#GAME76 27/03/18 England 1-1 Italy

England 1-1 Italy 

VAR Controversy Denies England the Victory

Quick thinking from Lingard allowed Jamie Vardy to smash home the opener in the first half, however VAR was used to award Italy a debatable penalty which was subsequently scored by Lorenzo Insigne.

It was a long trip ahead of us down to Wembley. We started in Worksop for some food and drinks before getting on the coach from Worksop station which left at 2pm. Around 3 hours later, we were in the Capital having a pint at the Green Man. Before we knew it we were on our way down to Wembley for the game.

This was my third visit to the National Stadium. The first of them being a 3-2 win against Scotland when Rickie Lambert scored his maiden goal on his first cap for The Three Lions in 2013. Then in 2016, we had the heartbreak that was the playoff final, where Mo Diame shattered the dreams of Wednesdayites by scoring a wonder-strike to send Hull City back into the Premier League.

England started the brightest of the two sides and were denied a sniff at goal thanks to good defending by the visitors. Tarkowski picked out Lingard who was unmarked. The Man Utd winger turned and slotted through Vardy. As Vardy pulled the trigger, Mattia De Sciglio chased back and put in a very important tackle to deny the forward.

Italy then had a chance of their own twenty minutes into the friendly. The ‘Azzurri’ worked the ball out to the right flank. Antonio Candreva curled in a very dangerous cross towards the six yard box where Ciro Immobile mistimed his jump and headed poorly over the bar.

Vardy was in on goal again several minutes later. Raheem Sterling rode the tackle of Lorenzo Pelligrini and picked out the run of Vardy. Vardy latched onto the through ball and shot towards goal which was saved by the feet of Donnarumma.

England took the lead on the half hour mark. Raheem Sterling, again, rode the first challenge from Marco Parolo but not the second as the referee blew for a freekick. Jesse Lingard took it quickly and slotted through Jamie Vardy who took a touch before rifling the ball into the top corner.

Italy were in search of an equaliser and had a good chance to minutes later. Immobile found space on the edge of the box and curled towards goal, John Stones was on hand to block the shot and the ball went out of play. The corner fell to Parolo who fired straight over the bar.

Raheem Sterling was a real threat all game with his quick feet and clever thinking. He drove forward and slid the ball down the left side of the box to Ashley Young whose shot took a nick off the heel of Zappacosta to send the ball just wide of the post.

The halftime whistle went with the visitors leading 1-0. England played very well in the first half and manager Gareth Southgate will surely be happy with how his team had conducted themselves.

Ten minutes after the restart, England had another good chance to extend the lead. Eric Dier darted forward from his own half before passing to Sterling. The Man City man ran towards the Italian backline and cut the ball back to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The midfielder turned onto his left foot and hit a fierce effort towards goal. Unfortunately for the Ox, the shot was straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma who caught it. Italy countered and saw Insigne curl Zappacosta’s cut back, towards goal. However the shot was tame and Butland got down to hold the attempt.

Sterling then wasted a good chance to put England further ahead. A good interchange of passes between Lingard, Sterling and Lallana ended with Raheem curling his shot high and over the target.

Italy stepped up the tempo for the final twenty minutes of the match to try and find a leveller, they had two great chances to do so through Insigne. The visitors had a freekick on the left-hand side of the box. Insigne stepped up and whipped his freekick just wide of the upright. Then Insigne volleyed Jorginho’s over the top dinked ball across the face of goal and inches past the post.

Controversy struck before fulltime as Italy equalised. Frederico Chiesa weaved his way into the England area before going to ground clutching at his foot. After the ref had initially decided there was nothing in it, Visual Assistant Referee Daniel Siebert called him over to view the challenge. Referee Deniz Aytekin watched the replay and then gave the spot kick. James Tarkowski was the alleged culprit for standing on Chiesa’s foot. Lorenzo Insigne took the penalty and berried the spot-kick past Jack Butland who had guessed the correct way.

The fulltime whistle went leaving the England fans in disappointment that they were denied the friendly win.

I’d like to give a special mention to the North Notts England Supporters Group and Stuart Eyre for getting this fantastic day out sorted.

Attendance: 82,598
Goals: Vardy (27’); Insigne (87’)
MOTM: Raheem Sterling

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ENG: Jack Butland; Kyle Walker, John Stones (Jordan Henderson), James Tarkowski; Kieran Trippier (Danny Rose), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Adam Lallana), Eric Dier, Ashley Young; Raheem Sterling, Jamie Vardy (Marcus Rashford), Jesse Lingard (Lewis Cook)
Unused Subs: Joe Hart, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Dele Alli, Harry Maguire, Danny Welbeck, Jake Livermore, Alfie Mawson

🇮🇹 ITA: Gianluigi Buffon; Davide Zappacosta, Daniele Rugani, Leonardo Bonucci, Mattia De Sciglio; Marco Parolo, Jorginho, Lorenzo Pelligrini (Roberto Gagliardini); Antonio Candreva (Frederico Chiesa), Ciro Immobile (Andrea Belotti), Lorenzo Insigne
Unused Subs: Gianluigi Buffon, Mattia Perrin, Simone Verdi, Gianmarco Ferrari, Bryan Christiante, Matteo Darmian, Angelo Ogbonna, Marco Verrati, Alessandro Florenzi, Giacomo Bonaventura, Patrick Cutrone

#GAME75 24/03/18 Worksop Town 0-1 Thackley AFC

Worksop Town 0-1 Thackley AFC

Garrod’s Early Goal is Enough as Thackley Beat a Depleted Worksop Side

Mike Garrod tapped the ball home on eight minutes. The game then was back and forth without any end product from either team. The Tigers were without Manager Duncan Milligan, Assistant Manager John Buckley and players such as Callum Fielding, Harry Dunbar, Jack Holden and many more due to them all being away in New York with Balby Carr Academy.

