PINXTON 1-2 MICKLEOVER ROYALS: match report by The Mowdog...

Hamson Pops Up For Pop & Mickleover Grab A Late Victory At the Welly

Pinxton 1 Mickleover Royals 2

Two Pinxton players try to sneak away...

The Royals' keeper checks out Jordan Simpson's left ear...

Two Pinxton players do impressions of a shoebill stork...

Davy Hamson suddenly realised that his father’s birthday had come round again and decided to gift him three points instead of a pair of socks, a pair of Dirty Monkey boxers, or a Burton’s voucher, by scoring a late winner for Mickleover Royals at Pinxton’s Welly ground, where the hosts would feel that they had done enough to earn a draw. Certainly they had recovered from surviving several first-half scares, began to bite harder in midfield, where James Senior and Danny O’Donnell were afforded too much space after the interval and then squandered three glorious opportunities, through Jake Vernon, twice and the irksome Antony Rowley, who was really fortunate to escape a caution after pointlessly hacking the ball out of the ground and then refusing to go to the referee, then refusing to shut up. And continuing to refuse to listen. It was like an annoying kid at school cheeking a teacher, so as not to lose face in front of his mates. After a severe, hilarious and embarrassing few minutes, he strolled away, smirking at the Pinxton bench, where the response was, “We’ve got another ball…”

The ref displays a smart knee bandage...

The Royals kick-off @ Pinxton...

An early misplaced pass by the hosts led to Ash Foster’s best shot of the day for Royals, for his subsequent efforts lacked either direction or power, despite his creditable work-rate and an ability to fasten onto loose balls in midfield; this drive scorched just over the home crossbar from 25 yards, after good battling by Ben Blackburn. Rowley won a corner for Pinxton but during a short period of pressure, Royals’ skipper Danny Martin twice cleared danger from near the edge of his own penalty-box. Peter Aliguma then exploded forward from defence for Mickleover and fired a good shot from 24 yards, which home ‘keeper Gareth Briggs slithered left for and pushed behind for a corner. From the resulting flag-kick, taken by Danny Martin, Foster’s vicious shot deflected off a Pinxton defender’s back and away for a left-side corner, which eventually resulted in Jordan Simpson’s pass inside for Oli Buxton, just 7 yards from goal, inside-left channel but he clipped his effort wide of the right upright.

Trouble already...

A fine left-flank run by Rowley led to the ball rolling over the touchline, from whence he booted the ball over the corner-flag and the mound beyond. The player would not go to the official, who stood his ground and spectators and players squirmed at the stand-off… No booking either, despite the official demanding: “Shut up. Not another word…” Yet Rowley still argued on. A quick throw on the Mickleover right led to Foster bouncing a centre across the home goalmouth then, in a lively game, a deep Danny Martin free-kick, left of centre was met by Hamson’s glancing header, which beat Briggs but bounced just wide of the right upright. Foster, still not efficiently picked up by the Pinxton defensive midfielders, fired a low effort wide again, then another shot weakly at Briggs, but the referee was by now taking verbal abuse from all sides. He had already overruled an assistant, made free-kick decisions which could have gone either way in truth and consequently annoying one of the two sets of coaches and players constantly; then he accepted the other assistant’s contentious ruling, thus displaying all the consistency of a rolling rugby-ball. 

Physical and...

...intense...

Finally, Pinxton threatened, albeit not dangerously, when a free-kick went backwards but suddenly a forward pass put Vernon into a shooting position, 16 yards out, at inside-right, but a defender slowed the shot for Ash Warner in the Royals goal to fall upon. Then, Mickleover were so close to taking a well-deserved lead from Danny Martin’s right-flank corner. Simpson leapt at the far post and his header beat Briggs but was headed off the goal-line by home defender Lee Farnsworth onto the lurking Buxton and back off the defender to safety, like a snooker-cannon to prevent a red sinking. At the other end, Vernon received a feed from the wily Senior, who had profited from an errant Buxton pass but the striker’s low shot rolled gently to Warner.

Buxton then swiped wildly at Senior to earn a just caution, as a few naughty challenges began to litter the half, before Blackburn, a rover on the Mickleover right, moved onto an Aliguma pass, won a physical challenge with a defender but fired a delivery not only across Briggs but also beyond the far post. Foster was next to be justly booked for the visitors for a sliding tackle, which looked wild but collided with no part of an opponent and after the quiet Chris Martin’s long shot had been deflected for a right-wing corner, Danny Martin’s centre caused a problem for Briggs, who crashed into a defender, as Aliguma jumped; the defender fell, the ball flew out for a Mickleover shot but the referee stopped the game, even though the prone player appeared not to have sustained a head injury. Interesting stuff…

Foster is about to see yellow...

Half-time, rain was imminent and although the second period began with a Blackburn centre and Hamson stepping over the ball, Royals failed to capitalise. After Foster’s next shot rose off target, Danny Martin, in an offensive position, lost possession and Pinxton raced away, three on two, with the linesman behind play. The eventual pass rolled left to Vernon, who was just onside but Warner’s advancing challenge saw the striker fall to the ground and win a penalty, which he put away into the net, neatly as a pair of socks into the left side of his bedroom drawer.

Pinxton lead 1-0...

