Staveley Miners Welfare have not played since 28th
November and it showed in this Toolstation Northern Counties East Premier Division
match at home to Brigg Town as a below par performance resulted in a bit of a
nightmare before Christmas.
Staveley made a few changes to the team from last time out
as they were without Captain Matt Varley through suspension and his place in
the centre of defence was taken by Alex Pugh and the armband was passed to
Richard Mintoft. Ryan Watters wore the number 11 shirt in place of Jamie Brown
and Chris Baugh made his first start following an injury in the very first game
of preseason replacing Fabian Smith at right back who has now re-joined his old
club Basford United.
It’s fair to say Brigg have struggled a bit since re-joining
the NCEL but having been on a recruitment drive recently and the Zebras now
have a vastly more experienced team and looked nothing like a side that sit
bottom of the league with only 3 goals scored in 11 away games...
...Staveley got the game underway kicking towards the school
end and a lobbed pass from Richard Mintoft was collected by Kieren Watson who
turned and played in Courtney Hastings who but for a marginal offside decision
would’ve been through on goal inside the first thirty seconds.
Five minutes in and Kieren Watson again used his strength to
control and turn and clipped a ball into the box aiming for Courtney Hastings
once more, but he pass was intercepted but the Brigg defence only succeeded in
passing it to Adam Scott on the edge of the area who instigated a one-two with
Courtney Hastings, which almost added a three-four as Hastings return pass to
Scott was intercepted by Scott Matthews whose intervention returned the ball
back to Hastings who from eight yards out under pressure with defenders
blocking his way to goal passed back to Adam Scott who was unfortunately now in
an offside position – but Jody Barford
between the sticks for Brigg had saved anyway.
A flowing passing
move started by left back Scott Matthews resulted in the away sides first
chance of the match, Matthews fed Nathan Smith who found Elliot Broughton
passed to Josh Parker in acres of space just past the halfway line and he had
the time to pick out Paul Grimes who laid off to Nathan Smith and his first
time ball back to Grimes who, had spun off his marker gave the number 9 the
opportunity to strike on goal but Ryan Musselwhite in goal for Staveley comfortably
gathered at his near post.
Brigg were now in the ascendency and were nearly in again
moments later after a Staveley move broke down they hit the Trojans on the
counter and only a brilliant covering inch perfect sliding tackle from Alex
Pugh prevented Elliott Broughton being in on goal sparking a personal duel
between the two players and Pugh then stopped Broughton again this time
recovering well to block a shot after the number 10 had cut inside.
Brigg did eventually breach the Staveley defence and broke
the deadlock on 27 minutes when a corner was swung in and volleyed towards goal
by an unmarked George Farr and was deflected in by Paul Grimes.
Staveley MW 0 – 1 Brigg Town
In the remainder of the half Courtney Hastings, Kieren
Watson and Adam Scott all got their angles wrong as half chances came and went
and on reflection the Trojans had more, albeit not clear cut opportunities to
score than the Zebras but were fortunate to only be 0-1 down at the break.
HT: Staveley MW 0 – 1 Brigg Town
Brett Marshalls team talk would probably have revolved
around the lack of, to put it bluntly interest and desire from a lot of the
Staveley players in the first half, something which was rectified in the
second.
Jody Barford denied Staveley an equaliser early in the half
when he pushed out for a corner which came to nothing, a strike from Ryan
Watters who had been played in by Adam Scott.
Barford was called on again five minutes later from Kieran
Watsons cross / shot a yard up from the right byline who was again set up by
Adam Scott. Barford needed help from his defenders though as he could only
parry the effort from Watson out to Steve Carty who saw his goal bound strike
cannon off Scott Helliwell.
It was now Staveley who were the better team but try as they
might they could not find a way through. Adam Scott again was involved in
creating a chance for Kieren Watson after he showed great determination and
desire to chase down a ball which other players might’ve given up on finding
its way to Ash Rawson via a hurried clearance from Scott Matthews. Rawsons ball
in found Kieren Watson who’s shot on the turn was blocked.
Just on the hour Richard Mintoft had the ball in the back of
the net for the goal that Staveley had deserved but unfortunately it was
chalked off as Courtney Hastings was adjudged to be in an offside position as
he knocked the ball down for Mintoft following Adam Scotts free kick. Replays
show it may have been a harsh decision but it’s not conclusive.
Brigg offered precious little in the way of decent chances and
were content to employ, as is their prerogative time wasting tactics and even
though Staveley were creating, the efforts on goal became more and more
desperate as time went on with the normally lethal Courtney Hastings firing
well over on more than one occasion and you got the sense that this was going
to be one of those days. Which was confirmed in the 86th minute when
under no pressure at all Alex Pugh got himself into a muddle and spooned an
attempted clearance over Ryan Musselwhite in goal who tried to scramble back
and save but couldn’t stop the ball from rolling into the net.
Ft: Staveley MW 0 – 2 Brigg Town
The lack of games didn’t help Staveley which may have
contributed to the flat lethargic approach to the first half and perhaps they
were guilty of believing that they just had to turn up to beat a side bottom of
the league and one that has been so poor all season, and received a harsh
lesson as to the competitiveness of the league- especially one without a
transfer window.
No need to panic however as they did create enough chances
to win the game comfortably and on another day or had just one of those gone in
it may have been a different story.
Attendance: 107
SMWFC Line Up.1.Ryan Musselwhite.2.Chris Baugh.3.Charlie
Oglesby.4.Ashley Rawson.5.Alex Pugh.6.Richard Mintoft.7.Adam Scott.8.Steve
Carty.9.Courtney Hastings.10.Kieren Watson.11.Ryan Watters.(14.Mohammed Tijani)