Thackley got their noses in front on eight minutes. Mark Trueman latched onto Whiteleys through ball and fired towards goal. Jason Alexander saved well however the ball fell back to the feet of Trueman who squared the ball across the box for Garrod to tap in the opener. This was the Thackley wingers third goal against the Tigers this campaign. 

Worksop then had a couple of good chances to equalise. Michael Trench, who returned to the starting eleven after serving a suspension, saw his long throw in chested down by Overton. Overton laid the ball off too Igor Mlynarski who fired just wide of the post. 

Moments later, Charlie Baird picked out the run of Matty Overton. Overton dropped the shoulder and cut in from the right before curling towards the bottom corner. Unfortunately for the Worksop loanee, Luke Wilson caught the effort whilst diving. 

Mike Garrod almost netted his brace on twenty three minutes. Garrod received the ball with his back to goal. He spun around and rifled a shot towards goal which was saved by Alexander. 

Wilson was again called into action before the half hour mark. Worksop took the corner short to Luke Black who toyed with his marker about which way he was going to go. He eventually decided to go the outside route and shot fiercely towards the target but Wilson read it like a book and held onto the attempt. 

The rest of the half saw both teams keep the ball well without having that clinical finish at the end of each move. The halftime whistle went to a disappointing first half in terms of excitement. 

The second kicked off and, three minutes in, Luke Black struck the crossbar. Black advanced unchallenged towards the final third before unleashing a ferocious strike towards goal. The keeper was beaten but unfortunately Black saw his effort cannon off the woodwork. 

Luke Robinson then set up Mark Trueman in an attempt to extend their lead. Robinson ran along the edge of the box before sliding the ball through to Trueman who wasted the chance by smashing the ball over the bar. 

Several minutes later, Luke Black found himself in a lot of space on the left. He cut in and tried to catch the keeper out by opening up his body like he going to shoot across goal, but instead fired towards the near post. Disappointingly the shot was tame and Wilson got down to it. 

Mike Garrod made a nuisance of himself all game, he almost netted his and Thackleys second of the match on the hour mark. He ran down the wing, cut in, and rifled towards goal. Thankfully for the Tigers Jason Alexander showed quick reflexes and got down to parry the ball away to safety. 

Then a very stale twenty minutes took place where nothing really happened. Kieran Thompson brought and end to that as he broke free down the right and hit a low driven cross towards the back post. Garrod slid in to connect with the ball however a combination of Alexander and Christian Beaumont kept out the chance. 

On the stroke of fulltime, Jerome White was dismissed for a last ditch challenge on the edge of the box, which thwarted Charlie Baird from advancing one-on-one with the keeper. Jack Barnett stepped up and fired low and wide of the target. 

The referee blew the final whistle to confirm the Tigers fifth successive defeat. They next take on Parkgate FC Away on Saturday 31st of March. Where as the Dennyboys face a trip to Bottesford this Wednesday (28th March), 7.45pm kickoff. 

STAR MAN: Mike Garrod 

The Thackley winger was on fire all afternoon. When the visitors broke forward, the majority of the time it was Garrod who was the spearhead of the attacks. His off the ball movement split the Tiger backline and when he was on the ball, he was hard to tackle. I also want to give a mention to Jason Alexander and Christian Beaumont from the Tigers. Beaumont was excellent on the ball and did not look out of place despite only being 16 and making his debut. Big Jason has received much criticism as of late however today he was superb. He commanded his box brilliantly and produced some fine saves. His handling has improved immensely and his kicking allowed the Tigers to progress quickly into the Thackley half. 

Attendance: 338

Goals: Garrod (8’)

WTFC: Jason Alexander, Christian Beaumont, Michael Trench, Charlie Baird, Jack Barnett, Jay Bownes, Luke Black (Jamie Robinson), Mitch Husbands, Igor Mlynarski (Luke Smith), Joel Phillips, Matty Overton 

TAFC: Luke Wilson, Kieran Thompson, Lawrence Hunter, Pat McGuire, James Rothel, Jerome White (s/o 89’), Mike Garrod, Paul Whiteley, Luke Robinson (Daniel Pickles), Daniel Broadbent (Jordan Hines), Mark Trueman (Joel Beattie)

Unused Subs: Kingston David

#GAME74 21/03/18 Parkgate FC 0-3 Rainworth Miners Welfare

Parkgate FC 0-3 Rainworth Miners Welfare

Wrens hit three past Parkgate to proceed into the next round of the League Cup

An early red card for Tim Whittaker put the hosts in a disadvantaged position for the rest of the 86 minutes left on the clock. A Sykes freekick and a brace from Kyle Jordan sent Rainworth through to the fifth round.

The game sparked into life very early on as four minutes in, Parkgate found themselves down to ten men and a goal down. Ex-Sheffield Wednesday youth player and Worksop Town striker Nathan Modest burst forward towards goal. Just before the Rainworth forward entered the box, Tim Whittaker thwarted the run of Modest. The referee pulled the Parkgate captain aside and sent him off for being the last man. Matt Sykes beautifully hit his freekick over the wall and in off the underside of the crossbar, leaving the keeper with no chance.

Sykes was pushing for his second goal of the game and almost got it four minutes later. Sykes played a one-two with Kyle Jordan before skipping past Simon Mirfin and shooting towards goal. Unfortunately for the winger, Jamie Housley matched the effort and palmed it way to safety.

