Pontefract Collieries 2-1 Steels

Stocksbridge Park Steels lost their lead and the three points in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Pontefract Collieries.

Both sides were throwing long balls into the box to begin with, but for the most part the defending was solid and kept chances at a minimum. A horror mistake almost gave the home side the lead ball. A long ball from Pontefract went forward and is customary, Ben Townsend charged out to deal with it. He miskicked it though, and Bailey Thompson tried to make the most of it. However Elliot Murray was quicker than the forward and was able to clear it, the defender making a great impression on his return.

A major incident would soon happen though. Jack Tinker looked like he was going get some space on the left, but he was wrestled to the ground by Jack Greenhough who had already been booked. Surprisingly, this was given as a free kick Pontefract’s way. Ian Richards was left irate by the decision and following his protests, the referee would send the manager off.

This didn’t seem to stop Stocksbridge though. Jack Watson, making his first start since returning from injury, broke through but his initial shot was saved by Aleksandar Petrovic. The ball fell kindly back to him though, and with his second effort he was able to get the ball into the back of the net. This gave the Steels the lead before the end of the first half.

Pontefract came out improved in the second half though and would get level. Greenhough’s long throw caused problems in the box and Stocksbridge didn’t clear their lines. The ball fell to Danny Burns who slammed the ball home to give Pontefract a leveller.

The game would continue as it had in the first half, with the conditions not being too conducive to on the pitch play and both sets of defenders having to head the ball a lot. But it was some quick play from Pontefract, switching play to take advantage of play on the right that saw Mikey Dunn get the ball. He forced his way into the box and would be tripped by Luke Hogg, giving the home side a penalty. Adam Haw stepped up and sent Townsend the wrong way.

Stocksbridge tried to press and get an equaliser but they couldn’t get much going, being restricted to long shots or balls into the box which were claimed by Petrovic. The offside flag kept stopping Stocksbridge from breaking through too. This meant there would be no Boxing Day job for the Steels.