The pain of it all

Saturday 15th September

CML North

Kiveton Park 2 Easington United 0

 

Unable to be in two places at once, I missed my first CML game of the season when the First Team travelled to Hard Lane, Kiveton.  Traditionally (if three previous visits warrants use of such a term) one of our happier hunting grounds, on this occasion it was anything but – as the face of asst-manager Andy G clearly illustrates.

 

A match report of sorts, along with Burt's photographs, can be found here.

Deano's day on the Farm

Saturday 15th September

ERCL Division 1

Easington United Reserves 2 Walkington 2

ERCL Division 4

Easington United Casuals 2 Kings Head Hedon 2

 

This was the day Dean Windass finally made his Low Farm debut.  How he must have longed for this occasion, ever since he was forced to withdraw from an Ex-Tigers game here a couple of years back due to “other commitments”.  Let’s face it, what else is there for you to achieve in football when you’ve scored the winning goal for your hometown club at Wembley, the “Sixty Million Pound Goal” that secures top flight football for the first time in their history?  Why, to play at The Farm Of Dreams of course.  And this he did.  For Walkington.

Yes, Walkington.  Formerly The Barrel Walkington thanks to the sponsorship of a local hostelry, the club from the picturesque village once famous for Ernie Teal and his Hayride now boasts one of Hull City’s favourite sons in its ranks.  And, if rumour is to be believed, Mr Windass will soon be (or already has been) joined therein by a certain Bryan Hughes and Ian Ashbee.  Wow!

The pull this Division 1 club has over such luminaries probably comes down to their manager.  Leigh Palin was one of the first players I can recall interviewing for City fanzine ‘From Hull To Eternity’.  It was conducted in the old Sherlock Holmes pub on Baker Street, which perhaps tells you all you need to know.  Leigh Palin – gifted footballer, amiable chap, ale-cart and a man currently reassembling a midfield good enough to grace the Championship…in Walkington.

Deano’s anticipated appearance had helped swell the Low Farm attendance to 62.  This was almost three times last season’s average for Reserves games and bigger than many CML gates.  It helped give the game a real sense of importance.

Both sides had opened with a win.  The Stiffs had triumphed 3-1 at Hodgsons Reserves despite Gav taking just the bare eleven to Beverley.  Meanwhile, Walkington had begun with an impressive looking 4-1 win over Wawne United Reserves.  It looked a decent game on paper.

One-nil down, two-one up!

And so it proved.  Both sides looked to get the ball down and play, with Deano orchestrating things for the visitors without ever really having to leave the centre-circle.  It must be terrific to be a youngster in the Walkington ranks at the moment.  Coached by one of the few gems of City’s Dolan Era and with another one playing – and encouraging – alongside you, there’s little wonder they appeared a confident bunch.

Still, we had the better early openings and Karl Hodgson passed up one excellent chance before Walkington took a first half lead, which they held to the break.

At half-time I wandered across the Ditch to catch some of the Casuals’ action.  Due to no referee being appointed, this game had kicked off several minutes later than the “main feature” and had almost ten minutes to run to the break.

On arrival, we appeared to be in the ascendancy although I soon learnt we were actually a goal down.  “Their keeper’s made two or three cracking saves”, said new signing Damon Ellis’s granddad – one of this season’s bright young hopes at Third team level…Damon of course, not his granddad!

“He is but ‘e needs to fill out a bit” was the older man’s view when asked if his grandson was enjoying it.  For today’s game he had the physical presence of Shane Keyworth alongside him to help counter a team that could play football but could also resort to other means if required.

I returned to the main pitch during half-time with the Hedon side still ahead.

The second half of the Reserves game began with the locals on the front foot and they deservedly levelled when the player/manager’s free-kick somehow found its way into the Walkington net.

Things got better.  A poor back-header was seized upon by Frosty who proceeded to round the keeper and slot home for 2-1.

Within the next ten minutes the game could have been settled.  Thommo saw one effort saved, Sam Gatti fired wide and Stu saw one cleared off the line.  I think we knew what was coming.

In fairness Walkington had also passed up a couple of decent chances before, with just three minutes left, Mr Windass delivered a corner which wasn’t dealt with and the ball was lashed home for 2-2.

Don't you just hate it when that happens...

Across the ditch, two late Shane Keyworth goals salvaged a point for the Casuals from two down to mirror the Reserves’ result.  I think both Gav and DC would’ve taken that at start of play.

