Both Staveley Miners Welfare and their opponents this
evening Pickering Town have achieved top eight finishes this season, both are
in “end of season” mode and both took the field in HKL Limited sponsored
Staveley shirts after some shenanigans on the A1 caused the half time arrival
of the Pikes officials and kit!
Their team arrived early enough however and they took to the
field to face a Staveley side that welcomed back Adam Scott and Dan Fletcher to
the starting line up with Nathan Jessop moving to the bench and Chris Baugh
missing from the injury he picked up in the last game.
The Trojans almost scored inside the first minute when
Kurtis Morley caught Liam Shephard in possession, dropped the shoulder to go
past Niall Tilsley and crashed a shot from the edge of the area onto the
crossbar, which went back into play for Tilsley to clear.
More overplay in their own defensive third saw Ryan Cooper,
this time being caught in possession again by Kurtis Morley. His interception
fell to Adam Scott who latched onto the loose ball and used a burst of pace to
get into the box to try and get past Liam Shephard and succeeded in doing so
initially, but unfortunately Shephard got back in and was able to clear off
Scott for a goalkick.
Pickering got into the game after fifteen minutes and after
five or six passes around the back four Liam Shephard carried the ball forward
crossed the half way line and passed left to his advancing fullback, Denny
Ingram who after a one-two with Ged Dalton advanced into the corner of the six
yard box and shot low across Chris Butt who saved with his feet. Butt needed to
react quickly to a shot from around the penalty spot from Lewis Taylor after
play had been recycled following his earlier save, and did…diving to his right
to keep it out.
They were through again when Terry Taylor pounced on a poor
pass out from defence and raced clear onto a flick from Ryan Cooper but
thankfully his dink with the outside of his right boot clipped the crossbar and
out for a goal kick.
Staveleys best chance of the half came five minutes before
it ended. A superb tackle form Kurtis Morley on his opposite number Ryan Cooper
wrestled possession back for the Trojans and after exchanging passes with Dan
Fletcher, Staveleys number eight hit a bending, swerving right footed strike
towards goal from the edge of the area requiring Pickering ‘keeper Toby Wells
to acrobatically tip wide of his near post
HT: Staveley MW 0 – 0 Pickering Town
On fifty two minutes it was Staveleys turn to get caught in
possession and they were made to pay when Ryan Cooper passed to Ged Dalton who
shifted the ball from his left foot to his right, opened his body and clipped a
shot over Chris Butt and in.
Staveley MW 0 – 1 Pickering Town
Five minutes before the hour mark the weather decided to
take a turn for the worse and both sets of players did well to contend with
rain, hail and the bit of snow thrown in for good measure and Staveley started
to press for an equaliser with Adam Scott trying to release Dan Fletcher down
the left but the ball just ran through to ‘keeper Toby Wells.
Kurtis Morley then stung the hands of Wells with a long
range effort which he pushed wide for a corner which Richard Mintoft headed
over, and Adam Scott had a similar effort to Pickerings Denny Ingram in the
first half cleared for a corner.
Toby Wells was at it again not long after, saving low to his
left from Dan Fletchers first time pass after he had been found following
another surge forward from Kurtis Morley but try as they might Pickering’s
‘keeper wouldn’t be beaten all night and the visitors held on for the three
points.
FT: Staveley MW 0 – 1
Pickering Town
Attendance: 98
SMWFC:1.Chris Butt.2.Jack Hutchinson.3Steve Carty.4.Ash
Rawson(16.Matt Robinson).5.Richard Mintoft.6.Charlie Oglesby.7.Adam Scott(14.Mohammed
Tijani).8.Kurtis Morley.9.Lewis Naylor(15.Nathan Jessop) .10.Kieren Watson.11.
Dan Fletcher
Not Used:12.Alex Pugh
