Curtly Martin-Wyatt came on as a half-time substitute and played a role in Garforth’s County Cup victory
Late goals were the difference as Garforth Town survived a scare to win the prolonged West Riding County Cup first round tie with Yorkshire Amateur at Wheatley Park.
Last season’s runners-up Garforth only scraped through with a 4-3 victory over their local rivals in a match that was a superb advertisement for the often derided competition.
The tie swung from end to end and even at the death the Ammers looked capable of sending the tie to a penalty shootout.
The Ammers led 2-1 at half-time after Glenn Wood and captain Daniel Freeman had cancelled out Spencer Lund’s early strike for Garforth.
Luke Mangham equalised for the Miners on the hour mark and it took an intervention from Mark Simpson to see Garforth over the finish line.
The striker scored the third and then set-up Curtly Martin-Wyatt up for the fourth before Tom Rose gave the Ammers some hope deep into injury-time.
If the game was red hot, so was the build-up as there were scores to settle. Garforth chief Graham Nicholas was seeking redemption for the 8-3 friendly defeat to Ammers early on in his reign.
On the other hand, the Ammers were unhappy that the re-arranged tie wasn’t played last week after being called off because of a waterlogged pitch two weeks ago.
That set up the potential of a humdinger and that’s what the crowd got. Garforth drew first blood with Lund scoring his first ever goal for the club after Mangham’s superb run down the left.
The Ammers’ equaliser was somewhat controversial, but nowhere near the level of the legendary Pickering free kick in December 2013. Referee Ken Haycock allowed the visitors to take a free kick quickly and former Garforth defender Wood got one over his old club by bending the ball round the home wall and past Ben Hunter.
Tim Robertson almost restored Garforth’s lead with a free kick of their own which crashed back off the crossbar before the home crowd were silenced.
Wood was involved again as his header landed nicely for former Leeds City defender Freeman to turn and score – putting the Toolstation NCEL Division One side in front.
Nicholas shuffled his pack at half-time by bringing Martin-Wyatt and Sinmi Oyebanji into the fray, but for a period Garforth found breaking the visitors down hard going.
The Ammers defence was rock solid with the three centre-backs Robbie Wadsworth, Chris Hitchings and Freeman and their full-backs restricting Garforth to long range efforts.
A degree of fortune did contribute to Garforth’s equaliser as a bit of mis-control from Martin-Wyatt enabled Simpson to intervene and supply Mangham with the angle to level the tie.
With a home game with Armthorpe in the next round at stake, both sides went hammer and tong in search of the winner.
Substitute Adam Shaw rattled Garforth’s cage as Hunter was called upon to make a save from point blank range. Former Garforth playmaker Dan Sherrife also watched as his close range strike came back off the post.
With ten minutes left, penalties were a real prospect until the breakthrough. Simpson went close on two occasions before the young prodigy edged the Miners in front after a game of ping-pong in the Ammers six-yard-box.
Simpson was then involved again for the fourth. Garforth’s top-scorer glided down the right-wing, despite two attempts to wipe him out by the Ammers defence. Simpson looked up across the penalty area and sent a low pass over so Martin-Wyatt could seemingly put Garforth out of sight.
The Ammers though refused to throw the towel down as former AFC Emley player Rose brought his side back into it in the dying minutes with a low drive.
Garforth had to endure a jittery last few seconds as the Ammers won a throw-in deep inside the home side’s half and some fans will have been relieved when the final whistle sounded.
Garforth Town: Hunter, Scott (Martin-Wyatt HT), Robertson, Monfredi, Rogers, McCarthy, Simpson, Shelton, Smith (Oyebanji HT), Mangham, Lund.
Yorkshire Amateur: Bojang, Wadsworth, Wood, Rose, Freeman, Hitchings, Marsden, Marsden, Blakey, Hughes (Shaw 68), Craig Heard (Sherrife 76), Carl Heard. Subs unused: Thompson, Harding.
Referee: Ken Haycock
Ref Rating: 8/10 (Garforth could have complaints over the free kick, but some superb advantages played on the numerous occasions)
Attendance: 73
Man of the match: Mark Simpson (Garforth Town)