 

A full report and Craig Stephenson's pictures can be found here.

Too Good To Miss…Oh!

No. 2: Chris Frost v Ollerton Town (Saturday 8th September)

 

 

Thanks again go to Burt Graham for capturing a moment to savour for another member of our squad! 

Downed

Saturday 8th September

CML North

Easington United 2 Ollerton Town 3
 

What always looked a tough month when the fixtures were released continued with the visit of Ollerton to the Farm.

The Nottinghamshire side had enjoyed something of a revival under new manager Dave Winter towards the back end of last season and they’d carried this form into the current campaign.

They arrived on the Humber Riviera boasting four wins out of four, albeit this record may well have been punctured had their floodlights not packed up during the home game against AFC Mansfield with the visitors leading 2-0 at the time.

Plenty had been said and written about this incident in its immediate aftermath and some of the accusations levelled by members of the Mansfield club clearly still rankled judging by my pre-match conversations with several of the visiting committee.

 

This was our first game “post-Newton” and The Sumo’s problems were further exacerbated by the continuing absence of Jimmy D and Frosty’s arrival clearly the worse for an extended session the night before.

At this level you always get shown up for such lapses and in addition to some woeful attempts to control the ball first half, Frosty’s comeuppance came midway through the first half.

Having worked hard to cancel out Munson's opener for Ollerton, thanks to Neilo’s header from another delicious Tom Mc set-piece, we looked certain to take the lead when Neilo showed a rare turn of pace to leave the defence trailing in his wake down the left.  Looking up he picked out the arriving Frosty perfectly only for the ball’s recipient to…well, the next blog post “tells” what happened next more accurately than I can!

 

I’ve posted before how hard a side we are to break down when we’ve got our noses in front and who knows how this game may have panned out had we held a 2-1 lead into the interval and beyond.

Instead, it was the visitors who took control with two goals in a five-minute spell midway through the second half.  The first owed plenty to some wonderful skill from Easom; the second to some careless defending on our part.

Had it not been for Charlie we may well have been buried on the back of these two goals.  As it was we rallied and got ourselves back in it when another McLaughlin delivery picked out Eli for 2-3.  Game on…

In the dying moments we were to suffer two major setbacks.  First was the raising of the assistant’s flag that denied Eli the equaliser from another set-piece.  But it was the second that would have the more long-term repercussions – Sam Mc taking an awkward tumble while helping avert a fourth Ollerton goal on the counter and sustaining a broken wrist in the process.  The manager had lost his “talisman”…for up to eight weeks.  Ouch!

An official report of the game, along with a full set of Burt Graham's photographs, can be found here.
Ollerton's own report can be found here. 

 

A fitting finale

Monday 3rd September

Barney Moverley Memorial

Easington United Reserves 6 Roos 2

 

Thankfully, given the controversy of the trip to Harworth, I didn’t have too long to wait for my next football “fix”, with the Stiffs entertaining fellow East Riding County League side Roos in the Barney Moverley Memorial Trophy game.

The “Barney Game” – as it’s commonly called – is an annual fixture played in memory for former Youth Leader, Councillor and well-known local personality Barney Moverley. 
It is now in its seventh year, quite an achievement given the way so many of these “memorial” fixtures seem to disappear off the calendar in a relatively short passage of time.  

It must be said, however, that it was an achievement to get it played this year given that opponents Roos – currently plying their trade in Division 3 - looked to have had the “close season from Hell”.  With just over a week to go to the game (and twelve days before the County League kicked-off) manager Les Sennett was struggling to raise a team.

Thankfully, in time-honoured fashion, he eventually succeeded and for an hour his side continued the fixtures recent trend for competitiveness.

Goals by Danny Uscroft and Matty Dixon pegged us back at 1-1 and 3-2 before the Stiffs netted three times late on to ensure their seventh win in eight years.

 

There was some angle required on the lens for this photo!

 

This was my fourth viewing of Gav’s new-look Reserve string in pre-season and perhaps the most accomplished yet.

Perhaps this wasn't surprising as against Brandesburton in the Holderness Cup Winners Cup the new man had been torn by a need to stay loyal to the South Holderness Cup-winning squad, while the game at home to Patrington had seen several of his players selected to line up for their Sunday side.

With the new league season now just five days away, the Roos result – and overall performance – was just the tonic he and new assistant Dave Gatti needed.

It was also a fine way with which to end another pre-season at the Farm.

A full report of the game can be found here.