Parkgate eventually broke out of the attacking display from the Wrens and mustered up two chances of their own twenty minutes in. Firstly, Matt Outram whipped in a cross from the right flank. Sam Race headed towards goal but Race saw his chance saved by the outstretched arm of Andrew Francis. Then Danny Flynn ran onto Simpson’s over the top through ball. He cut across Bennett and fired straight into the body to Francis who caught the shot.

Matt Sykes was upon the chances once again as he almost doubled the lead just before the half hour mark. Although Sykes started from the right-hand side of the field, he managed to weave through the Parkgate backline before rifling a shot towards goal. However, once again, Jamie Housley got down well to parry the ball away from the target. Alex Nightingale picked up the loose ball and pulled it back to the edge of the box where Max Pemberton smashed his shot over the bar.

Martin Brissett should of levelled the game on the 40th minute. Dan Palmer fizzed in a very dangerous low cross towards the front post for Brissett to latch onto. The Parkgate number fluffed his lines though as he sliced his shot over the bar from close range.

On the stroke of halftime, Rainworth doubled their advantage in the cup tie. Nathan Modest darted down the right wing before driving the ball low towards the penalty spot where the deadly Kyle Jordan curled his shot into the bottom corner.

Parkgate has another good chance wasted by Brissett, just before the break. Dan Palmer found space again on the right-hand side. He whipped the ball in towards the back-post where Brissett failed to connect with the inviting cross. The ref blew the whistle with the visitors leading 2-0.

Billy Fox said his words to try and inspire any sight of a comeback from the Steelmen. They started the second period with an audacious chip straight from kickoff. Andrew Francis was alert and had watched the ball all the way and easily dealt with the effort.

The tie was wrapped up five minutes after the break as Kyle Jordan bagged his brace. The Ex-Worksop striker was played through on goal by Alex Nightingale. KJ cooly dinked the ball over Jamie Housley, who had rushed off his line, and into the goal to net his sixth strike for the Wrens.

Parkgate had another chance straight from kickoff but unlike the previous try, this one was taken much better. Palmer switched the ball towards Hanna on the left who swiftly slotted Brissett on towards goal. Brissett’s shot was heading towards the bottom corner until Francis dropped down and held onto the shot.

Welfare countered from Parkgate’s attack. Jack Bennett put substitute Luke Walker through one-on-one with the keeper. Walker tried to slide it into the bottom corner but Jamie Housley got down quickly to keep out the effort.

Just before the hour mark, Kyle Jordan was inches away from scoring his hattrick. Walker burst past Sam Hanna and curled a cross into the middle. Jordan lost his man but saw his glancing header go across the face of goal and just wide of the post.

Jordan almost added an assist to his two goals. His corner was re-directed towards goal by Richard Adams. Adams’ effort was headed off the line by Chris Telling.

Rainworth were content on keeping possession for the next 15-20 minutes to preserve their lead and clean sheet. They had two good chances towards the end of the game. Firstly Jordan beat Mirfin to the ball and tried to take it around the keeper but Housley matched Kyles run. Jordan shot towards goal but, like before, Housley was well positioned to deal with the attempt. Then in stoppage time, Max Pemberton found space 30 yards out. He tried his luck and hit a ferocious effort just wide of the post.

The final whistle went to confirm Welfare’s place in the next round. A good performance from the Wrens who showed quality and camaraderie throughout their possessive style of play. Craig Denton’s side next face Athersley Recreation at home on Saturday 24TH March. With Parkgate exiting the Cup, they can now focus on surviving the relegation battle they find themselves in. They are four points away from safety and face a very hard game away at Pickering Town this Saturday.

STAR MAN: Kyle Jordan
It was good to see KJ play again since his departure from Sandy Lane. I was pleased to see him do well as he played superbly on the night. He scored two well executed goals, linked play very well, and delivered in some quality balls from set piece plays.

Attendance: 70
Goals: Sykes (5’), Jordan (45’, 55’)

PFC: Housley, Simpson (Haigh), Hanna, Whittaker (s/o 4’), Mirfin, Telling, Flynn, Race, Brissett (Baguley), Palmer, Outram
Unused Subs: Thomson, Clayden

RMWFC: Francis, Bennett, Ludlam, Goodwin (Dawes), Adams, Wankiewicz, Sykes, Pemberton, Modest (Walker), Kyle Jordan, Alex Nightingale (Wilson)
Unused Subs: Townsend, Knowles

#GAME73 17/03/18 Leeds United 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday

Leeds United 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday

Owls Leave it Late to Win the Yorkshire Derby

Having won the reverse fixture of this tie, a 3-0 win for the Owls back in October, Wednesday were looking to complete the double over their big rivals. With both teams in bad form, could either side find enough fight to gain the bragging rights?

The Yorkshire Derby was underway and the Owls had a great chance early on. Sam Hutchinson, who returned after a lengthy period out due to injury, won the ball off Pablo Hernandez thanks to a well-timed tackle. Nuhiu picked up the loose ball and slotted it down the right for Joao who cut in past Pennington, and neatly slid the ball through to Reach. Reach latched onto the pass but saw his shot saved by the feet of the Leeds keeper. 

Sam Hutchinson then teed up Reach for another chance to take the lead. Hutchinson did what Sam Hutchinson does best and won a crunching tackle on O’Kane. The ball fell to Adam Reach who took the ball out of his feet before powering a long-range effort towards goal. However Bailey Peacock-Farrell parried the ball away and out for a corner. 

Three minutes later, Leeds saw a glorious chance wasted by forward Ekuban. Stuart Dallas won a freekick on the edge of the box for the home side. Leeds crafted a set-piece routine which cut through the Wednesday defence; Alioski ran across the ball and Hernandez slotted it to Pennington who poked the ball through to Ekuban. With only the keeper to beat, his shot was saved well by Wildsmith. 

