Already without Adam Scott and Courtney Hastings who, left
the field on a stretcher in the last game and now faces at least 6 months out
with knee ligament damage. Kieren Watson was added to Staveley Miners Welfares
injury list in the week after breaking a bone in his foot during the week.
It’s no easy task to replace the 64 goals that those three
have scored this season between them but for the trip to Parkgate Lewis Naylor
was given the nod to play upfront and Kurtis Morley also returned to the side,
the only other change was Nathan Jessop, who started down the right swapping
places with Dan Fletcher.
The home side still needed points to be mathematically
certain of Premier League football next season and looked for goals straight
from the off….
…Goal keeper Josh Lills punt forward was flicked on by Josh
Moore to John Ludufu who put his shot wide of Chris Butts right hand post. The
same two combined again not long after but this time Ludufu was thwarted by a
great block tackle from George Johnson with Ash Rawson mopping up the bits.Then
Josh Moore showed he’s much more than a target to hit by pinging the ball over
Staveleys defence for Alex Lill to hit on the volley but thankfully over.
Staveley were struggling to come terms with Parkgates tight
compact pitch and the home side made sure that they used it to great effect by
not letting the Trojans have the luxury of time on the ball.
In fact the only real
sight of goal in the first half for Staveley, was after six minutes when Steve
Carty down the left hand side powered a header to Kurtis Morley, he went past
two players before feeding Lewis Naylor who, with his back to goal held the
ball up and returned it to Morley who scuffed his shot wide.
Parkgate came back and were thwarted by Chris Butt coming
out to block a shot from Alex Lill on thirteen minutes, Richard Mintoft and
Chris Baugh combined to clear another ball over the top for John Ludufu, Ash
Rawson who after losing the ball in the 26th minute got back to head
a shot from the resultant corner off the line, and Charlie Oglesbys great block
tackle after twenty two minutes was adjudged to be worthy of a freekick?, from
which Josh Moore blazed over.
The Injury list went onto a second sheet of paper just
before halftime when Chris Baugh limped off the field with an ankle injury to
be replaced by Dan Fletcher. Charlie Oglesby moved into the centre of defence
with Steve Carty now occupying in the left back position.
With five minutes remaining Parkgate took the lead that they
had arguably deserved when George Johnson, as last man got caught in possession
on the edge of his own area by Josh Moore and, all on his own he slotted it
past Chris Butt.
HT: Parkgate 1 -0 Staveley MW
Yet another injury, this time to Nathan Jessop forced
Staveley into changes at the beginning of the second half but the introduction
of the energetic Mohammed Tijani brought about a much needed change of pace and
with it a much better half from the Trojans.
Just after the restart, George Johnson found Tijani with an
inch perfect ball over to him on the right hand side, left back Mumbaya
Tafadzwa looked like he was expecting Tijani to take possession of the ball for
a run at him and so positioned himself to deal with that threat. Tijani however
used the gap that Tafadzwa had left between himself and his central defender to
hit Johnson’s ball first time and saw it only just creep wide.
Tijani would not be denied five minutes later when from the
left, Dan Fletcher arrowed an in swinging cross with his right foot right onto
the head of “TJ” who crashed the ball off the underside of the crossbar and
down over the line, to cap a fine couple of days, as this was not only his
first goal for the senior team he, and quite a few of the Staveley line up had
the day before become champions of the HKL under 21s league.
Parkgate 1 – 1 Staveley MW
After a poorish first half Staveley now looked a different
team and Kurtis Morley took the game by the scruff of the neck – a performance
which the fans decided was worthy of “Man of the Match”. From a Parkgate corner
Morley ran the full length of the field before trying to set up Mohammed Tijani
who had bent his run brilliantly to stay onside but a combination of blocking
defenders and Josh Lill on the edge of his area meant he couldn’t quite get on
the end of Morley’s deft pass.
Lewis Naylor won a throw in which Jack Hutchinson tossed to
Mohammed Tijani which appeared to hit hand but whilst Parkgates players
appealed TJ got on with it and took advantage of the static defence when the
decision wasn’t given but his pass across goal was defected into the arms of
Alex Lill.
Two minutes later and the same carry from inside his own
half from Kurtis Morley nearly set up Mohammed Tijani again, but this time TJ
couldn’t get the ball under his spell and again it went through to Lill in
goal.
It was only a matter of time before Staveley took the lead,
which duly came in the seventy fourth minute when a Staveley corner was cleared
out to Ash Rawson who headed left to Steve Carty, whose first time volleyed
cross into box was met by the unfortunate Reece Wesley who headed it into his
own goal.
Parkgate 1 – 2 Staveley MW
It was now Parkgte who were struggling to get forward and
only once in the last fifteen minutes did they make any real attempt on the
Trojans goal, but Charlie Oglesby was on hand to deflect wide Alex Lills cross
from the by-line.
The game was all but won when Craig Laight saw red in the
eighty seventh minute for a wild kick out at Kurtis Morley, but Staveley still
came forward looking for more goals and were unfortunate when 3 v 1 Morley once
again carried the ball a long way and crossed for an unmarked Mohammed Tijani
at the far post who slid in with his right foot only for the ball to touch his
left on the way through with the change in direction causing him to miss the
ball completely.
FT: Parkgate 1 – 2 Staveley MW
The win means that Staveley after a bit of patchy form could
still finish in a very respectable 6th place but results elsewhere mean
that Parkgate have been dragged right back into the relegation dogfight which
seems destined to the wire.
Attendance: 96
SMWFC: 1.Chris Butt.2.Jack Hutchinson.3.Charlie
Oglesby.4.George Johnson.5.Richard Mintoft.6.Chris Baugh.(15.Dan
Fletcher)7.Nathan Jessop.(14.mohammed Tijani).8.Ash Rawson.9.Lewis
Naylor.10.Kurtis Morley.11.Steve Carty.
Not Used: 12. Matt Robinson
Man of the Match (fan vote): Kurtis Morley – took the game
to Parkgate in the second half and was at the centre of everything good going
forward.
