Worsbrough Bridge 5-6 Hall Road Rangers
Lee Morris and Leon Sewell must have forgot to read their George Graham and Jose Mourinho how to defend manuals.
Kevin Keegan’s autobiography must be more up their street.
This FA Vase first qualifying round tie threw up a ridiculous score-line which was more like a wicket haul for Joe Root.
Maybe Worsbrough and Hall Road decided to do their own take on last week’s dramatic Ashes triumph?
The effort from both sets of players was fantastic, but although some of the goals were beauties from veteran Gary Bradshaw and Hall Road captain Conner Harman, quality was at a premium. Far from a swash-buckling or epic cup tie, kamikaze is a good word to sum up certain aspects of it.
Worsbrough led 2-0 after 25 minutes, trailed 4-2 at half-time and were a finished force at 6-3 down with 15 minutes to go. But Hall Road let their hosts mount a comeback and Leon Sewell’s troops were hanging on until the final whistle went.
Both sides have a way of playing out from the back and they caused their own problems playing this way early on. Even then though there was no warning that it was going to turn into a goal-fest.
Ultimately Worsbrough had the game in the palm of their hands and threw it away. Scott Batty’s long-throw was met by the head of Ash Emmett for the opener.
The under-rated Jack Wilson carved Hall Road up for the second. He travelled some distance before forcing a save out of popular Hall Road goalkeeper Jody Barford. The rebound fell nicely and Wilson scored from it.
That’s when things unravelled. Man of the match Callum Stone, in a bizarre way, pulled a goal back with what appeared to be a harmless header from the edge of the area. With Worsbrough goalkeeper Harry Scott off-his-line, the ball landed home.
Hall Road were soon level. Dan O’Connor exchanged some lovely passes with Stone before finishing with ease on the right-side of the penalty area.
Bradshaw, who is in the same ilk as Worsbrough boss Morris as one of Yorkshire’s greatest Non League strikers, rolled back the years by hitting an audacious 30-yard screamer to put Rangers in control.
Within another minute, Harman replicated the same strike five yards further back. Worsbrough had collapsed.
Worsbrough came out for the second half in a positive way. Half-time substitute Kieran Hirst’s low effort – claimed by Jack Mawson – kept the tie alive at 4-3.
But again Worsbrough let themselves down by losing possession cheaply and allowing Stone to score the fifth.
The sixth soon came as Bridge fell asleep, enabling O’Connor to score his second.
The contest looked over and anyone who left early to beat the traffic missed Worsbrough nearly complete the godfather of comebacks.
Out of nothing, Hirst’s well-struck shot on the edge of the box brought hope – which was definitely there a few minutes later.
Substitute turned playmaker Calan Rollinson played probably the best pass of the game to release Kyle Wordsworth down the right. The forward sped away and the covering Hall Road defender could not catch him as he went through scored.
Hall Road were shaking in defence, but just as likely to score at the other end – despite Bradshaw and Harman coming off.
Scott made a fantastic save to deny Luke Taylor from sealing it. And at the close, Hall Road had their hands in their mouth as Max Hague’s cross came back off the crossbar and bounced to safety – any lower and extra-time would have loomed.
The Teams
Worsbrough Bridge: Scott, Batty (captain), Hague, Taylor, Hunter (Rollinson), Miller, Emmett (Wordsworth), Wilson, Mawson, Shelley (Hirst), Palmer. Subs unused: Barnard, Steeples.
Hall Road Rangers: Barford, Waud, Whittingham, Andrews, Harrison, Marshall (Taylor), O’Connor, Harman (captain) (Foster), Bradshaw (Bullement), Williams, Stone. Subs unused: Reeson, Hastings.
Who Was In Charge
Josh Bramall (6/10)
How Many Were There
116
Man of the Match
Callum Stone (Hall Road Rangers)