Leeds were then denied a sniff at an opener thanks to a great defensive challenge from the Owls. A Wednesday attack minded throw-in quickly transitioned into a Leeds chance. Alioski picked out Hernandez from just over halfway. Hernandez found Ekuban. Ekuban held up the ball before playing through Alioski who had continued his run. The Macedonian winger pulled the trigger but Venancio stopped the effort with a crucial tackle to keep the score line level. 

The home side were in on goal once again but failed to capitalise on the opportunity. The corner following Venancio’s tackle was cleared by Reach. Berardi looped his header back into the box where Caleb Ekuban smashed the ball high and into the kop, despite Wildsmith slipping over. 

Atdhe Nuhiu then had a good chance to put the Owls ahead minutes before the break. Nuhiu played a one-two with Adam Reach before twisting and turning his marker on the edge of the box. He then saw his shot deflect off O’Kane and into the hands of Peacock-Farrell. 

Wednesday thought they had taken the lead on the stroke of halftime. Reach’s deep freekick was headed across goal by Ex-Leeds defender Tom Lees to Hutchinson who headed into the net. However as Hutch was celebrating, he soon realised that the linesman had raised his flag and ruled out the goal for offside. The halftime whistle went and both teams went in at the break goalless. 

Both sides were welcomed to the second half by baltic conditions which affected the flow of the game. Players were slipping and the ball pinged quickly across the surface. The ball ended up at the feet of Alioski on the edge of the box, just after the restart. Alioski turned and shot straight over the bar. 

Atdhe Nuhiu went close to breaking the deadlock on the hour mark in the fixture. A poor clearance from the keeper was headed into the path of the Wednesday striker. Kalvin Phillips won the ball off Nuhiu and then tackled Reach. Nuhiu ran into the loose ball and curled his shot towards the top corner which, unfortunately, didn’t dip in time and went inches over the bar. 

Moments later, Adam Reach tried to play the ball out of defence but found himself in a panic when Berardi robbed him of possession in the box. The United right-back turned and hit a fierce effort across the face of goal and wide. 

The stalemate was broken as Atdhe Nuhiu put Wednesday into the lead. Jack Hunt beat his man on the right channel and crossed into the box. Adam Reach saw his glancing header strike the post however Nuhiu reacted quickest and smashed the ball into the back of the net. 

Moments later, the hosts had a good chance to level the tie. Pablo Hernandez sneaked into the box to get on the end of Alioski’s through ball and hit it first time. Wildsmith showed his class though as he quickly got down and blocked the shot. 

Leeds United equalised with four minutes left of normal time remaining. Venancio headed a Leeds corner towards the byline which Pudil subsequently, headed into the path of Hernandez who curled into the middle for Jay-Rot Grot to head past Wildsmith. This sent Elland Road into madness as they must of felt they had nicked a point from their Yorkshire rivals. 

This wasn’t the case though as in the first minute of stoppage time, Nuhiu bagged his and Wednesday’s second of the game. Pudil pumped the ball up field from full-back. Pontus Jansson misjudged his header which allowed Nuhiu to out-strength his marker before beautifully tucking the ball past the keeper, sending the away support into raptures. 

The win wasn’t confirmed though as with what would be the last kick of the game, Leeds won a fortunate freekick just outside the area. This was a big concern in the away end as me and fellow Wednesdayites were left biting their fingernails in nervousness. Lassoga stepped and… rifled the freekick wide of the post!

The referee blew the final whistle to confirm Sheffield Wednesday’s first win in 11 years at Elland Road. 

A great win for the Owls, hopefully they can take this into the international break and push on to finish the season in a good run of form. 

STAR MAN: Atdhe Nuhiu 

This could of gone to many players however, it’s hard to deny that the Kosovan international was the stand out player in this Derby. The Leeds defence couldn’t handle the 6ft 6” striker who bullied them all game. He was always in the right place at the right time and showed great composure when netting the winner. A fantastic display all round though!

Attendance: 31,638

Goals: Grot (86’); Nuhiu (71’, 90+1’)

LUFC: Bailey Peacock-Farrell; Gaetano Berardi, Pontus Jansson, Matthew Pennington, Tom Pearce (Jay-Roy Grot); Ezgjan Alioski, Eunan O’Kane (Kalvin Phillips), Pablo Hernandez, Adam Forshaw, Stuart Dallas; Caleb Ekuban (Pierre-Michel Lassoga)

Unused Subs: Felix Wiedweld, Vurnon Anita, Hadi Sacko, Ronaldo Viera

SWFC: Joe Wildsmith; Jack Hunt, Frederico Venancio, Tom Lees, Daniel Pudil, George Boyd; Sam Hutchinson (Barry Bannan), Joey Pelupessy (Morgan Fox), Adam Reach; Atdhe Nuhiu, Lucas Joao

Unused Subs: Cameron Dawson, Liam Palmer, Jacob Butterfield, David Jones, Jordan Rhodes

#GAME72 14/03/18 Sheffield Wednesday U18s 3-0 Crewe Alexandra U18s

Sheffield Wednesday Under 18s 3-0 Crewe Alexandra Under 18s

Borukov’s hattrick sinks Alexandra

The Wednesday youth team show their class as they dominate against a direct Crewe side. The day started off quite bright and sunny, however as we approached kickoff, the wind had picked up and due to the state of the pitch, we knew it was going to be a scrappy affair.

Both teams were slow to make any impact in the opening ten minutes. The main reason being that Isaac Rice was down for a long time with a head injury. After receiving a lengthy time of treatment, he was replaced by Joe West.

