Post by slush on Mar 23, 2007 7:31:56 GMT
Return to action is one to forget
Easington United 0 – 2 Hedon Rangers
EASINGTON United slumped to their eighth league defeat of the season and their first against Hedon Rangers since the former Keyingham club returned to Saturday football nearly nine years ago. The result was accompanied by an inept display by the home side although that should in no way detract from the battling spirit of Kenny Harrison’s strugglers who fully deserved their success.
“I never thought I’d say that an opposition team wanted a local derby more than a team of mine,” said manager Dave Mackay-Dundas immediately after the game, before adding that the defeat felt like “the lowest point” in his management career.
Easington were forced into two changes from the side that had won so handsomely on their opponents’ ground last time out, three weeks’ earlier. ‘Man of the match’ that day, John Batch, was suspended while one of the goal scorers, Ollie Musgrove, was on ERCFA Representative duty.
In addition, Luke Jeffery – originally selected for the right back berth – was ruled out by an injury picked up training with his junior club in midweek, while family matters meant assistant-manager Dave Walmsley was missing.
Therefore Craig Smalley returned from suspension at right back with skipper Neil Rutter dropping into partner Andy Graham in the centre. Rob Kamis was restored to the front-line and there was a welcome return for Dan Potts to the midfield. On the bench, two-goal ‘hero’ at Hedon, Darren Thompson, was joined by Stiffs asst-boss ‘Biff’ McNaught and the fit again Paul Wilkinson.
For their part Rangers fielded much the same side as three weeks ago, although Mark Sansam’s absence and resulting switch-around meant a start for Polash Tarafdar up front.
It’s perhaps as well that there was so much movement in the ranks beforehand as the first half was largely formless and so forgettable that only three lines appear in the reporter’s notebook. These came about as result of a brief passage of play round about the midway mark for which the term “the game sparked into life” wasn’t intended.
On 20mins, Easington had their first real shot at goal; Kamis’s left foot effort initially looking to have sneaked into the corner but, to the disappointment of the dozing Farm Faithful, it found the side-netting. Two minutes later a half-cleared corner dropped to Graham on the edge of the box but he couldn’t keep his attempted volley down. The Eastenders’ best chance of the half then fell to Kevin Milner on 27mins but, having latched onto Graham’s free-kick inside the Rangers’ box, he thumped a volley against the cross bar from barely six yards out.
And that was that, largely, for the first half. The crowd could sit back in the welcome spring sunshine, Arthur Brummitt could enthuse about the quality of the Tim Taylor Landlord he’d just enjoyed at the Crown & Anchor and this reporter could contemplate on how he was going to pad out a report from such a lifeless encounter.
The slumber in the crowd was matched by the Eastenders rearguard who were almost given a rude awakening on the stroke of half-time; Adie Cooper’s quickly taken free kick putting Simon Ashley in on the left but his snatched shot flew the wrong side of the upright.
At half-time, Hedon boss Harrison described the stiff breeze and uneven Low Farm pitch as a “leveller”. That was perhaps harsh on his side and they came out in determined fashion after the break. In fairness, the Eastenders also looked to up the tempo but chances were again few and far between.
Potts was denied by a reflex save from Derek Peat on 56mins and the keeper got down smartly to keep Danny Medforth’s header out six minutes later, after Steve Harrod and Ian Barrow had combined well down the right.
By this time the injured Kamis had made way for Thompson and Rangers brought Mike Dowd on for Tarafdar. As openings in the visitors’ defence again became hard to come by, manager Mack withdrew midfielder Potts and threw on Wilkinson in an attempt to force the issue.
The next opening – if it merits the term – fell to Barrow but he couldn’t quite get on top of the loose ball after Peat had dropped another Graham free kick.
That came on 73mins and five minutes later, Easington were looking down the barrel. A corner whipped into the near post prompted a scramble in the box and eventually Andy O’Loughlin got the final touch to put the visitors one up.
Easington went in increasingly desperate search of the equaliser but on 85mins, Hedon sealed victory with a stunning second goal. Breaking from out from another fruitless Easington attack, substitute Jamie Hartley did well on halfway and delivered a superb cross-field ball to Dowd who from 25 yards struck it first time over Appleyard and into the top corner to prompt ecstatic scenes in the visitors’ technical area.
At the final whistle, hard-working Rangers midfielder Steve Brough said, “I’ve waited eight years for this”. On the evidence of this performance he won’t have to wait as long again.
The result lifted Rangers off the bottom and effectively ended the locals’ hopes of a top four finish.
Easington: K Appleyard, C Smalley, K Milner, D Potts (P Wilkinson, 67), N Rutter, A Graham, I Barrow, D Medforth, S Harrod, R Kamis (D Thompson, 56), M Nicholson (sub: A McNaught)
Hedon: D Peat, R Franks, K Parkinson, S Brough, A O’Loughlin, S Ashley, P Birney, D Smith, P Tarafdar (M Dowd), A Parkinson (J Hartley), A Cooper (Sub: C Grantham)
Referee: Mr. M. Hemsworth (Hull)
Att: 35
Easington United 0 – 2 Hedon Rangers
EASINGTON United slumped to their eighth league defeat of the season and their first against Hedon Rangers since the former Keyingham club returned to Saturday football nearly nine years ago. The result was accompanied by an inept display by the home side although that should in no way detract from the battling spirit of Kenny Harrison’s strugglers who fully deserved their success.
