Matt Varley returned to the starting line up at the
expense of Charlie Oglesby who dropped to the bench alongside new signing from
Shirebrook Town Ashley Rawson. Having had his red card in the game against
Garforth Town rescinded Steve Carty was able to play, in the left back position
he seems to have made his own since filling in there previously and sitting out
the game, but still in attendance to support his team mates was Adam Scott who
wasn’t able to appeal his sending off in that same game...
After a bout of heavy rain which caused the postponement
of their previous game Staveley Miners Welfare took to the field and kicked
down the hill towards the carpark of Maltby Mains Muglet Road ground, in a
slightly altered home kit of Blue and white striped shirts, BLUE Shorts and
BLUE socks, with an opportunity due to other games in the division not
surviving the weather to catch up (on games played) and rectify the slightly
false looking position of 11th in the table. The same being true for
the home side who have as many as seven games in hand on some clubs and find
themselves in 16th.
A scrappy opening fifteen minutes saw both side’s huff
puff and struggle to get to grips with the inclement weather and heavy bobbly
surface…
…Play continued following a foul on Jamie Brown but was
brought back for a freekick when an advantage failed to materialise and was
quickly taken by Richard Mintoft to Jamie Brown but the ball ran out of play
just as he was about to cross into the crowded box.
After twelve minutes Derek Niven exchanged passes with
Steve Carty and his left wing cross was cleared out to Kieran Watson who shot
wide and defender Matt Varley got in on the act with skills (including a
dragback turn!!) the top attackers would be proud of, beating three players in
midfield. and stroding forward with purpose before allowing the pitch to beat
him as the ball bobbled and left Staveleys captain striking thin air.
It wasn’t all Staveley however and Matlbys combative
style came to the fore when Steven Hopewell burst into the Staveley box and
deftly back heeled it to striker Brian Cusworth to steer a shot wide of Ryan
Musselwhites far post. This, moments after an overreaction from Cusworth and
pretty much the entire Maltby bench had got Fabian Smith booked for an
innocuous looking foul.
The game had been simmering but came to the boil on 23
minutes when Kieran Watson won and took a corner which Maltby goalkeeper Jamie
Bailey had to palm over to stop it sailing in direct and from the second corner
Matt Varley narrowly failed to get a touch on the ball which Maltby cleared up
field and in an instant had won a corner themselves when Ryan Musslwhite in
goal for Staveley looked to have collected the ball comfortably but had taken
the ball over the line in doing so.
Unfortunately Joshua Nodder was able to do what Kieran
Watson couldn’t just moments earlier and aided by there being no one in
Staveley blue on the posts he put his side in the lead direct from the corner.
Maltby 1 – 0 Staveley MW
Their lead didn’t last long though as after Alex Pugh had
exchanged passes with Jamie Brown down the right hand side he won a corner when
his cross was diverted behind by what looked like the hand of former Staveley
favourite Chris Fawcus, as he turned to try and block the cross although it
wasn’t deliberate, you’ve “seen them given” and no doubt will again.
Justice was served however when Steve Cartys corner was
headed into the middle of the goal by Courtney Hastings.
Maltby 1 – 1 Staveley MW.
A goal which should’ve settled Staveley merely galvanised
Maltby into action, with their number 11 Sam Forster the tormentor in chief. After
cutting inside and unleashing a fierce shot which just cleared the bar he
headed towards goal where another comfortable save was made anything but by a
nervy Ryan Musselwhite who fumbled the ball towards his own goal only to redeem
himself by bravely diving onto the ball under pressure from Brian Cusworth
sliding in at the far post but in the forty second minute an unmarked,
unchallenged Jordan Poole scored the goal that the home side had been
threatening for the last five or six minutes, tapping home a cross from the
right.
Maltby 2-1 Staveley MW
It very nearly got worse for Staveley as just as the
crowd were about to join the queue for the halftime pies, Steve Carty headed
back towards Ryan Musselwhite who just about got something onto a Brian
Cusworth header who had intercepted the attempted back pass.
Half Time: Maltby Main 2 – 1 Staveley MW
Through no fault of anyone something clearly wasn’t right
and Staveley Manager Brett Marshall rang the changes at halftime with Ryan
Watters coming on for Ross Goodwin and new boy Ashley Rawson coming on for what
would be a rather impressive debut in the place of Fabian Smith.
The changes allowed Staveley to take control of the game
but not before further defensive scares threatened to put it beyond their
reach… as early as the forty sixth minute panic in the Trojan area resulted in
a chance for the home side to tap the ball into an open goal but a combination
of the rain, pitch and various bodies luckily resulted in it being spooned over
from two yards and a Liam Flint flick from a corner took the ball off of Brain
Cusworth head.
The Staveley fightback started on the hour when Steve
Carty on half way found Kieran Watson inside the box who was tackled trying to
bustle his way through two defenders fortunately the ball fell kindly to
Courtney Hastings whose first time shot from just inside the area flew past
Jamie Bailey into the roof of the net…
Maltby 2 – 2
Staveley MW
Staveley and in particular Ashley Rawson took control of
the midfield battle as an up until now reasonably comfortable home side
crumbled and couldn’t cope with Ryan Watters and Jamie Brown who were joining
the attack with relative ease.
On 62 minutes Jamie Brown fed Kieran Watson whose fierce
strike went over the bar and the same man won a corner a minute later after
being fed by Ryan Watters on the opposite side, from that corner Derek Niven
almost gave Staveley the lead with a goalbound strike which cannoned off an
onrushing defender.
The Trojans didn’t have to wait long for the lead though
and on 70 minutes Courtney Hastings wrapped up his hattrick with a textbook
header from a Steve Carty corner, won following a Jamie Brown surge down the
left, sending the ball back in the direction it had come from and over Jamie
Bailey in goal.
Maltby 2 – 3 Staveley MW
Charlie Oglesby came on for Derek Niven and went to left
back with Steve Carty moving into the central midfield position vacated by
Niven and it was Oglesbys pass that lead to the next goal…
Courtney Hastings collected the pass and ran in on goal
where he was felled by Jordan Poole and this time the penalty claims were not
waved away and in a brilliant show of team work usual taker Hastings, having
already scored three had no hesitation in handing the ball to his strike
partner Kieran Watson who lashed the ball straight down the middle to give the
Trojans some breathing space.
Maltby 2 – 4 Staveley MW
To their credit Maltby kept going and kept Ryan
Musselwhite busy but the game was over as far as the result was concerned when
in the 82nd Jamie Brown capped a magnificent second half team
performance cutting inside and unleashing a 20 yard shot which flew into the
bottom corner…Courtney Hastings almost made in 6 in the last minute but saw his
flick over the onrushing ‘keeper take a “bad bounce” round the post and got
clattered in the process.
Full Time Maltby Main 2 – 5 Staveley MW
Attendence:48
SMWFC Line up:1.Ryan Musselwhite.2.Alex Pugh.3.Steve
Carty.4.Fabian Smith(14.Ryan Watters).5.Matt Varley.6.Richard Mintoft.7.Ross
Goodwin(12.Ashley Rawson).8.Derek Niven(15.Charlie Oglesby).9.Courtney
Hastings.10.Kieran Watson.11.Jamie Brown.
Subs not used:16.Mohammed Tijani GK.Chris Butt
