Man Of the Match: Callum Dearden
Venue: Wath Comp Bottom Field
Kick Off: 10.45am
Team: 3-2-4-1
GK: Cawood
RCD: Bradder
CD: Lloyd
LCD: Milner
DML: Parry
DMR: Rowe
CM: Brown
CM: Dearden
LM: Skirrow
RM: Jackson
CF: Windle
Subs:
Butler (45)
Goodwin (45)
Holdsworth (70)
Waddington (80)
Bookings: none
Report:
Stan Snr. made 3 changes to the starting eleven that were knocked out of the cup by Tickhill the previous week. Scott Parry replaced the unavailable Matt Wilson, Andy Goodwin and Rob Waddington dropped to the bench to make way for the Liam Jackson and the new signing: Goalkeeper: Adam Cawood.
Wath resorted to an unorthodox formation of 3 central defenders, 2 defensive midfielders that sat between the defence and a midfield 4, and one lone striker.
It certainly proved effective in the first half, as keeper Adam Cawood lokked to be having a quiet debut. Wath kept plenty of men back, forcing Denaby to shoot from long distances. Most of these shots were blocked, wide or skied, but the ones that got through, about 3, were gratefully gathered by Cawood.
This is not to say that Wath didn't attack. They were somewhat more skilful in their attcking play. A good one-two between Dearden and Brown sent Skirrow in for a one-on-one early in the game, but he saw his sliderule effort slide past the left post. Minutes later, Skirrow was putin again, this time by a clever through ball from the midfield, but the Denaby keeper pulled off a superb point blank save to deny Skirrow the opener and his fourth of the season.
Wath did however, break the deadlock on 20 minutes, with Callum Dearden showing determination to force home a blocked effort from 18 yards into the bottom right corner. 1-0.
The Saints persevered with their new formula, and it paid early dividends again, with Jamie Skirrow making a "run of the season" down his favoured left wing, using his excellent close control to beat two players and his strength to get round the back of the right back, before squaring to Dearden who smashed home a first touch screamer into the roof of the net from 6 yards. Wath held until half time to keep the score at an unexpected but welcome 2-0 advantage.
During the break, Stan Snr. made two substitutions. James Windler was replaced by Andy Goodwin, and Stuart Butler came on for an ineffective Liam Jackson.
Denaby hit back at Wath straight away, with a winger finding space on the left, to approach goal, and slide the ball into the net past the oncoming Cawood. 2-1. Wath snapped back into action straight away, with Shane Brown passing infield for Goodwin who turned and sent a delicate lob over the defence for Dearden to chase, and slot home for his and Wath's third. 3-1.
Having restored their 2 goal lead, Wath seemed to sit back a little too much and it proved costly. Denaby got into Wath's box again (which was something of a rarity in the first half) and Antony Rowe was judged by Referee and League Secretary Byron Long to have pushed over the Denaby attacker, and thus gave away his second penalty of the season. It was taken well, forced into the bottom left corner, just out of reach of the diving Cawood. 3-2. At which point, Denaby's centre back got carried away and mooned the Wath keeper. (An incident which will be mentioned in the manager's report to the league).
Denaby pressesd for an equaliser and found it, when Wath's defence were guilty of dwelling on the ball in their own box and were punished by Denaby with a poor shot that somehow found it's way through a mass of bodies. 3-3.
Some heads went down at this point, as Wath looked like losing another game, but they took the lead for the second time through Dearden again, with Shane Brown sending him through on goal, and he rounded the keeper finish from 18 yards.
In an end to end half, the next 60 seconds were predictable. A Denaby defender's long ball was miscued by John Lloyd, letting in the striker to score another equaliser. 4-4.Wath held on longer than expected, but substitutes Holdsworth and Waddington couldn't help the cause, and 10 minutes from time, Denaby scored a fifth goal to secure all 3 points. A scuffle emerged when Goodwin floored a Denaby defender, and Brown fell on top of him, incensing the right back. It was quickly diffused, but not before the infamous Denaby centre back added his two penneth with an unrepeatable comment to Brown, which just intensified the situation more.
But the score stood at 5-4 leaving Milner to make his customary negative comments about the rest of the team shutting up shop in the second half, deflecting any criticism of himself.
