A late Luke Mangham penalty earned Stocksbridge Park Steels their first victory of pre-season with the 2-1 win at Nostell Miners Welfare.
Nostell wing wizard Richard Collier’s free kick had given the home side the lead in the early exchanges.
Nostell tired and Stocksbridge fully deserved to hit back through captain Kurtis Turner having really taken the game to their hosts.
Mangham’s spot kick eventually settled the contest between the Toolstation NCEL Division One side and BetVictor South East side Stocksbridge.
Because of the heat-wave, the match was played across three 30 minutes halves. Nostell were the better team for most of the first.
Welfare hustled and bustled their higher level opponents. Mick Jones, arguably their man of the match along with Danny Rusling, lived up to his reputation of being a star attraction during pre-season friendlies. He bullied the visitors, breaking up play and disabling the Steels from finding any rhythm early on.
Collier’s free kick from a central position not far outside the penalty area was a somewhat deserved early goal for Nostell.
The Steels began forcing their way towards the end of the opening stanza. Mangham shot wide after breaking clear and then Scott Ruthven was denied by Nostell goalkeeper Danny Rusling.
The referee’s whistle was bad timing for Steels as they were well on top.
Collier almost extended Nostell’s lead when he hit the post, but that was the best moment the home side enjoyed after the first break.
Rusling kept Stocksbridge a bay for a while with a couple of saves, but he was powerless to prevent Turner striking a low shot home from distance.
Even when Nostell made five changes, they still looked tired and Stocksbridge forced the winner through Mangham.
