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Sunday 5th September 2010
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Matches played Saturday 7th March 2009
West Hull back on form, but Pinefleet show the way to goal.
After what seems like weeks of being distracted by the ERCFA Intermediate Cup – which is now just a memory – Pinefleet Wolfreton finally returned to Amateur League Premier Division action and a start to reducing their accumulation of fixtures, with the improved weather, for the third consecutive week, allowing games to take place on firm surfaces.
Pinefleet included three players making their senior debuts against AFC West Hull and Andy Clark rolled back the years to stand in at centre half. Both teams started well, trying to knock the ball about, and it was West Hull who probably started the better, but Pinefleet hit them on the break and striking from deep for Liam Stafford to find Graham Waudby in space and he who coolly slotted the ball home.
With Pinefleet on top, it took only a short time before the lead was doubled with a fine individual goal from Phil Welsh on his debut. This second set back kick started West Hull into life and they very nearly pulled a goal back, but Pinefleet keeper Darren Hemmings saved well from close range. With the winds at their backs, Pinefleet kicked on, but were unable to find another goal before the break.
The second half was totally one sided, with West Hull launching attack after attack, but they were unable to force a way past the Pinefleet defence who stood firm, limiting West Hull to some long shots and plenty of corners and set plays. Overall West Hull will be disappointed not to have taken anything from the game.
Quaddy Rangers started the game at AFC Preston, where the lengthy grass made playing conditions difficult, at a very fast pace, with the pairing of Simon Start and Dave Bettney up front continuing to combine very well and both put their names on the scoresheet within the first ten minutes.
Quaddy have generally been on a roll of late and were fearful that fate would conspire against them, and this had happened when the in-form Start cockled while running down the touchline and appeared to sustain a broken ankle – later diagnosed as tendons – and the game was halted until he was removed to hospital.
When play was able to resume, Quaddy were unable to pick up their earlier form, and Preston took advantage and some good passing movements produced goals from Mike Wardell and Simon Kew which brought the scores level at the break.
The half time interval possibly allowed Quaddy to regroup, as they came out of the blocks quickly and Dave Bettney’s sixth goal in the last three games restored their lead, but the advantage was short lived as Simon Kew extended his recent personal goal flurry to level for Preston..
The game then became an end to end encounter, with Jamie Marshall showing up well for Quaddy, but no further scoring took place before the final whistle sounded.
The neat play and good form of The Lair does not always manifest itself in successful match results, but last weekend proved to be the day when ‘it all came together’ against Sutton Fields Rangers.
The game was full of good, fast flowing, entertaining football and The Lair took the lead with a brilliant Liam Beardshaw free kick which he bent over the wall and into the far corner away from the diving Sutton Fields keeper, Liam Walker.
It was end to end football and there were chances for both teams with the Sutton Fields keeper been called into action to produce some fine saves, and conversely the many Sutton Fields attacks saw the Lair defence hold firm to protect their lead to the interval.
Early in the second half saw some good interchanging of passes to put James Johnson through on goal and he made no mistake in beating the keeper to extend the Lair’s lead.
This was quickly followed by virtual carbon copy goal, with a good build up and more quick passing which allowed Andy Waller, who had come on as a substitute, to make it 3-0 with a neat finish.
The Lair still had chances to further extend their lead, but were denied by more fine saves by keeper Walker, but equally, as earlier, strong defending by the Lair prevented Sutton Fields getting onto the score sheet.
The expectation from the top-of-the-table clash in Division 1 between AFC Hull and Hessle Sporting, at King George V Playing Fields, Hessle looked as though it would be a close encounter akin to several games league leaders AFC Hull have been involved in of late, while second-placed Hessle Sporting came into the match looking for their sixth straight win.
However, it took just five minutes for AFC Hull to open the scoring, when a Jamie Gascoigne cross was calmly slotted past Hessle keeper Karl Sheriff by Alex Albrow who recorded his first goal for the club, and ten minutes later, it was almost two-nil when Sean McFaul, Mark Friston and Alex Albrow combined brilliantly, but Albrow’s effort on goal went narrowly wide.
On a relatively short pitch and with a strong breeze, AFC Hull keeper Craig Lindley's long clearances were always going to test the host’s defence and after twenty-three minutes, his clearance unlocked the Hessle defence when a defender attempted to direct the ball back to his own goalkeeper, but he mis-judged the header, allowing the quick-thinking Sam Nicholson in on goal, and he lobbed the ball over the stranded goalkeeper.
AFC Hull's third goal came on thirty-one minutes and was another result of quick thinking from AFC Hull when Mark Friston spotted the Hessle keeper off his line and struck the ball sweetly from edge of the centre circle into the back of the net.
