Evo Stik Division One South
Stocksbridge Park Steels 2-2 Basford United
- Brodie Litchfield’s second half equaliser earned Stocksbridge a point after playing in atrocious conditions.
- Steels left-back Rory Coleman had drawn Chris Hilton’s level at 1-1 in the first half from the penalty spot.
- The draw keeps Stocksbridge on course to challenge for a play-offs spots.
- The players and officials had to cope with awful conditions. The match was suspended at one point in the second half because of hailstones. Players and officials used the dugouts as shelter.
- Chris Hilton believed the break in proceedings prevented his side from stealing the three points.
Corey Gregory tries to win the game on the wintry pitch
Snow, thunder, lightning, hailstones, rain, sunshine, wind – the perfect ingredients for a BBC weather forecast, not a game of football. Even Chris Hilton admitted he had never seen anything like it as all four seasons made an appearance. If you left an hour after the final whistle, it was like a disaster movie on the streets surrounding Bracken Moor. Two inch of snow lay and two abandoned buses on opposite sides of the road made life difficult for anyone wanting to drive a car down the hill.
It is amazing that the game reached the 90th minute considering what the players and officials had to go through. There was even a four minute delay in the second half when hailstones, the size of golfballs, came down. Incredibly the players, officials and management teams used the dugouts as shelter.
The players deserve medals for carving out a pulsating Evo Stik encounter. Credit also goes to referee Mick Denton, who used common sense throughout and underlined why he is a superb example to younger officials. The only black mark being the failure to send off Basford’s Ashley Grayson for a poor challenge.
The initial blizzard began literally minutes before kick off. Basford adapted to the conditions the quickest as poor defending from Stocksbridge gave Grayson the easiest of finishes from close range.
Brodie Litchfield, the young Stocksbridge-born prodigy on loan to the Steels from Sheffield United, helped engineer the first equaliser. He was fouled in the penalty area after a mazy run. Rory Coleman, who blazed a spot kick almost out of the ground in midweek, made no mistake this time.
Spencer Maw, also from Sheffield United, was then denied a goal by an excellent save from goalkeeper Jake Wood. However, Basford were next to score as Matt Reay deflected a cross into his own net. His brother David, the Steels goalkeeper, kept the home side in it with two top saves either side of the interval. The second prevented Eugen Bopp’s bullet header finding the top corner.
Brodie Litchfield got the equaliser for Stocksbridge
He had been brought down for their first equaliser, which came from the penalty spot
Referee Mick Denton agreed that it was a penalty
Rory Coleman made no mistake from the spot
Steels assistant manager Ryan Laight watches on as the snow descends
The players had to seek refuge in the dugouts after hailstones came down
Stocksbridge, a vastly-improved side compared with 12 months ago, were always going to mount a forceful fight-back. For a good period of ten minutes, Stocksbridge pounded at Basford’s door. Scott Ruthven missed a sitter at the back-post, Harrison Biggins, presumedly spurred on by his midweek wonder goal, tried his luck from distance. Although it took some doing, eventually the equaliser came. Basford failed to deal with a corner. Corey Gregory sent the ball back into the crowded six-yard box. Reay’s attempt was blocked, but Litchfield scrambled the ball over the line.
Stocksbridge had Basford on the rack, but the hailstones came and so did the brief break. The now-white-over pitch became tougher to play on and passes from both sides went astray. The Stocksbridge defence also tired and Basford’s quick attackers almost took advantage. Former Bradford (Park Avenue) player Reuben Wiggins-Thomas missed an open goal after a howler from goalkeeper Reay.
Right at the death, Stocksbridge nearly snatched all three points after the otherwise excellent Wood was left in no-mans-land. Gregory, known for having a prowess for the spectacular, pounced and went for goal from some distance. He was set to be the hero until Dion Meikle raced back and headed the ball to safety.
A home winner would have been harsh on Basford, who deserved a point for their part in a memorable clash.
Stocksbridge Park Steels manager Chris Hilton:
Stocksbridge Park Steels: D Reay, Meade, Coleman, Hinchliffe (Paling HT), McFadyen (captain), M Reay, Maw, Biggins, Ruthven, Litchfield (Poulton 82), Gregory. Subs unused: Thompson, Laight.
Basford United: Wood, McNicholas, Meikle (captain) (Duffy 90), Smith, Rowley, Darkin, Grayson (Wiggins-Thomas 61), Griffiths Jr, Hendrie, Bopp, Dixon. Subs unused: Grantham, Jack Wood.
Referee: Mick Denton (Todmorden)
Ref Rating: 10/10
Attendance: 106
Man of the match: Corey Gregory (Stocksbridge Park Steels)