Steels 5-2 Hallam

Stocksbridge Park Steels got back to winning ways in resounding fashion after beating Hallam 5-2.

Both teams went for it in the early parts of the game as they looked to show why they should be in the next round of the Sheffield Senior Cup. Ashley Flynn tried to get an audacious goal when he spotted Ben Townsend off his line and went for the lob, but it went just over.

While Stocksbridge had a lot of possession, it was Hallam who struck first. Stocksbridge failed to clear a set piece and after it stayed in the box for an alarming amount of time, former Steels forward Scott Ruthven smashed it home to give the visitors the lead.

The Steels continued to have a lot of the ball and eventually they were able to get an equaliser. Luke Rawson didn’t have much space to work with in the box but he was able to squeeze through a couple of defenders before poking it past Charlie Preston and getting Stocksbridge back in the game. This gave the home side a lot of confidence and good play saw Ross Goodwin get a chance within the box but he could only hit it over after stretching behind him to get the ball. It would be level at the break.

A blow for Hallam was that Alex Palmer couldn’t return for the second half after suffering a blow to his shoulder earlier in the game. Stocksbridge quickly took advantage by becoming the dominant force in the game and they soon got their goal. After Hallam had defended a few balls into the box, Jordan Lemon’s cross was the deadly one and Jack Watson got onto the end of it, curling his header into the back of the net.

Stocksbridge continued to dominate possession and they were able to get another goal to make the game more comfortable, something that was very important considering how potent Hallam are in front of goal. It was great play down the left which allowed Jack Tinker to burst into the box. He sent a powerful low cross across the goal and Basille Zottos tapped in at the far end to score his first Stocksbridge goal.

The Steels were not finished yet. They had a free kick wide on the left wing and it was in an ideal position for Tomas Poole to whip a cross in. He decided against doing that, instead spotting some open space at the near post and curling it brilliantly into that corner, truly sealing the game for Stocksbridge.

Stocksbridge continued to push forward and they got a 5th before the end of the match. Curtis Davies looked to show what he was about but his shot from the outside of the box was saved by Preston. The rebound deflected off Zottos and fell to Bailey-Tye Baker who fired home to score his first goal for the club.

Hallam would get a consolation at the end of the match. A deep free kick was put into the box and similar to the first half, the Steels failed to clear. This time it was Ashley Flynn who was able to get the key touch before firing the ball in. With the game finishing moments afterwards, it would only give Hallam fans something to cheer as Stocksbridge progressed into the next round.