Post by slush on Apr 10, 2008 7:05:53 GMT
Old errors punish Easington’s young battlers
HPL Premier Division
Reckitts AFC 4 – 0 Easington United
AS anticipated an inexperienced Easington side found the going tough against five-time champions Reckitts at the Humberside Police Ground. However, it wasn’t until the final fourteen minutes of the game that the hosts confirmed their win.
With sixteen HPL squad members unavailable for the trip – a figure that includes ten regulars – this was always going to be a difficult assignment for a side bearing four changes from that which had lost at the weekend. Neilson, Smalley, Johnson and Cousins were the latest absentees, leaving a re-jigged back four that included right back Adam Metcalf (making his first HPL appearance since January 2007) and Danny Medforth pushed inside to partner Tony Hunt.
The welcome return of Steve Harrod allowed Mack to return to his favoured 4-4-1-1 formation with Chris Frost asked to operate wide right and James Mee given another run up front after his impressive debut at Humberston. Teenagers James Robinson and “Bezza” Barnett joined the boss on the bench.
To further compound Easington’s worries, Paul Morrow came into the game struggling with a groin problem from the night before and goalkeeper Kevin Appleyard – making first team appearance number 251 – would be hampered by a thigh strain sustained midway through the first half!
On a quite atrocious playing surface – a fact commented on by both teams and the match officials – it was youngster Mee who enjoyed the first sight of goal, firing into the side netting from 20 yards out.
Despite their depletion, Easington certainly didn’t look over-awed for a fixture in which they boast an enviable record but as always Reckitts looked potent when attacking swiftly from deep.
On 19 minutes the Eastenders’ new-look central defensive partnership was nearly caught out by goalkeeper Jim Lawrie’s long punt, which Alex Reveley latched onto only to be denied by Appleyard’s fine reflex stop.
Unfortunately, there was nothing the keeper could do a minute later when Gareth Bairstow was allowed to advance unopposed before virtually passing the ball into the top corner from 25 yards out.
Within the next ten minutes the Eastenders’ goal led a somewhat charmed life. Reveley sliced wide from six yards out when unmarked at the far post, before the ex-North Ferriby youngster teed-up Tony Randle who blazed over from just inside the area.
Still, with Harrod bringing those little touches of quality up front that the side has been so sadly lacking since he joined Bottesford and with Mee again showing he is in no way fazed at this level, Easington continued to ask questions of Martin and Morfit at the heart of the home defence.
Indeed, for the majority of the second half the visitors carved out the better opportunities and on 55mins they missed a glorious chance to equalise when neat footwork allowed Harrod to work the space for a shot but nobody was on hand to convert the loose ball after Lawrie failed to hold it.
Two minutes later, a throw into the Reckitts box wasn’t dealt with and Frost nipped in ahead of marker and keeper only to toe poke the ball wide of the near post.
Barnett was handed his HPL debut on the hour, replacing Morrow on the left and later in the half a slight knock on Mee resulted in James Robinson getting only his second taste of football at this level.
Reckitts themselves started to make switches and it was two of their subs, Adam Crane and Baz Waller, who would eventually confirm the home side’s victory – though not without a huge helping hand from the Easington defence; and again to their manager’s consternation, it was the more experienced members of the squad who came up with the errors.
On 76mins a break that began with suspicion of handball against Bairstow saw Stu Campbell do well to make a fine covering tackle only for Waller, following up, to stroke the ball into an open goal from 25 yards thanks to Appleyard – dodgy thigh an’ all – having come racing into no-man’s land!
Within two minutes Easington should have reduced arrears when Potts (hard working alongside Rutter in midfield) cleverly put Frost in on goal but with Lawrie stranded the youngster lifted his attempted lob wide of the target.
On 81minutes Reckitts wrapped things up, albeit with the help of a touch of fortune when the impressive Medforth’s clearing header rebounded back off a team-mate and invitingly into the path of Crane who dispatched it into the net.
Then, just two minutes from time, Campbell marred an otherwise improved personal display when he was dispossessed by Waller who duly scored his second and Reckitts’ fourth.
So a fourth defeat in the last six games and no win in that sequence – it’s ironic that at the same time as the club is on the verge of making another exciting leap into the unknown its current fortunes in the HPL are the worst they’ve been for five years, since a similar end-of-season slump in Mike Wilson’s final term in charge. With four games to go and the defence of the South Holderness Cup looming large on the horizon, Mack knows he has his work cut out to turn things round.
On the bright side, despite the results, the overall mood among players remains a refreshingly determined one – and on the evidence of the last two games there is certainly no shortage of youthful exuberance to add to it…
Reckitts: J Lawrie, D Botham, K Blake, M Bartlett, G Bairstow, P Morfit, T Randle (L Metcalf, 80), A Reveley (B Waller, 72), A Martin, T Fleming, C Smethurst (A Crane, 58)
Easington: K Appleyard, A Metcalf, S Campbell, D Potts, T Hunt, D Medforth, C Frost, N Rutter, S Harrod, J Mee (J Robinson, 75), P Morrow (A Barnett, 60) (sub not used: D Mackay-Dundas)
Referee: Mr. D. J. Musgrave (Hull)
Assts: Mr. S. N. Keillor (Hull) / Mr. R. Wallis (Hull)
Att: 35
HPL Premier Division
Reckitts AFC 4 – 0 Easington United
AS anticipated an inexperienced Easington side found the going tough against five-time champions Reckitts at the Humberside Police Ground. However, it wasn’t until the final fourteen minutes of the game that the hosts confirmed their win.
