Hallam FC 3-4 AFC Emley
Emley dampen Hallams playoff hopes in seven goal thriller
It was a very rainy night at Sandygate this Tuesday evening. The pitch held up for the ninety minutes however it did have it’s altercations as players were sliding about and the ball struggled to bounce in areas.
Emley netted two goals in two minutes to put the visitors ahead in the first half. Rhys Thomas added a third just after the break. Jake Currie fired home a penalty a minute later to pull a goal back for Hallam. Emley absorbed Hallam’s attacks before adding an important fourth goal six minutes from time. Hallam again fired back and scored in the last minute of normal time however they couldn’t find the equaliser that they desired.
An action packed game started early on with both side having a chance inside two minutes. A ball over the top of the Emley backline was touched on by Ben Thornton. While the ball was still bouncing, Thornton hit his shot wide of the target. The Emley keeper quickly took the goalkick and saw his lump upfield flicked on by Harrison towards the left side of the final third. The ball suddenly stopped due to the standing water on the pitch allowing Semley to nick the ball and head towards the area. The Emley winger skipped past the challenge of Flint but ended up hitting his effort into the sidenetting.
Five minutes in, Jake Currie won the ball in midfield and then proceeded to play through Mitchell Dunne. Dunne advanced towards the edge of the area before shooting early to try and catch the keeper out but the shot was under hit and Lawlor caught his attempt.
AFC Emley went ahead in the ninth minute. Roberts, on the left-hand side, toyed with his marker on the corner of the box before wrong-footing him and crossing into the middle where Alex Slack rose highest to head across the keeper and into the net.
A minute later, Emley doubled their lead. A fantastic overlapping run from Alderton allowed the right-back to latch onto Harrison’s through-ball. Alderton cut the ball back to Gregg Porter who slotted his shot cooly past Darwent.
Emley looked in cruise control for the next twenty minutes, they had two chances to add to their tally. Firstly AFC countered from a Hallam set-piece with Porter. Gregg Porter accelerated past Micah Bishop before seeing his strike pushed away to safety by David Darwent. Then Porter’s persistence paid-off when he closed down and blocked McCarthy’s clearance. Porter ran towards the byline before cutting the ball back to the edge of the area where Alex Slack slipped and sliced his shot over the bar.
Hallam nearly pulled a goal back on the stroke of half-time. Mitchell Dunne twist and turned his way into the box before seeing his low driven shot saved by the feet of Lawlor.
The half-time whistle went with Emley leading two goals to nil.
Jake Currie got Hallam off to a brighter start in the second period. A great passing interchange ended with Currie riding the challenge of Ingham and firing a shot goalwards from thirty yards out but the effort was straight down the keepers throat and Lawlor caught comfortably.
Despite Hallam starting the better, Emley extended their advantage. Porter out-muscled McCarthy before squaring the ball to Donovan who held it up. Donovan passed to Thomas who weaved his way through two players and smashed his shot past the keeper.
Hallam pegged a goal back a minute later. Sam Smith was impeded in the box while trying to create some space to shoot. Jake Currie stepped up and confidently hammered home from the spot.
Several minutes later, Hallam narrowed the deficit to only one goal. Oliver Beaumont lost his marker and nodded Tootle’s well delivered corner in at the front post.
The two quick goals from Hallam instigated a period of dominance from the home side as they looked to level up the game. A free-kick from Porter was well caught by Darwent. The keeper shot up and booted the ball forward to Dunne who brought it down perfectly and advanced towards goal. Dunne cut in but as he pulled the trigger, Stafford slid into block the effort out for a corner which in the end came to nothing.
Moments later, Mitchell Dunne was causing problems once again for the Emley backline as Hallam should of equalised. Dunne made his way down the left before cutting along the byline. Dunne played the ball into the centre for Smith who got caught up in the box as the ball stopped in the puddle in the goalmouth allowing the keeper to pounce on it.
Sam Smith then had another opportunity to score ten minutes later. Smith battled his way to knock on a clearance from Griffiths however he dummied it and the striker turned Hughes, let the ball bounce and volley his shot just wide of the upright.
Emley eventually broke Hallam’s spell of possession and added a fourth goal six minutes from time. Joel Harrison received the ball in the corner as they looked to waste a bit of time but Harrison had other plans. The Emley number eight cut in between two players before beautifully curling the ball beyond the reach of Darwent and into the top corner.
When it looked like Hallam were dead and buried, they netted once again to add a nervy ending to the game. A low cross from out wide allowed Dunne to nip in front of the keeper and tap the ball home with a minute to go. Would Hallam do it?
The answer… no! Hallam sent wave after wave of balls into the box but couldn’t find the clinical touch to square up the game as Emley defended in numbers. The referee brought the game to a close to confirm that Emley would leave Sandygate with all three points.
Hallam still find themselves four points outside the playoff spots with a game in hand over sixth-placed Glasshoughton Welfare. Hallam next take on Rossington Main at Rossington’s ground this Saturday the 28th of April. AFC Emley sit in twelfth place and have finished their campaign with a win tonight at the ‘Worlds Oldest Football Ground’.
Attendance: 108
Goals: Currie (51’), Beaumont (58’), Dunne (89’); Slack (9’), Porter (10’), Thomas (50’), Harrison (84’)
HFC: David Darwent, Liam Flint, Micah Bishop (Richard Tootle), Tom Roebuck (James Reed), Jack McCarthy, Gareth Griffiths, Oliver Beaumont, Jake Currie, Sam Smith, Ben Thornton, Mitchell Dunne
Unused Subs: Luke Howson, Sam Fewkes, Billy Wright
AFCE: Lawlor, Alderton, Starkey (Thomas), Ingham, Stafford, Hughes, Roberts (Donovan), Harrison, Slack (Bullivant), Porter, Semley
Unused Subs: Coates, Jackson
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