Wednesday saw a great opportunity slip by them early on. Dawodu intercepted Heath’s switch from the right and played it to Hughes who swung the ball in towards the back post where O’Brien found himself seconds too late as he failed to connect with the accurate cross.

Crewe finally broke out of Wednesday’s possession play and had a chance of their own on the twentieth minute mark. Alex Hurst broke down the left wing. Hurst cut in and instantly fired wide of the target from the edge of the area.

However five minutes later, The Owls broke the deadlock and went ahead. Josh Dawodu latched onto Liam Waldocks layoff and whipped in a cross towards the backpost where Borukov rose highest and headed across the keeper and into the back of the net.


Alexandra searched for a way back into the game and almost did straight from kickoff. Heath lofted the ball over the Wednesday back four. Challis Johnson watched the ball come over his shoulder but ended up slicing his effort wide.

Moments later, Lonchar went close to doubling the lead. Jordan found space on the edge of the area and fired towards goal but Will Appleyard reacted quickly and saved with his feet.

Waldock was involved with the attack once again with ten minutes remaining of the first period. Waldock picked out the run of Borukov. The Bulgarian striker took it in his stride and rifled an effort towards goal. Unfortunately for the forward, the keeper matched his shot and batted the ball away to safety.

Wednesday extended their lead thanks to another goal from Preslav Borukov. Winger Jordan O’Brien darted down the right flank after collecting Ciaran Brennan’s important clearance. O’Brien outpaced Alex Hurst before crossing into the box. Borukov connected with the cross as he glanced his header past the reach of the keeper to make it 2-0.

The halftime whistle went and the home side were rightly on top.

As the second half began, Crewe enjoyed a large spell of possession and pressure as they looked to stage a comeback in this tie.

Forward Luke Walsh had a good opportunity saved to pull a goal back. Walsh held the ball with his back to goal. He smartly turned past Waldock and shot towards the target. The attempt was heading quickly to the right of the keeper but Joe Walker got across and parried the ball away from danger.

Ten minutes later, Crewe had another chance to get back in the match. Connor Heath’s deep freekick was tapped across goal by Walsh. Aaron Lomas went to, presumingly, smash the ball into the goal but Wednesday Under 18s captain Ciaran Brennan dived in at the last second and tackled the Crewe number 8.

Wednesday then had their first chance of the second period minutes after Crewe’s endeavour. Hughes twisted and turned his way into the visitors area before firing towards goal however the keeper did really well to get down and stop the shot with his arm.

Their was some controversy after Hughes’ chance as the Owls were reduced down to ten men. Josh Dawodu was the culprit when he hurled down Luke Walsh as he advanced through on goal. From the following freekick, Regan Griffiths struck the woodwork.

Conor Grant went close to adding a third for his club. Grant ‘Cruyff turned’ his marker and curled a shot towards goal but the ball cannoned off the crossbar.

Borukov was denied his hattrick, five minutes from time, due to last-ditch defending and a great save. Borukov’s initial shot was blocked bravely by Luke Barlow. The ball came back to the striker and, on his second bite of the cherry, Will Appleyard again got down quickly to keep the score line at 2-0.

A minute later, Crewe saw another chance denied by Joe Walker before Griffiths was dismissed. Connor Heath stuck a ferocious volley from 30 yards towards goal which Walker could only parry away. In the aftermath of that opportunity, Regan Griffths saw a second yellow card for a very late challenge on Reaney, this levelled up the amount of men on each team.

On the stroke of fulltime, Preslav Borukov completed his hattrick and confirmed all three points for the young Owls. Iyad Hamud nicked the ball away from Appleyard and gave it to O’Brien. O’Brien unselfishly squared it to Borukov who fired it past two covering defenders to send Wednesday to second place in their league.

STAR MAN: Ciaran Brennan
Although Borukovs' name would have been on everybody's lips, I thought I'd go with the young captain. Brennan was commanding and solid throughout the fixture. He got stuck in to make sure that Wednesday rounded off a good performance with a clean sheet. Brennan looks like a future leader and hopefully he'll progress and get even better with age and experience.

Goals: Borukov (25’, 44’, 90’)

SWFC: Joe Walker, Josh Dawodu (s/o 73’), Josh Reaney, Liam Waldock (Charlie Reaney), Isaac Rice (Joe West), Ciaran Brennan, Ben Hughes, Conor Grant, Preslav Borukov, Jordan Lonchar (Iyad Hamud), Jordan O’Brien
Unused Subs: Layton Swaine, Arijus Brazinskas

CAFC: Will Appleyard, Luke Barlow, Rio Adebesi, Regan Griffths (s/o 86’), Billy Sass-Davies, Connor Heath, Joe Lynch, Aaron Lomas (Ola Odipe), Challis Johnson (Malachi Linton), Luke Walsh, Alex Hurst (Luke Offord)

#GAME71 13/03/18 Bridlington Town 3-1 Worksop Town

Bridlington Town 3-1 Worksop Town

Tigers beaten at the seaside 

On a baltic Easter evening the Tigers visited the Neil Hudgell Solicitors Stadium in search of Duncan Milligan’s first win in charge. It was always going to be a tough ask due to the experience and passing style that Bridlington has in their locker.

In the opening stages of the game, Bridlington dominated possession and looked dangerous going forward, however, the rock solid Worksop defence kept the Yorkshire side at bay.

Ten minutes in, the Tigers first chance came from James Milner chasing down a loose ball, his beautiful cross fell to the back post where unfortunately there wasn’t anyone there to meet it. 

Just before the half hour mark, Mitch Husbands made a fantastic run to the byline and squared the ball which seemed to fall into the keepers hands.  However the keeper ended up spilling the ball into the path of Overton who tapped Worksop into the lead. This was Matty’s first goal in Amber and Black since his loan move from Doncaster Rovers. 