“I never thought I’d say that an opposition team wanted a local derby more than a team of mine,” said manager Dave Mackay-Dundas immediately after the game, before adding that the defeat felt like “the lowest point” in his management career.
Easington were forced into two changes from the side that had won so handsomely on their opponents’ ground last time out, three weeks’ earlier. ‘Man of the match’ that day, John Batch, was suspended while one of the goal scorers, Ollie Musgrove, was on ERCFA Representative duty.
In addition, Luke Jeffery – originally selected for the right back berth – was ruled out by an injury picked up training with his junior club in midweek, while family matters meant assistant-manager Dave Walmsley was missing.
Therefore Craig Smalley returned from suspension at right back with skipper Neil Rutter dropping into partner Andy Graham in the centre. Rob Kamis was restored to the front-line and there was a welcome return for Dan Potts to the midfield. On the bench, two-goal ‘hero’ at Hedon, Darren Thompson, was joined by Stiffs asst-boss ‘Biff’ McNaught and the fit again Paul Wilkinson.
For their part Rangers fielded much the same side as three weeks ago, although Mark Sansam’s absence and resulting switch-around meant a start for Polash Tarafdar up front.
It’s perhaps as well that there was so much movement in the ranks beforehand as the first half was largely formless and so forgettable that only three lines appear in the reporter’s notebook. These came about as result of a brief passage of play round about the midway mark for which the term “the game sparked into life” wasn’t intended.
On 20mins, Easington had their first real shot at goal; Kamis’s left foot effort initially looking to have sneaked into the corner but, to the disappointment of the dozing Farm Faithful, it found the side-netting. Two minutes later a half-cleared corner dropped to Graham on the edge of the box but he couldn’t keep his attempted volley down. The Eastenders’ best chance of the half then fell to Kevin Milner on 27mins but, having latched onto Graham’s free-kick inside the Rangers’ box, he thumped a volley against the cross bar from barely six yards out.
And that was that, largely, for the first half. The crowd could sit back in the welcome spring sunshine, Arthur Brummitt could enthuse about the quality of the Tim Taylor Landlord he’d just enjoyed at the Crown & Anchor and this reporter could contemplate on how he was going to pad out a report from such a lifeless encounter.
The slumber in the crowd was matched by the Eastenders rearguard who were almost given a rude awakening on the stroke of half-time; Adie Cooper’s quickly taken free kick putting Simon Ashley in on the left but his snatched shot flew the wrong side of the upright.
At half-time, Hedon boss Harrison described the stiff breeze and uneven Low Farm pitch as a “leveller”. That was perhaps harsh on his side and they came out in determined fashion after the break. In fairness, the Eastenders also looked to up the tempo but chances were again few and far between.
Potts was denied by a reflex save from Derek Peat on 56mins and the keeper got down smartly to keep Danny Medforth’s header out six minutes later, after Steve Harrod and Ian Barrow had combined well down the right.
By this time the injured Kamis had made way for Thompson and Rangers brought Mike Dowd on for Tarafdar. As openings in the visitors’ defence again became hard to come by, manager Mack withdrew midfielder Potts and threw on Wilkinson in an attempt to force the issue.
The next opening – if it merits the term – fell to Barrow but he couldn’t quite get on top of the loose ball after Peat had dropped another Graham free kick.
That came on 73mins and five minutes later, Easington were looking down the barrel. A corner whipped into the near post prompted a scramble in the box and eventually Andy O’Loughlin got the final touch to put the visitors one up.
Easington went in increasingly desperate search of the equaliser but on 85mins, Hedon sealed victory with a stunning second goal. Breaking from out from another fruitless Easington attack, substitute Jamie Hartley did well on halfway and delivered a superb cross-field ball to Dowd who from 25 yards struck it first time over Appleyard and into the top corner to prompt ecstatic scenes in the visitors’ technical area.
At the final whistle, hard-working Rangers midfielder Steve Brough said, “I’ve waited eight years for this”. On the evidence of this performance he won’t have to wait as long again.
The result lifted Rangers off the bottom and effectively ended the locals’ hopes of a top four finish.
Easington: K Appleyard, C Smalley, K Milner, D Potts (P Wilkinson, 67), N Rutter, A Graham, I Barrow, D Medforth, S Harrod, R Kamis (D Thompson, 56), M Nicholson (sub: A McNaught)
Hedon: D Peat, R Franks, K Parkinson, S Brough, A O’Loughlin, S Ashley, P Birney, D Smith, P Tarafdar (M Dowd), A Parkinson (J Hartley), A Cooper (Sub: C Grantham)
Referee: Mr. M. Hemsworth (Hull)
Att: 35