Toolstation NCEL Division One
Nostell Miners Welfare 6-3 Armthorpe Welfare
Young Liam Owen (left) scored a hat-trick for Nostell. Picture: Steve Pennock
Young Liam Owen got a hat-trick as Nostell Miners Welfare claimed an important victory in their fight to beat the drop.
In difficult conditions Nostell took the lead with the first real chance of the game when Billy Mole curled in an excellently struck 25 yard free kick which gave Alex Ward no chance in the second minute. Two minutes later it was 2-0 as Jack Owen broke away down the left and cut inside before slotting the ball past Ward.
On 8 minutes Jackson set up Chris Simpkins inside the Nostell box but he was denied by an offside flag as Welfare tried to respond, but on 12 minutes Mole found himself clean through after pouncing on a miss-placed pass but Ward denied him.
Ward tipped an 18 yard shot from Mole over the bar on 14 minutes and again denied the home side on the half hour when he blocked on the line from close range following a scuffed cross from the left.
Welfare grabbed a lifeline on 36 minutes when a good run from Luke Williams saw his strong shot pushed away by ‘keeper Shaun Penn with Gracjan Klimczak winning the race with a defender to get to the loose ball and bundle it over the line.
This gave Welfare confidence on eight minutes later Williams was brought down inside the box and Wayne Brook stepped up to convert from the penalty spot to see the two side go in level at half time.
Hopes of Welfare pushing on in the second half were dashed just three minutes in when Dominic Noteman got away with a blatant push on Leon Wood get away from the Welfare man down the wing and send over a cross which Ward spilled on the greasy surface and Owen was on hand to blast in.
A last ditch tackle by Gibbons on Mole a minute later denied Nostell a certain goal but Welfare responded on 51 minutes when a good run and cross by Williams from the left resulted in Simpkins having an angled shot deflected wide at the far post.
Mansaram replaced Jackson on 58 minutes but seconds later it was 4-2 as Ward could only push away a shot from Jimmy Greenhough which fell kindly for Owen to score again.
Joe Smith replaced Simpkins on 60 minutes and seven minutes later Brook gave Welfare hope again when his smart shot from just inside the box flew past Penn to make it 4-3.
Race then came into the action in place of Klimczak but Welfare’s task was made harder on 75 minutes when Wood was shown a straight red following a high tackle with Carl Heard.
On 80 minutes Nostell were awarded a penalty following a foul inside the box which Jack Owen fired past Ward and on 86 minutes Liam Owen completed his hat-trick when his shot fronm the edge of the box took a deflection which wrong-footed Ward and saw the ball nestle just inside the left hand post.
Thanks to Steve Pennock for this report.