The goal sprung Worksop into life. Moments after the goal, a fizzing shot from the edge by skipper Husbands caused havoc with the Bridlington keeper who, once again, spilled the ball out but no one was quick enough to react to the free gift. 

‘The Seasiders’ went close through Rikki Paylor on thirty-three minutes. Tim Taylor drilled his corner towards the edge of the area where Paylor scuffed his effort just wide of the post. 

Out of nothing the hosts got back on level terms, a clever ball was whipped into the Tigers box which Bradshaw got on the end of, his header looped over Fielding and into the back of the net.

Holden then went close to nudging the Tigers ahead four minutes before the break. Jack Barnett swung a freekick, that was won brilliantly by skilful dribbling from James Milner, towards the six yard area. Jack Holden threw himself at the cross and headed towards goal but Barford caught well. 

Bridlington set up to ‘out-pass’ the Tigers however on the stroke of halftime, they resorted to direct play. James Faulkner switched the ball from left to right to Louis Rafter. Rafter shot fiercely first time but Callum Fielding was switched on and caught well. 

The ref blew for halftime and both teams went in with honours even. The Tiger performed quite well in the first period and were hoping to take the positives into the second half. 

After the restart, goalscorer Overton burst down the wing. He cut in and saw his curling strike head towards the bottom corner, unfortunately the keeper read the change and kept the score line level by holding onto the ball.

Moments later the hosts almost got their noses in front, Faulkners ball into the box found Archie Brown. Brown’s half-hearted attempt found Fielding’s hands.

Archie Brown then tested Callum Fielding just before the hour mark. Brown found space thirty yards from goal. He hit a ferocious effort towards the net however Callum Fielding matched his effort and palmed the ball away from danger. 

Following the chance, Browns ability prevailed as he put Bridlington ahead on 67 minutes. Jake Day won a freekick to the left-hand side of the box. Brown stepped up and curled his attempt around the wall and into the bottom corner. The freekick was too powerful for Callum Fielding who got his finger-tips on it. 

Five minutes later Bridlington’s comeback was complete as Chris Adams put the home side 3-1 up. Worksop lost possession in the centre of the park. The ball broke out to Chris Adams who carried the ball twenty yards before sliding it past an outrushing Fielding. 

Worksop were looking for a way back into the game and went close ten minutes from time. Matty Overton intercepted Alex Knaggs pass and cleared it over halfway to Milner. Milner then slotted the ball through to Baird who prematurely shot towards goal. The shot trickled towards the keepers right and Barford collapsed down and held it. 

Jay Bownes advanced forward from centre-back and slotted Milner through. James Milner swivelled around and shot towards goal which the keeper dealt with easily. 

There was a double scare for the Tigers very late on. Firstly Joel Sutton broke through unnoticed by the Tiger backline. The Brid striker, who scored a hattrick against the Tigers in a midweek cup tie a few weeks back, fired his shot against the frame of goal. Then in injury time, Bridlington top scorer Jake Day ran though on goal and dinked the ball over Fielding and in to the net. Alas for the forward upon celebration, the linemen had his flag up to deny ‘the Seasiders’ a fourth. 

The fulltime whistle went sending the Tigers faithful into disappointment after a solid hour of good play. The young Tigers didn’t discredit themselves though but the experience Brid had on the bench proved too much. Plenty of positives to take back to Sandy Lane.

Next up for the Tigers is another away trip, this time to Athersley Rec, 3pm kickoff. 

STAR MAN: Alex Boyd 

As mentioned in past weeks, young centre half Alex Boyd has an immense future in the colours of Amber and Black. Today he showed his technical side of his defensive game by producing last-ditch, cool-headed challenges when Bridlington broke through the backline. He also won most battles in the air and provided excellent distribution. A star for the future for sure.

(Written for Worksop Town FC: www.worksoptownfc.co.uk)

Attendance: 130

Goals: Overton (28’), Bradshaw (35’) , Brown (67’), Adams (72’)

BTFC: Jody Barford, Lewis Dennison, Danny Buttle, Rikki Paylor, James Williamson, Alex Knaggs, Louis Rafter, Tim Taylor, Gary Bradshaw, Archie Brown, James Faulkner
Subs: Chris Jenkinson, Tom Bennett, Chris Adams, Joel Sutton, Jake Day

WTFC: Callum Fielding, Tyler Lysons (Charlie Baird), Will Sutton, Alex Boyd (Igor Mlynarski), Dan Gardner, Jay Bownes, Matty Overton, Jack Holden, Mitch Husbands, Jack Barnett, James Milner
Unused Subs: Joshua Diggles, Jamie Robinson, Luke Smith

#GAME70 10/03/18 Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Bolton’s Late Leveller Leaves Wednesday ‘Wandering’

An end to end game between two clubs who are both looking over their shoulders at a possible relegation scrap. Wednesday started the day seven points off the bottom three and two points above today’s visitors, Bolton Wanderers.

Wednesday started positively and went close five minutes in. Daniel Pudils long throw was headed back to the Czech international by Burke. In similar fashion to his chance at Bramall Lane, Pudil cut across the ball with the outside of his foot which sent the ball flying over the bar. 

Joao has been in great form of late, scoring five goals in his previous nine appearances. Joao received the ball with his back to goal. He cleverly rolled the Bolton defender and slotted through Hunt who fired disappointingly across the face of goal and wide. 

Ameobi netted the opening goal when the Trotters got their first win of the season against the Owls last October, and almost opened this contest twenty minutes in today. Pudil brought down Ameobi just outside the box. Ameobi saw his effort from 20 yards out caught by a diving Wildsmith. 

