Post by slush on Apr 11, 2007 6:45:15 GMT
End of season feel at the Farm
Easington United 1 – 1 Hornsea Town
A repeat of last season’s sixth placed finish appears the most that the Eastenders can now hope for after further failure to pick up maximum points at home cost them against Hornsea Town.
Eighteen points have been dropped in Easington’s thirteen home games this season – you don’t need to look any further to see why no championship challenge has again materialised.
Yet, once again there was no lack of effort from the home side and with a bit more luck, victory might well have been ground out against one of the form teams of the season.
Although the game carried more than a hint of “end of season affair” about it – Hornsea turning up having seen any lingering title hopes vanquished by Sculcoates a week earlier and with one eye firmly fixed on next weekend’s league cup semi-final – there was enough good football on show to keep a sun-baked crowd interested throughout.
Easington manager Mack handed young Luke Jeffery his first HPL start at right back with Craig Smalley (complete in Mrs Smalley’s undercrackers) moved into the middle. And there were welcome returns for asst-manager Dave Walmsley, Steve Harrod and “Sailor” Stu on the bench.
Both sides struggled to carve out any clear-cut chances early on, a spot of pinball in the Town box on 10mins seeing both Mike Nicholson and Darren Thompson just fail to apply a decisive touch. And when the first clear-cut opportunity did come, skipper Rutter doing well down the right before putting over an inviting cross, the arriving Nicholson was adjudged offside as he lifted the ball over the top from six yards out.
Town, who had been forced into an early substitution when Justin Mason was forced out of the action, had enjoyed plenty of possession without really causing any problems before a tidy piece of interplay allowed Dave Burnett to stride through and stylishly tuck away the opening goal on 43 minutes.
The visitors’ joy was to last barely a minute. A foul on Rutter out on the right resulted in Kev Milner’s well-struck in-swinging free-kick that the skipper got the deftest of glances on to guide past Dexter for 1-1.
A minute later it was Hornsea’s turn to go close from a set-piece; Kev Appleyard moving smartly to save Adam Nicholson’s effort.
Harrod replaced the struggling Barrow at the break and the second period began with Dexter saving from Milner at the far post. Jennings then toe-poked a left wing cross into the side-netting as both teams began to scent a winner.
After Rutter and Potts had combined well to put Nicholson in space, only to be “rewarded” with a finish that was high, wide and far from handsome, Chris Langley did likewise when well placed at the other end.
Jeffery made way for Walmsley with twenty to go, Medforth dropping in at right back and shortly afterwards Campbell came on for the hard-working Thompson.
Both sides had further sights of goal, Harrod firing straight at Dexter following fine interplay between Medforth and Walmsley, before Langley planted a free header over Appleyard’s bar. Then, with just two minutes to go, Potts went close to snatching all three points. A half-cleared corner dropped invitingly for the midfielder eighteen yards out and his well-struck volley looked goal-bound as it went through a crowd of players only for Dexter to get down well to his right and beat out the shot.
Easington: K Appleyard, L Jeffery (D Walmsley, 70), K Milner, D Potts, C Smalley, A Graham, I Barrow (S Harrod, 45), M Nicholson, D Thompson (S Campbell, 75), D Medforth, N Rutter
Hornsea: R Dexter, A Stride, A Dexter, T Gelsthorpe, J Mason (D Jennings, 25), D Burnett, S Ward, A Scott, J Mill, A Nicholson, C Langley (Sub not used: A Kirk)
Referee: Mr. P. A. Cooke (Cleethorpes)
Att: 49
Easington United 1 – 1 Hornsea Town
A repeat of last season’s sixth placed finish appears the most that the Eastenders can now hope for after further failure to pick up maximum points at home cost them against Hornsea Town.
Eighteen points have been dropped in Easington’s thirteen home games this season – you don’t need to look any further to see why no championship challenge has again materialised.
Yet, once again there was no lack of effort from the home side and with a bit more luck, victory might well have been ground out against one of the form teams of the season.
Although the game carried more than a hint of “end of season affair” about it – Hornsea turning up having seen any lingering title hopes vanquished by Sculcoates a week earlier and with one eye firmly fixed on next weekend’s league cup semi-final – there was enough good football on show to keep a sun-baked crowd interested throughout.
Easington manager Mack handed young Luke Jeffery his first HPL start at right back with Craig Smalley (complete in Mrs Smalley’s undercrackers) moved into the middle. And there were welcome returns for asst-manager Dave Walmsley, Steve Harrod and “Sailor” Stu on the bench.
Both sides struggled to carve out any clear-cut chances early on, a spot of pinball in the Town box on 10mins seeing both Mike Nicholson and Darren Thompson just fail to apply a decisive touch. And when the first clear-cut opportunity did come, skipper Rutter doing well down the right before putting over an inviting cross, the arriving Nicholson was adjudged offside as he lifted the ball over the top from six yards out.
Town, who had been forced into an early substitution when Justin Mason was forced out of the action, had enjoyed plenty of possession without really causing any problems before a tidy piece of interplay allowed Dave Burnett to stride through and stylishly tuck away the opening goal on 43 minutes.
The visitors’ joy was to last barely a minute. A foul on Rutter out on the right resulted in Kev Milner’s well-struck in-swinging free-kick that the skipper got the deftest of glances on to guide past Dexter for 1-1.
A minute later it was Hornsea’s turn to go close from a set-piece; Kev Appleyard moving smartly to save Adam Nicholson’s effort.
Harrod replaced the struggling Barrow at the break and the second period began with Dexter saving from Milner at the far post. Jennings then toe-poked a left wing cross into the side-netting as both teams began to scent a winner.
After Rutter and Potts had combined well to put Nicholson in space, only to be “rewarded” with a finish that was high, wide and far from handsome, Chris Langley did likewise when well placed at the other end.
Jeffery made way for Walmsley with twenty to go, Medforth dropping in at right back and shortly afterwards Campbell came on for the hard-working Thompson.
Both sides had further sights of goal, Harrod firing straight at Dexter following fine interplay between Medforth and Walmsley, before Langley planted a free header over Appleyard’s bar. Then, with just two minutes to go, Potts went close to snatching all three points. A half-cleared corner dropped invitingly for the midfielder eighteen yards out and his well-struck volley looked goal-bound as it went through a crowd of players only for Dexter to get down well to his right and beat out the shot.
Easington: K Appleyard, L Jeffery (D Walmsley, 70), K Milner, D Potts, C Smalley, A Graham, I Barrow (S Harrod, 45), M Nicholson, D Thompson (S Campbell, 75), D Medforth, N Rutter
Hornsea: R Dexter, A Stride, A Dexter, T Gelsthorpe, J Mason (D Jennings, 25), D Burnett, S Ward, A Scott, J Mill, A Nicholson, C Langley (Sub not used: A Kirk)
Referee: Mr. P. A. Cooke (Cleethorpes)
Att: 49