Toolstation NCEL Division One
AFC Emley 4-0 Yorkshire Amateur
Ash Flynn looks down at the ball after scoring his hat-trick. Picture: Mark Parsons
Ash Flynn has now incredibly scored 70 times this season after an astonishing four-goal haul against hard-working Yorkshire Amateur.
It was a memorable day for the Pewits who also announced that marketing firm Fantastic Media have taken over the naming rights of the Welfare ground.
There was only one slight negative to come from the afternoon which was the loss of Tom Brennan to injury late in the second half. It saw Emley complete the game with just 10 men.
Emley’s bogey-side Ammers provided a stern test for Emley, particularly in the first half, but Darren Hepworth’s team were more clinical in the second half.
It was a tight affair at the start of the first half but the crucial moment came after 17 minutes when Flynn put Emley in front. The ball arrived in the box and Flynn’s beautiful touch took him away from his man and put him one-on-one with former Garforth Town and Ossett Town ‘keeper Ben Hunter, an Ammers debutant, and his deflected shot found the back of the net.
Flynn could have an assist and another goal in the first half. His lovely cross fell perfectly onto the head of Alex Slack whose header forced Hunter into a fine save. He also hit a post after Michael Tunnacliffe won the ball after a poor kick from Hunter. Tunnacliffe found Kieran Ryan who put Flynn through but he dragged his shot onto the post.
Nevertheless, he finally got his second with 20 minutes to go when he headed in substitute Jordan Townend’s fine cross from the right. The same two combined again as Flynn tapped in Towend’s cross from six yards out.
Flynn made sure he ended the afternoon with his 70th goal of the campaign as he raced onto a clearance and burst towards the box and thumped his shot emphatically into the roof of the net.
It didn’t all go Emley’s way though. Just before Emley’s scored their fourth, Tom Brennan limped off with a suspected groin injury and had to finish the game with ten men. Also, Yorkshire’s Joel Hughes could have quite easily scored a couple himself in the first half which may have changed the complexion of the game.
Hughes missed two golden opportunities, firstly putting a free header from around eight yards out over the bar and then after a mistake by Sam Jerome, he found himself running towards Adam Lawlor in the Emley goal but he put his shot straight at him and Lawlor palmed it away to safety and the danger was cleared.
Thanks to Paul Joannou for this report.