Wildsmith was also called into action several minutes later as he kept out Adam Le Fondre. Taylor’s whipped cross from the left-hand side found former Owls academy graduate Mark Beevers. Beevers’ header looped high into the air. As the ball came down, Le Fondre acrobatically fired towards goal, however Wildsmith rushed off his line and saved with his face. 

Alnwick then showed his class as he kept out Atdhe Nuhiu. Reach ran through two players before giving it to Nuhiu. Nuhiu cut in and then back out before rifled his effort at the Bolton keeper who adducted his arm to save the shot. 

Bolton had the best chance of the match on the stroke of halftime. Ameobi, who had been a pest for the Wednesday backline all game, crossed towards the backpost for ex-Wednesday loanee Will Buckley whose header was saved well by the arm of Wildsmith. 

The halftime whistle went and both teams entered the dressing rooms goalless. 

Sammy Ameobi had two great chances in the space of ten minutes after the restart. Firstly, Morais chipped the ball over to Ameobi. The Bolton winger let the ball bounce before spinning and shooting towards goal which was held well by Wildsmith. Then Ameobi tested Wildsmith once again as he cut in from the right and fired towards goal, but the young shot stopper patted the ball away from danger. 

Atdhe Nuhiu almost opened the scoring twenty-five minutes from time. Reach’s cross was met by the Kosovan striker who rose highest and headed across goal and wide. 

A minute later, Wednesday opened the scoring. Joao raced forward with the ball before sliding it through to George Boyd who latched onto it and finished his shot accurately into the bottom corner. There was some confusion after the goal though as the linesman had raised his flag as the goal went it. This was due to Jordan Rhodes being in an offside position however, despite the protests from manager Phil Parkinson, the referee overruled his assistant as Rhodes didn’t interfere with play. 

Bolton went in search of an equaliser and went close to doing so through Derik Osede. Derik flicked Derik flicked Morais’ cross towards goal but Joe Wildsmith tipped over the chance. 

Wanderers did equalise though in the third minute of injury time. Aaron Wilbraham redirected Morais’ cross into the box, towards goal which looped over the head of Pudil and into the net. This sent the away end into raptures and the home tiers into disappointment. 

Attendance: 26,809

Goals: Boyd (77’); Wilbraham (90+3)

MOTM: Tom Lees

SWFC: Joe Wildsmith; Jack Hunt, Frederico Venancio, Tom Lees, Daniel Pudil; George Boyd (Morgan Fox), Joey Pelupessy (David Jones), Sean Clare, Adam Reach; Atdhe Nuhiu (Jordan Rhodes), Lucas Joao

Unused Subs: Cameron Dawson, Glenn Loovens, Liam Palmer, Jacob Butterfield

BWFC: Ben Alnwick; Jon Flanagan, Mark Beevers, Reece Burke, Andrew Taylor; Sammy Ameobi, Karl Henry, Darren Pratley, Derik Osede (Zach Clough), Will Buckley (Filipe Morais); Adam Le Fondre (Aaron Wilbraham)

Unused Subs: Mark Howard, Dorian Dervite, Antonee Robinson, Jem Karacan

#GAME69 07/03/18 Worksop Town 1-3 Handsworth Parramore

Worksop Town 1-3 Handsworth Parramore

Parras come out on top in the Sandy Lane Derby

The experience of the Handsworth side showed the ‘young ones’ of Worksop what it takes to compete in the NCEL. Saying that, in no way did the Tigers discredit themselves in the contest, they were very solid for around an hour.

It was announced on the eve of the Derby that the Tigers had signed Dan Gardner and Matty Overton from Rossington Main and Doncaster Rovers (‘work experience’ loan) respectively. Both of them started the game with the latter kicking off the chances in the tie ten minutes in. Overton received the ball with his back to goal. He dropped his shoulder one way, turned the other and fired his shot over the bar.

Ten minutes later, Overton was showing off his attacking prowess to his new club and had the best chance of the half so far. Luke Black out-paced his marker and crossed into the middle. Overton crept round his man and volleyed towards goal which beat the keeper but unfortunately, also beat the post by inches.

Jack Holden has been impressing as of late since his call up from the Under 19s squad and he went close on the half hour mark. Holden received the ball to his chest. As two Parramore players went to tackle Jack, he cleverly tapped the ball over the defending pair, ran around them and volleyed towards goal. However the effort was tame and the keeper got down to save it with ease.

Moments later, Mitch Husbands had a great chance to break the deadlock. James Milner made his way along the byline and cut it back to the Worksop captain who sliced it just over the bar.

Parramore slowly made their way into the game. A free-kick wide right of the pitch was headed across goal by Istead to Radford who took the ball down and scuffed his effort which was picked up by Fielding.

The 'Amber Parras' struck the frame of the goal on the stroke of half-time. Ex-Tiger Jordan Turner dispossessed Tyler Lysons of the ball. He then struck a ferocious shot towards goal, from a tight angle, which cannoned off the post to Alex Rippon who instantly shot across the face of goal and wide. The Halftime whistle went and both teams went in at the break at 0-0.

Jordan Turner almost broke the stalemate in the fixture. Turner escaped the attention of the Tigers backline as he took down Jamie Green's switch from the left. Turner shot but the Worksop number one rushed out and blocked with his face. In the end it wouldn't have counted as the linesman had already raised his flag.

On the hour mark, Parramore were edging closer, and closer to that opening goal. Steven Istead redirected Green's corner towards goal but saw his chance blocked on the line by Lysons. The ball fell to the feet of Josh Hemmingway who completely fluffed his lines and skied from close range.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, the previous scare from the visitors turned into reality as they took the lead in similar fashion to the chance. Turner saw his header blocked by the body of Matty Templeton. After a bit of a scramble, the ball fell kindly for Lee Cooksey to smash home into the roof of the net.