Scrappy play soon ensued at the edge of the Mickleover penalty-box, people fell over, feet hacked like a fallen deer in a ditch and home player Tom Ellis was subsequently cautioned. Buxton’s fine right-wing centre saw Simpson drop off a defender beyond the far stick but his downward header, to his own horror, bounced gently into Briggs’ arms at the near post, with colleagues in the middle dribbling with anticipation. Chris Shelton, a tall, lively winger replaced Ellis for the hosts, Josh Gregory replaced Danny Martin for the guests and then Aliguma’s shot, following Mickleover pressure struck a defender, with Aliguma claiming a penalty, which was rightly not given. Simpson couldn’t direct a far post header from Shaun Roberts’ left-side corner, before Pinxton missed their opportunity to make the game all but safe. Senior, in too much midfield space, chose to fire a low 27 yard shot and although Warner seemed to be saving comfortably, falling left, the ball chose to take a late hop, bouncing away from him and before the big ‘keeper could recover, Vernon was there, like a vulture at a carcass, only to steer his shot wide of the left post from 6 yards, amazing everyone to the point that we thought Warner had saved it. He hadn’t.

A spectator wonders where the game has gone...

The turning point thus reached, Royals won a right-flank corner, which was played back for Roberts, whose drive apparently struck the arm of a defender and the referee signalled a penalty, which Roberts, who had not affected the game as much as surely he would have liked, smacked low into the net, a shot which rapped against the hoarding behind the goal and flew back out, like against a school playground wall. Ryan Booker had spent a few seconds bending Roberts’ ear to put him off but had failed and Josh Parker had been booked for grumbling and mumbling about the decision. Roberts had stayed calm.

Roberts (8) has equalised and Chris Martin carries the gold, but we seem to be missing the frankincense and myrrh...

Simpson (4) explains that his friends didn't mean to say nasty things to each other...

Royals’ Nashan Wilson replaced Blackburn, whose deliveries had been somewhat erratic from the right, despite his endeavour and James Buck took the place of the hyped-up Aliguma and when Wilson’s low cross evaded several sets of boots, like Messi was dribbling it, Buck collected it, made for the left byeline, crossed superbly to Wilson but the winger headed upwards and well over the crossbar from a good position at the back stick. Another hopeful, long, low drive by Pinxton’s Senior caused Warner to slither across his now slick, damp goal-line and nudge the ball away for a right-wing corner, but the flag-kick flew off what looked like Hamson’s challenging body at the near post towards goal, where Rowley jumped, a yard or so out and headed the ball over the bar for a heartbreaking miss, which would have been a brilliant defensive clearance.

Did these two dance in the morning to make the sky turn black?

Gregory was doing sterling work on the Mickleover left and an astute pass inside on one occasion let in Buck but the substitute’s right-footer was too easily held by Briggs, when maybe a left-footer across the ‘keeper would have brought a greater reward. Pinxton were then gifted a clear chance again to snatch the victory; Gregory and Buck lost out to Shelton, who made a fine run past Chris Martin along the right flank, slipped Vernon in again but with only Warner to beat, the forward again dragged his shot across goal and wide of the left upright. Even Warner appeared not to believe it. Cory Hardy replaced strong home defender Parker, Gregory slid on the rain-wet surface to earn a caution, Foster’s 25 yard free-kick from inside-left swerved disappointingly away and beyond the far post and after Ben Newman had replaced the useful, often creative home midfielder Danny O’Donnell, Warner advanced from goal to beat away Rowley’s shot from 16 yards, inside-left channel, another chance cast aside.

As the game edged to a close, Buxton slipped a pass inside Farnsworth, Wilson ran onto it on the right and with the home defence unbalanced and surprised and Briggs moving out to narrow the winger’s angle, Wilson passed the ball across goal and there was Hamson, alone, to turn the ball into a gaping net from a few yards out. 1-2 to Mickleover, Pinxton couldn’t believe it, but on chances alone, maybe the visitors felt they had just shaded the game, despite the lack of a predatory finisher in blue on the day.

A joyful finish for the visitors...

Senior and O’Donnell had been the pick of the midfielders, certainly after the break, but Vernon hadn’t been able to capitalise from open play and it was surprising that Rowley’s pace hadn’t been utilised more in the second period. For Royals, the willing Hamson took his chance smartly, Foster was often difficult to cover but Chris Martin and Blackburn didn’t really exploit the wings to any degree, with Danny Martin and Roberts not always very prominent. Ash Lynch and Simpson were tough competitors in defence and Warner made a couple of crucial saves but maybe a draw would have satisfied both teams, considering how close they came to scoring on a number of occasions… 

Teams:

Pinxton:  Gareth Briggs (Capt), Josh Parker, Lee Farnsworth; James Senior, Josh Madin, Ryan Booker; Antony Rowley, Kurtis Bamford, Jake Vernon, Dan O’Donnell, Tom Ellis.

Subs: Cory Hardy, Jon Nussey, Chris Shelton, Ben Newman.

Mickleover:  Ash Warner, Oli Buxton, Ash Lynch; Jordan Simpson, Peter Aliguma, Danny Martin (Capt); Ben Blackburn, Shaun Roberts, Davy Hamson, Ash Foster, Chris Martin.

Subs: Owen Brown, Josh Gregory, Ryan Thompson, James Buck, Nashan Wilson.