Albion Sports (2) 3
Lamin Janneh 10
Samuel Denton 35
Sumaili Cissa 47
Staveley Miners Welfare (1) 2
Adam Baskerville 31pen, 88pen
The first game of 2018 saw the Trojans take the longish trip to Throstles Nest home of their opponents Albion Sports. The two teams over the last few years have had similar fortunes having started the day locked on twenty five points each and usually serve up some entertaining fayre having featured sixteen goals in their games last season and shared six in the reverse fixture earlier this.
Coming back into the starting eleven were Liam Nelthorpe and tom Ellis replacing Joel Smith and Ash Rawson who had departed for Dronfield Town earlier in the week.
The hosts got the game underway but it was the Trojans who started the better of the two sides retaining some good possession before Robson Doolan change the emphasis of the attack with a switch over from left to right where Ricky Hanson crossed looking for Cameron Johnson but he was beaten to the ball by the mass ranks of the Albion defence. A minute later after an Albion attack had broken down the Trojans broke quickly allowing Liam Nelthorpe to let fly from distance but his shot was charged down.
Albion after that initial burst from Staveley started to get themselves into the game and exerted some pressure themselves and on six minutes Danny Facey found himself one on one with Matty Leese who spread himself well to flick the prolific centre forwards effort wide of the far post...
Leese combined with Connor Williamson on the edge of his area to keep out a similar chance seconds later but unfortunately the ball ricocheted to Lamin Janeh who had the simple task of poking it into the empty net.
Albion Sports 1 -0 Staveley MW
Staveley continued to create chances with Cameron Johnson just scuffing his shot after he had done well with a run across the edge of the box and then Tom Ellis produced a bit of magic eventually finding Liam Nelthorpe who once again let fly with a goal bound effort only to see it blocked once more…
The best chance so far came in the fifteenth minute when Andrew McCreadie won the ball in a challenge in midfield then sent Cameron Johnson free down the left hand side, and he managed to get the byline and cutback into the centre only to see it blocked and spoon over to Ricky Hanson on the opposite flank who immediately returned it into the box finding Adam Baskerville running in to swivelling his body to meet it on the volley but in just mistiming it by a split second he got underneath the ball to send it over the bar.
They went closer still to finding that equaliser ten minutes later but Chris Fairhurst somehow got his head to Charlie Oglesbys powerful header as he met a corner from the right and flicked it over the bar from off the line.
The incessant Staveley pressure had to pay divedends soon as they went forward again on the half hour mark, where a great advantage was played by the referee allowing Ricky Hanson to continue his run down the right hand side where he found Cameron Johnson who tried to wriggle clear of the Albion defence and was sent tumbling to the ground as he was about to shoot after bundling his way through and…Adam Baskerville levelled the scores from the spot.
Albion Sports 1 – 1 Staveley MW
“basky” then turned from hero to villain (of sorts) or at least in the eyes of the referee he did after executing what looked for all the world to be a perfectly timed tackle as he tracked back to stop the home side in their tracks he was penalised with the awarding of a freekick to Albion which would ultimately see the Trojans go in 2-1 behind… the set piece was swung in and headed out for a corner from which Matty Leese looked to be impeded as he tried to claim the ball as it came in but it wasn’t given and it landed perfectly to Samuel Denton to head home at the far post.
HT: Albion Sports 2 – 1 Staveley MW
It was perhaps a tad harsh to be behind at the break and had Cameron Johnson been able to twist his neck a bit more his powerful header just as the halftime whistle was blown instead of heading wide they would have been level… so they had reasons to be optimistic, but no sooner had the second half begun they gave themselves a mountain to climb when Sumailia Cissa was allowed to waltz his way through and scuff the all into the back of the net following a desperate scramble to keep it out from Robson Doolan.
Albion Sports 3 – 1 Staveley MW
Staveley began the fightback almost immediately with a freekick helped back across goal by the head Josh Madin where, it landed at the feet of Andrew McCreadie. his stab towards goal went through the crowd of players in the box but Jake Lofthouse in goal who must’ve only seen it a split second before it emerged got down well to keep it out.
Then five minutes later Connor Willaimson found Tom Ellis who bustled his way through a mass of defenders who had closed him down to find Adam Baskerville on the edge of the area whose shot appeared to hit a hand in the area but despite shouts a penalty was not given.
Two minutes before time, the Trojans pulled another goal back, again via the the boot of Adam Baskerville from the penalty sort after Robson Doolan had been bundled over
Albion Sports 3 – 2 Staveley MW
There was still time… but Tyla Bell after running diagonally across the box couldn’t get his shot away and a goal mouth scramble right at the death unfortunately didn’t produce an equaliser.
FT: Albion Sports 3 – 2 Staveley MW
1.Matty Leese.2.Ricky Hanson.(15.Jack Turnbull)3.Charlie Oglesby.4.Andrew McCreadie(4.Tyla Bell).5.Josh Madin.(12.Joel Smith) 6.Connor Williamson.7.Liam Nelthorpe.8.Robson Doolan.9.Cameron Johnson.10.Adam Baskerville.11.Tom Ellis
Man of Match: Connor Williamson
Attendance:32