With sixteen HPL squad members unavailable for the trip – a figure that includes ten regulars – this was always going to be a difficult assignment for a side bearing four changes from that which had lost at the weekend. Neilson, Smalley, Johnson and Cousins were the latest absentees, leaving a re-jigged back four that included right back Adam Metcalf (making his first HPL appearance since January 2007) and Danny Medforth pushed inside to partner Tony Hunt.
The welcome return of Steve Harrod allowed Mack to return to his favoured 4-4-1-1 formation with Chris Frost asked to operate wide right and James Mee given another run up front after his impressive debut at Humberston. Teenagers James Robinson and “Bezza” Barnett joined the boss on the bench.
To further compound Easington’s worries, Paul Morrow came into the game struggling with a groin problem from the night before and goalkeeper Kevin Appleyard – making first team appearance number 251 – would be hampered by a thigh strain sustained midway through the first half!
On a quite atrocious playing surface – a fact commented on by both teams and the match officials – it was youngster Mee who enjoyed the first sight of goal, firing into the side netting from 20 yards out.
Despite their depletion, Easington certainly didn’t look over-awed for a fixture in which they boast an enviable record but as always Reckitts looked potent when attacking swiftly from deep.
On 19 minutes the Eastenders’ new-look central defensive partnership was nearly caught out by goalkeeper Jim Lawrie’s long punt, which Alex Reveley latched onto only to be denied by Appleyard’s fine reflex stop.
Unfortunately, there was nothing the keeper could do a minute later when Gareth Bairstow was allowed to advance unopposed before virtually passing the ball into the top corner from 25 yards out.
Within the next ten minutes the Eastenders’ goal led a somewhat charmed life. Reveley sliced wide from six yards out when unmarked at the far post, before the ex-North Ferriby youngster teed-up Tony Randle who blazed over from just inside the area.
Still, with Harrod bringing those little touches of quality up front that the side has been so sadly lacking since he joined Bottesford and with Mee again showing he is in no way fazed at this level, Easington continued to ask questions of Martin and Morfit at the heart of the home defence.
Indeed, for the majority of the second half the visitors carved out the better opportunities and on 55mins they missed a glorious chance to equalise when neat footwork allowed Harrod to work the space for a shot but nobody was on hand to convert the loose ball after Lawrie failed to hold it.
Two minutes later, a throw into the Reckitts box wasn’t dealt with and Frost nipped in ahead of marker and keeper only to toe poke the ball wide of the near post.
Barnett was handed his HPL debut on the hour, replacing Morrow on the left and later in the half a slight knock on Mee resulted in James Robinson getting only his second taste of football at this level.
Reckitts themselves started to make switches and it was two of their subs, Adam Crane and Baz Waller, who would eventually confirm the home side’s victory – though not without a huge helping hand from the Easington defence; and again to their manager’s consternation, it was the more experienced members of the squad who came up with the errors.
On 76mins a break that began with suspicion of handball against Bairstow saw Stu Campbell do well to make a fine covering tackle only for Waller, following up, to stroke the ball into an open goal from 25 yards thanks to Appleyard – dodgy thigh an’ all – having come racing into no-man’s land!
Within two minutes Easington should have reduced arrears when Potts (hard working alongside Rutter in midfield) cleverly put Frost in on goal but with Lawrie stranded the youngster lifted his attempted lob wide of the target.
On 81minutes Reckitts wrapped things up, albeit with the help of a touch of fortune when the impressive Medforth’s clearing header rebounded back off a team-mate and invitingly into the path of Crane who dispatched it into the net.
Then, just two minutes from time, Campbell marred an otherwise improved personal display when he was dispossessed by Waller who duly scored his second and Reckitts’ fourth.
So a fourth defeat in the last six games and no win in that sequence – it’s ironic that at the same time as the club is on the verge of making another exciting leap into the unknown its current fortunes in the HPL are the worst they’ve been for five years, since a similar end-of-season slump in Mike Wilson’s final term in charge. With four games to go and the defence of the South Holderness Cup looming large on the horizon, Mack knows he has his work cut out to turn things round.
On the bright side, despite the results, the overall mood among players remains a refreshingly determined one – and on the evidence of the last two games there is certainly no shortage of youthful exuberance to add to it…
Reckitts: J Lawrie, D Botham, K Blake, M Bartlett, G Bairstow, P Morfit, T Randle (L Metcalf, 80), A Reveley (B Waller, 72), A Martin, T Fleming, C Smethurst (A Crane, 58)
Easington: K Appleyard, A Metcalf, S Campbell, D Potts, T Hunt, D Medforth, C Frost, N Rutter, S Harrod, J Mee (J Robinson, 75), P Morrow (A Barnett, 60) (sub not used: D Mackay-Dundas)
Referee: Mr. D. J. Musgrave (Hull)
Assts: Mr. S. N. Keillor (Hull) / Mr. R. Wallis (Hull)
Att: 35