Following the heavy defeat to Handsworth Parramore in the
previous game it was all change for Staveley Miners Welfares trip to an in form
AFC Thackley who have only lost three times since the turn of the year.
Nick Siddons was replaced in goal by Chris Butt, who was
playing in his second game in as many days following an outing in the Under21s
2-1 win over Mickleover sports and his top of the HKL Under21 League team mates
Greg Fitzpatrick and Tom Gambles occupied the left and right full back
positions but they were both given the night before off. They sandwiched a
central defensive pairing consisting of the versatile Chris Baugh and the
returning as Captain Matt Varley.
The Trojans opted for a 4-3-3 formation and in midfield were
Steve Carty, Kurtis Morley and Adam Scott with Courtney Hastings, Kieren Watson
and Dan Fletcher up front.
Staveley after a long season are in that sometimes
problematic league position of not being able to win the league but in no
danger of going down but after kicking off the game heading towards the carpark
in their traditional colours of blue and white striped shirt blue shorts and
socks they showed no signs of letting the season drift away and immediately
went on the attack…
…Kurtis Morley played in Courtney Hastings who found Adam
Scott out on the left who jinked right past Craig Bentham and let fly with a
right footed shot which flew into the top corner at the far post.
Thackley - 0 - 1 Staveley MW
Staveley “went for it” again just moments later when Dan
Fletcher via Kurtis Morley found Adam Scott in space, again on the left. This
time he elected to cross just out of the reach of Steve Carty but a foul was
given so a goal wouldn’t have stood in any case. Kieren Watson was also
unfortunate not to be in a good position to turn and shoot but a bad bounce
meant a ball from the back by Matt Varley eluded him at the vital moment.
The home side shook themselves into action and Tom Dugdale
surged forward and threw in a couple of step overs before finding Andrew Wood,
but Chris Butt was equal to his long range effort, first taking the sting out
of the shot and gathering at the second attempt.
Chris Butt came to the rescue again soon after gathering the
ball into his chest this time under pressure from Thomas Dugdale following a
low cross from the right by Ryan Farrell.
Staveley were well on top though and after a couple of
decent passing moves had not yielded the required results Courtney Hastings
sprung the offside trap in the 12th minute and raced onto a through
ball from Kurtis Morley and gave Luke Wilson in the home goal no chance with a
right footed shot into the bottom left corner.
Thackley - 0 – 2 Staveley MW
Five minutes later Kieren Watson put the Trojans into dream
land capping a fine team goal started when Chris Baugh snuffed out a Thackley
attack by heading their long ball forward sideways to Tom Gambles, he in turn
found Dan Fletcher who spun inside shielding the ball from Byron Littlefair and
laid off to Matt Varley. Varley went left to Greg Fitzpatrick who spotted the
run of Courtney Hastings and landed the ball perfectly into the 21 goal striker
he controlled and laid off to his 22 goal strike partner Watson who used the
bounce to firstly beat defender Ben Beckles and then make it 23 for the season
by lobbing Luke Wilson and into the net.
Thackley - 0 - 3
Staveley MW
At three nil down teams can either capitulate and lose five
or six, or have a go and see what happens because as we know anything can
happen in football. Unfortunately for the Trojans Thackley decided on the
latter and just two minutes later a long ball forward found its way to Ryan
Farrell on the right-hand side of the box where, he rode a desperate challenge
from
Greg Fitzpatrick and slotted the ball past Chris Butt.
Thackley 1 - 3 Staveley MW
The goal gave the home side a glimmer of hope and it was
clear that this game was far from over, becoming very open as both sides went
for it… Dan Fletcher played in Courtney Hastings but he dummied it to allow it
through to a better placed Kurtis Morley but the defender got there first to
clear. Morley then picked up an injury that would see him leave the field ten
minutes later and, there are hundreds of incidents in a game that change the
outcome of the result but this would prove to be one of the more pivotal ones
as Staveley were robbed of the player that up until this moment had been the
main creative force behind their brilliant start.
Replacing Morley was Richard Mintoft and he went into the
back four with Chris Baugh moving into the midfield position vacated by Morley.
Just before halftime Thackley got themselves the lifeline
that had seemed beyond them just twenty minutes in when several shots caused
panic in the Staveley defence resulting in a corner which wasn’t dealt with
properly by Chris Butt, who may have been fouled in the build-up, or the rest
of the Trojans back defending and Kristian Hargreaves managed to scramble the
ball home.
HT: Thackley - 2 - 3 Staveley MW
The next goal is so often crucial and it wasn’t long in coming
as in the 48th minute the ball fell kindly to the home sides captain
Craig Bentham and from 20 yards out shaped a bending shot into the top right
hand corner.
Thackley - 3 - 3 Staveley MW
There had been enough action to last for two or three games
but this game which had 40 odd minutes left in it still wasn’t done…
On 49 minutes Courtney Hastings had his header from a Steve
Carty corner headed off the line and from the break out Ryan Farrell shot from
right to left across Chris Butt but just wide of the far post.
Another Thackley break broke Staveley hearts with Greg
Fitzpatrick stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place on his own in
defence. With two players to cover he elected, correctly, to go towards the
danger – Tom Dugdale cutting from the left and bearing down on goal, but in
doing so left Ryan Farrell in the middle who once found by Dugdale had the
simple chance of giving his side from 0-3 down an unbelievable lead in the 54th
minute.
Thackley - 4 - 3 Staveley MW
A clearly deflated Staveley kept going though and had
several chances of their own to equalise but were thwarted by Luke Wilson in
goal, who seemed to be galvanised by his teammate’s revival and from out of
nowhere pulled off several saves that he hadn’t seemed capable of in the first
45 minutes.
Adam Scott went close brilliantly passing the ball into the
net from just left of the penalty spot after Steve Carty had picked him out
from the right, only to see Wilson dive to his left and tip the ball round the
post.
Steve Carty then had a decent shout for a penalty when
collecting an Adam Scott pass but the referee waved play on and from a
resultant Matt Varley throw-in tossed right “into the mixer” Courtney Hastings
headed towards goal only to see Luke Wilson once again deny the Trojan attack.
Jamie Brown had come on for Dan Fletcher and he collected
another Matt Varley rocket throw in winning a corner from right, swung in by
Steve Carty to which Richard Mintoft got his head to but steered wide.
A superb crossfield ball from Adam Scott from the left found
Jamie Brown on the opposite wing and he cut inside and shot. Again Luke Wilson
was equal to it but this time he got lucky as no one in Staveley blue followed
up the rebound which surely would’ve been smashed home had they done so.
But, it turned out to be one of those days when Thackley in
trying to eke out the time left went to the corners but were able to escape far
too easily and Ryan Farrell completed his hattrick stepping inside the box and
evading a couple of Staveley challenges found enough space to strike from close
range and wrapped up the points with five minutes left.
FT: Thackley - 5 - 3 Staveley MW
A disappointing end to a game that had started so so well
but one which in the long run will serve as a good learning experience for the
young Trojans that, after a long and productive season are perhaps running out
of steam a little as it draws to its close.
Attendance: 79
SMWFC Lineup: 1.Chris Butt.2.Tom Gambles.(16.Lewis
Naylor).3.Greg Fitzpatrick.4.Kurtis Morley (12.Richard Mintoft).5.Matt
Varley.6.Chris Baugh.7.Adam Scott.8.Steve Carty.9.Courtney Hastings.10 Kieren
Watson.11.Dan Fletcher (14.Jaimie Brown)
Subs not used: 15.Charlie Oglesby. GK. Nick Siddons
