Steels Reserves 3-1 South Elmsall
Stocksbridge Park Steels Reserves earned a 3-1 win against South Elmsall United Services in the Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League at Bracken Moor on Saturday.
The Steels found themselves under the cosh in the opening minutes of the game, with a South Elmsall attacker going through on goal. Daniel Emery turned sweeper-keeper in the second minute, coming off his line to deny the visitors. He then committed a smart foul – getting his name taken in the process – to avoid South Elmsall getting a second bite at the cherry.
Ten minutes later, Alex Reed displayed his defensive prowess as he stood his ground in a 2v1 situation and dealt with the danger. South Elmsall soon found themselves in another 2v1 situation, but this time Tyler Folly did well to put them off, with the shot causing no concern to Emery and going off target.
The Steels, who grew into the game after the initial minutes of pressure, eventually took the lead in the 28th minute. Whylie Walford – in the centre of the box – got on the end of a brilliant cross from Matthew Lee and killed the ball dead with an immaculate first touch. While his initial shot was saved by South Elmsall goalkeeper Jenson Beaver, he made sure he found the back of the net on the second attempt.
Stocksbridge came close to doubling the lead just after the 40-minute mark after a South Elmsall defender sliced the ball onto the crossbar following a dangerous free-kick from Owen Oram-Jones on the right flank.
The scoreline read 1-0 in favour of the Steels at half-time.
Manager Mark Fretwell made the first substitution of the game in the 57th minute, bringing Aaron Mchale on for Ethan Thompson. With the newcomer slotting in alongside Reed in central defence, Folly moved to left-back and Oram-Jones to midfield.
As the Steels continued to push for their second, South Elmsall found an equaliser against the run of play in the 65th minute. The visitors launched a counter-attack after defending a free-kick before an unfortunate error at the back allowed them to tap the ball in.
Determined to reclaim the lead, the boss made another change, bringing Ryan Mansell on for Walford.
Emery, meanwhile, produced a fine stop in front of the goal to keep the score at 1-1.
With the game entering its final 10 minutes, the manager freshened things up front, throwing Bradley Adams, Kian Holloway and Alex Coates into the mix.
The efforts paid off as the Steels got back in front with two minutes to 90. After the ball found Adams in a dangerous position in the opposition box following a throw-in, the substitute, well aware of his surroundings, spotted Oram Jones’s overlapping run and set him up for a first-time finish.
Coates then sealed the game for Stocksbridge, netting the team’s third in added time, with Adams turning provider once again.
Fretwell’s side will face Hemsworth Miners Welfare away from home in the league next on March 30.
Written by Dakir Thanveery