On a rare attack, with ten minutes of the first half remaining, Hessle were awarded a free kick from a wide position twenty yards from the visitor's goal, and the kick was well-struck and a Hessle forward managed to get a toe to the incoming cross, but could only direct the ball onto the far post.
Alex Albrow's throw-ins and corners had caused the Hessle defence a lot of problems throughout the first half, all the team's work on the training ground paying off after 37 minutes when an Albrow corner swung towards the far post was headed home by Mark Friston.
AFC Hull introduced substitutes Dale Carty and Damon Brooks shortly after the start of the second half, and ten minutes later added the versatile Rio Buckley, and after just six minutes after entering the field of play, Rio Buckley made his presence felt by putting his name to the score sheet following an exquisite pass in-field from Albrow.
Re-energised by the fresh legs, AFC Hull pushed forward looking to add to their tally, and within two minutes of scoring his first goal of the match, Rio Buckley notched his second, Albrow again the provider, his corner picking out Buckley’s head, and he powered the ball past Hessle's busy 'keeper.
With eleven minutes remaining, Rio Buckley secured his second hat-trick of the season after emerging from the bench, springing Hessle's off-side trap, and finishing well from fifteen yards out.
On eighty-one minutes, Nathan Nichol broke down the AFC Hull right and struck the ball past the Hessle number one from the tightest of angles, and having found his scoring boots, Nichol repeated the feat a minute later powering home a Rio Buckley cross, past the now dispirited Hessle goalkeeper.
With both Paull Wanderers and AFC West Hull B needing points to climb up the Division 1 table, a close game was in prospect when the sides faced each other at Pickering Park, but Paull seemed to settle the better and created the first chance when Michael Ward ran at the West Hull back four and found himself one on one with the keeper, and all the Paull team expected Ward to shoot, but he heard a call from Danny Wilbor who was at the back post all on his own, and passed to him, only to then watch as Wilbor sliced the ball inches wide.
It was not long before Paull and Wilbor had a second great chance to score – again unsuccessfully - this time after Tommy Donnelly hit the ball from 25 yards for the ball to come back out off the post, with the West Hull keeper stranded but Wilbor again hit the ball a inch wide.
Within two minutes Paull did get the goal they deserved through Wilbor when he was put through by Donnelly.
The second half was even tighter than the first with both teams taking turns at putting the opposition defence under pressure, but it was Paull who got the all important second goal when Terry Thompson ended his eleven game goal drought, when he too was put in by Donnelly, his first attempt bringing a stunning save from the West Hull keeper, but he made no mistake with the rebound.
West Hull had to raise their game and they got a goal from a long ball over the Paull defence ensuring a tight and interesting last ten minutes of play.
The game was settled in Paull’s favour when Donnelly picked up a clearance from defence and ran at the West Hull keeper with Thompson in support and cleverly acting as a decoy, allowing Donnelly to put the ball away.
A new look Hull Athletic side took to the field against Geoff Wednesday, and Hull Athletic dominated the first ten minutes, but then Wednesday generally took control until half time, though realistically either side could have taken the lead during this period.
The second half was again thrilling stuff in a cracking match, but the decisive move, with around 20 minutes remaining, turned out to be the introduction of Athletic’s ‘wonder’ substitute Danny Robinson who ran, controlled, distributed and scored two superb goals created by himself.
After completing their first double a week previous, The Courts AFC were keen to create another club record of wins in successive matches, when they face Staks FC in Division 2, but the game started badly, with a goal conceded after just 30 seconds when a thunderous shot went in off the far post.
Hard work in the midfield engine room was the order of the day, and Courts gained the upper hand in that department which led to two quick fire goals from leading scorer Chris Joplin, both coming from powerful headers, and it was not long before his strike partner Graeme Hoff got in on the act, showing a blistering turn of pace to take the ball from the halfway line before coolly slotting the ball past the onrushing Staks keeper.
Staks refused to give up and pushed on to grab another goal, punishing some slack work by the Courts defence, but just before half time Hoff grabbed his second restore the Courts’ two goal cushion.
In the second half the Courts midfield took a strangle hold on the game but not until after Staks had recorded a third goal. The Courts were in no mood to let three points slip away and when Joplin added his third of the game it seemed even more goals may be in the offing.
This proved to be the case, but only after Joplin was brought down in the box right in front of the referee, and a penalty was awarded. Hoff stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to claim his third of the game.
After this the Courts shut up the game with some crucial tackles by the midfield and defence making sure there was no way back for Staks, who never gave up chasing the game.
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Match Reports
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24th April 2010
17th April 2010
10th April 2010
3rd April 2010
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