Rowley jumped, a yard or so out and headed the ball over
the bar for a heartbreaking miss, which would have been a brilliant defensive
clearance.
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Did these two dance in the morning to make the sky turn black? |
Gregory was doing sterling work on the Mickleover left and
an astute pass inside on one occasion let in Buck but the substitute’s
right-footer was too easily held by Briggs, when maybe a left-footer across the
‘keeper would have brought a greater reward. Pinxton were then gifted a clear
chance again to snatch the victory; Gregory and Buck lost out to Shelton, who
made a fine run past Chris Martin along the right flank, slipped Vernon in
again but with only Warner to beat, the forward again dragged his shot across
goal and wide of the left upright. Even Warner appeared not to believe it. Cory
Hardy replaced strong home defender Parker, Gregory slid on the rain-wet
surface to earn a caution, Foster’s 25 yard free-kick from inside-left swerved
disappointingly away and beyond the far post and after Ben Newman had replaced
the useful, often creative home midfielder Danny O’Donnell, Warner advanced
from goal to beat away Rowley’s shot from 16 yards, inside-left channel,
another chance cast aside.
As the game edged to a close, Buxton slipped a pass inside
Farnsworth, Wilson ran onto it on the right and with the home defence
unbalanced and surprised and Briggs moving out to narrow the winger’s angle,
Wilson passed the ball across goal and there was Hamson, alone, to turn the
ball into a gaping net from a few yards out. 1-2 to Mickleover, Pinxton
couldn’t believe it, but on chances alone, maybe the visitors felt they had
just shaded the game, despite the lack of a predatory finisher in blue on the day.
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A joyful finish for the visitors... |
Senior and O’Donnell had been the pick of the midfielders,
certainly after the break, but Vernon hadn’t been able to capitalise from open
play and it was surprising that Rowley’s pace hadn’t been utilised more in the
second period. For Royals, the willing Hamson took his chance smartly, Foster
was often difficult to cover but Chris Martin and Blackburn didn’t really
exploit the wings to any degree, with Danny Martin and Roberts not always very
prominent. Ash Lynch and Simpson were tough competitors in defence and Warner
made a couple of crucial saves but maybe a draw would have satisfied both
teams, considering how close they came to scoring on a number of
occasions…
Teams:
Pinxton:
Gareth Briggs (Capt), Josh Parker, Lee Farnsworth; James Senior, Josh
Madin, Ryan Booker; Antony Rowley, Kurtis Bamford, Jake Vernon, Dan O’Donnell,
Tom Ellis.
Subs: Cory Hardy, Jon Nussey, Chris Shelton, Ben
Newman.
Mickleover:
Ash Warner, Oli Buxton, Ash Lynch; Jordan Simpson, Peter Aliguma, Danny
Martin (Capt); Ben Blackburn, Shaun Roberts, Davy Hamson, Ash Foster, Chris
Martin.
Subs: Owen Brown, Josh Gregory, Ryan Thompson, James
Buck, Nashan Wilson.
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