Soon after, Parramore's lead was nearly doubled just after the 72nd minute. Turner darted down the right-hand side. He accurately picked out the run of Jonathan Hill who ended up stabbing the ball wide.

Worksop Town levelled the game up with nine minutes of normal time left. Jack Barnett rifled his free-kick, from around 30 yards, straight into the Handsworth wall and the ball fizzed up straight into the air. When it came back down from 'orbit', the ball was flicked on by the back of Alex Boyd to Mitch Husbands who turned and fired the ball into the back of the net.

But in spite of the equaliser, Handsworth took the lead once again two minutes later. Callum Fielding attempted to catch the corner but struggled to get there due to the amount of bodies in front of him. This caused the young lad to spill he ball to the feet of Turner. Turner scuffed his effort but Jonathan Hill took his chance as he buried the loose ball into the Tigers goal.

The three points were in the bag for Parramore when the referee awarded them a penalty. Another former Tiger Jed Phillips raced through on goal but was impeded by Boyd. Jordan Turner stepped up and hit the penalty straight down the middle to dishearten his former employers.

Attendance: 428
Goals: Husbands (81'); Cooksey (70'), Hill (83'), Turner (87')
MOTM: Alex Boyd

WTFC: Callum Fielding; Tiler Lysons, Dan Gardner, Jay Bownes, Alex Boyd, James Milner (Matty Templeton); Jack Holden (Igor Mlynarski), Jack Barnett; Matty Overton, Mitch Husbands, Luke Black (Charlie Baird)
Unused Subs: Josh Diggles, Harry Dunbar

HPFC: James Leverton; Oliver Yates (William Eades), Lee Cooksey, Oscar Radford, Bradley Nicholson; Joshua Hemmingway, Jed Phillips, Steven Istead, Jamie Green; Jordan Turner, Alex Rippon (Jonathan Hill) 
Unused Subs: James Ashmore, Paries Dixon, Jonathon Froggatt

#GAME68 06/03/18 Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Ipswich Town

Sheffield Wednesday vs Ipswich Town

Ipswich edge game with little chances

With the tactics of Jos Luhukay and Mick McCarthy, I anticipated that this was going to be a very boring contest. Alas my prediction was correct but with added “excitement” of a horror display of defending from the Owls. 

Most of Wednesday’s chances came in the first 45 minutes minutes of the game. Eight minutes in, David Jones poked the ball into the middle after good hold up play from Atdhe Nuhiu. However the Ipswich Captain did enough to put Liam Palmer off as the Wednesday full-back shot wide. 

Cole Skuse then went close several minutes later. Skuse cut in from the right and fired a low shot with his left foot into the side-netting. 

Thirty Minutes in, Wednesday had a glorious chance to take the lead. Butterfield’s cross was deflected high and into the path of Rhodes. Jordan Rhodes rose highest and flicked the ball on into the middle where Atdhe Nuhiu was located. The Kosovan international volleyed the ball straight at Bartosz Bialkowski who threw his hands up and parried the ball out of play. Following the corner, Tom Lees saw his effort blocked on the line and cleared by Connolly. 

Ipswich almost took the lead from an unlikely source. The ball fell to ex-Sheffield United defender Cameron Carter-Vickers after Loovens had headed a corner away from danger. Carter-Vickers took a touch and rifled a shot only inches past the post. 

That was all for a very boring first half. The second half sprung into life (well for now anyway) as five minutes after the restart, Ipswich took the lead. A looping ball wasn’t cleared by Glenn Loovens allowing Freddie Sears to cross into the middle where Connolly headed the ball back across goal for Martyn Waghorn who subsequently tucked the chance into the net. 

Moments later, The Tractor Boys almost doubled their lead. Another high looping ball was latched on to by Sears who then switched the ball to the left-hand side of the box. Callum Connolly was the recipient of the pass and tried to head the ball over Wildsmith, however the young keeper reacted quickly and pushed the ball over the bar. 

Wednesday were on level terms just before the 70th minute mark. Lucas Joao took Jones’ through ball in his stride. Joao then used clever footwork to get past Webster and Chambers before curling his shot into the bottom corner. 

The next ten minutes or so provided no entertainment, both teams were half-heartedly passing the ball around like they were happy for a draw. This all changed when Ipswich won a free-kick wide right of the Owls box. Martyn Waghorn whipped a shot over Wildsmith and into the top corner to net his brace and win the game for the visitors. 

The game filtered out with no fight from Sheffield Wednesday as Ipswich Town took all three points back to East-Anglia 

Attendance: 22,733

Goals: Joao (69’); Waghorn (50’, 83’)

MOTM: Martyn Waghorn

SWFC: Joe Wildsmith; Liam Palmer, Tom Lees, Glenn Loovens, Morgan Fox, George Boyd; David Jones, Jacob Butterfield, Adam Reach; Atdhe Nuhiu, Jordan Rhodes (Lucas Joao)

Unused Subs: Cameron Dawson, Joey Pelupessy, Daniel Pudil, Fraser Preston, Almen Abdi, Frederico Venancio

ITFC: Bartosz Bialkowski; Jordan Spence, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Luke Chambers, Adam Webster, Jonas Knudsen; Cole Skuse, Luke Hyam (Grant Ward), Callum Connolly; Mustapha Carayol (Freddie Sears), Martyn Waghorn (Joe Garner)

Unused Subs: Michael Crowe, Dominic Iorfa, Bersant Celina, Stephan Gleeson