After last weekends good result away at Appleby Frodingham, we went into this game in a positive frame of mind. Injuries, illness and holidays though had disrupted team selection, with Gaz Pywell replacing new keeper Matty Lees who was missing due to injury, Jordan Hardman was missing due to illness and Tom Pick was away. The game got off to the perfect start when a Josh Davies corner was only partially cleared, and fell to James Woodward, who from just inside the area fired the ball home. The joy was short lived though, because inside two minutes the hosts had levelled the scores, Daniel Russell scoring after poor defending from the visitors. The Colliery continued to press and Greg Fox saw his header go wide from another Davies corner. Matty Bradley should then have put the away side back in front, when one on one with the home keeper, but his effort was blocked. Pywell was then called upon to make a save to keep the scores level. The Colliery were then awarded a penalty for a needless push in the area, and Greg Archer saw his kick just go over the line after a valiant effort by the keeper. The lead though lasted probably twenty seconds as more poor defending allowed Josh Parfitt to level matters. Bradley then had another chance to put the away side in front which was not taken, and then at the other end Parfitt wasted a good chance by heading over. Then two game changing moments occurred, which could well have effected the game. Firstly Sam Westerman was on the end of a poor two footed challenge that in my opinion should have resulted in a red. Only a yellow was issued and the home side were allowed to carry on with eleven players, a very poor decision by the referee, who acknowledged it was two footed and feet off the ground!!. Then bang on half time a break away by the home side saw the ball played to Parfitt who looked to be well offside as the ball was played. Somehow the linesman allowed play to continue and Parfitt was allowed to take the ball forward and fire past the less than mobile Pywell. It was a blow from which we never recovered and our second half performance was abysmal. Should we have changed keepers at the break - in my opinion again yes, as Gaz was no where near fit enough and with a fully fit keeper I do not think the scoreline would have been seven two. However we did not and there is no excuse for what happened after the break, long aimless balls to no one, two many players going missing, and no one prepared to go toe to toe with the opposition. The one and only effort we could produce in the second half was a Gaz Mundy effort which went well over, and the home side deservedly went on to win the game, without a serious challenge from ourselves.
Having watched Bolsover four days earlier being held to a draw by Retford, with more or less the same side, you have to match a sides work rate and commitment, like Retford did, if you are to get anything out of games with Bolsover.. Second half we failed to turn up and give the great support something to shout about. It's alright taking the plaudits, like we did the previous week, but when you don't produce you have to take the criticism. Let's hope we can produce a much better performance this weekend when we head to Newark in what looks another tough fixture.
Last week it was a Carlsberg week end, this week it was "if the grim reaper did second half displays" as the Ladies travelled to play Sheffield Wednesday ladies in the quarter finals of the Sheffield cup. Trailing one nil, Nic Stray scored a great free kick from the edge of the area to level matters, but the Colliery girls ended the half two one down, although the first half performance certainly did not warrant them being behind. The second half mirrored the game twenty fours earlier as the home side came out the blocks from the start and soon found themselves four one up. Eventually the score finished seven two, the same as the senior side and the cup adventure was over for another year. This weekend sees the girls having a great chance to give themselves the opportunity to win the league, as they face their nearest rivals Penistone Church at the Jones and Co stadium kick off 1.30pm.