Midland Football League Premier Division
Admission £6.00 / £4.00 concession
Attendance: 108
Line-ups
Heanor: Joe McComack, Greg Marriott, Keenan Layton, Josh
Craddock, Shaun Roulstone (c), Adrian Whitmore, Dom Wilkinson, Alex Brown,
Nathan Benger, Joe Naylor, Jay Cooper. Subs: Kyle Daley, Jack Warner, Bailey
Walker, James Wilson, Liam Power
Westfields: Matt Gwynne, Jamie Sauntson, Sam Rawlings, Phil Glover (c), James Febery, Matt Reeve, Craig Jones, Ben Miller, Chris Ham, Aidan Thomas, Alex Hainault. Subs: Scott Jackson, Nathan Hodge, Dan Polan, Richard Greaves, Keiron Blackburn
We hadn’t been to the Town Ground since the end of
December, and on that occasion, the Lions went in at half-time a goal down to
Tividale, and went on to win 4-1. This
game also saw the home team go in with a one goal deficit at the break, and
once again, we saw them turn the game on it’s head to secure an unlikely victory.
Kev’s grandson Owen was with us
for this game – the choice of shopping with Grandma or football with Grandad
was not a difficult one for the youngster to make!
Heanor looked a little off the
pace early doors, and had keeper Joe McCormack to thank for keeping the score
sheet blank. He made a couple of superb saves to keep the rampant visitors out,
but he couldn’t stop CHRIS HAM’s powerful header from a right wing corner on
13. The striker met the ball perfectly, although it should be noted that
McCormack had little defensive cover – and giving a six foot plus striker a
free header in the six yard box will not please the Heanor management team
over-much!
Nathan Benger was making his 250th
appearance for the Lions, but despite have a couple of half chances, never
looked like scoring from free play. Heanor’s best chance of the half came just
before the break, but Joe Naylor on the far post and with the goal gaping,
somehow managed to miss the target and a very respectable chance to level was
wasted. H-T 0-1
With an hour played, Heanor were
awarded a penalty for a mistimed challenge in the box, and BENGER made no
mistake from the spot. Westfields were
soon back in the lead though, HAM again on the scoresheet. As the visitors knocked the ball forward, it
appeared that the Assistant on the far side had raised a flag for an offside –
a flag the Referee Tom Kidd ignored, waved the play on allowing the Westfields
big no. 9 to run and smash a terrific shot into the top corner. If Heanor had
have heeded the old adage of play to the whistle, they may have closed Ham
down, but they didn’t and were duly punished.
As the game entered the last 15
minutes, Heanor began to show a little more spirit and took the game to their
visitors. Sub JACK WARNER was on the line to prod home Shaun Roulstone’s header
from a corner to bring the scores level again, then a minute or so later,
COOPER tried his luck from 20 yards and the ball cannoned off the inside of the
post before nestling in the back of the net.
COOPER added more misery to the
Westfield travelling few just before the final whistle – dribbling his way into
the box before taking time to pick his spot and fire the ball past keeper
Matthew Gwynne. F-T 4-2
A remarkable turn around from the
Derbyshire outfit, and I’m sure that the Westfields fans, players, management
must have travelled back down to Hereford wondering how the heck they lost this
game, especially after such a poor performance in the first hour from their
hosts.