Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Armthorpe Welfare 1-5 Pickering Town
Pickering Town striker Ryan Blott scored in the win at Armthorpe
Pickering Town closed the gap on leaders Cleethorpes to eleven points with the straight-forward win at Armthorpe.
Crucially Pickering have three games in hand on Cleethorpes, who were in FA Vase action yesterday.
Pickering started the game on the offensive, going close a few times in the opening fifteen minutes, notably through Ryan Cooper. The Welfare looked to have weathered the storm and went close themselves on 23 minutes when Gowen’s free-kick from the left saw Gareth Roberts and Craig Aspinall both have shots blocked before Charlie Braithwaite put a low 25 yard shot just wide.
However, on 29 minutes the Welfare defence gave Billy Logan too much space to chip a cross to the far post for Cooper to head in.
Will Biggs saved well with his legs from Jules Gabbiadini before Pickering made it 2-0 on 36 minutes as the unmarked Ryan Blott was left with time and space to control Nathan Kamara’s cross from the right before picking his spot past Biggs.
Welfare had a chance to reduce the deficit just before half time when Roberts headed wide of the far post following a Gowen cross from the left.
Disaster struck for Welfare at the start of the second half as George Bissett rose to head in a left wing corner three minutes after the break to put the visitors 3-0 up.
Darren Mansaram glanced a header just wide of the far post on 54 minutes but on 57 minutes Pickering extended their lead further with Logan driving a low shot past Biggs from just inside the box.
Five minutes later it was 5-0 when Gabbiadini was left in space on the edge of the box to lift the ball over Biggs into the net.
Michael Collins fired wide from 22 yards for the Welfare on 66 minutes but Aspinall grabbed a consolation with a well struck 25 yard free-kick on 78 minutes.
Biggs twice came to the Welfare’s rescue in the last ten minutes, saving well with his legs from Lewis Taylor on 81 minutes and then keeping Pickering at bay again three minutes later.
The Teams
Armthorpe Welfare: Biggs, Gibbons, Gowen, Fossen (Bonser 61), Roberts, Waldron, Bulman (Williams 78), Collins, Mansaram, Aspinall, Braithwaite (Kearsley 67).
Pickering Town: Wells, Billy Logan, Gabbiadini, Bissett, Kamara, Tilsley, Chipps, Cooper, Blott, Birch, Taylor. Subs. Thompson, Calvert, Danby, Marshall, Ingram.