S&HCSL League Cup
Dodworth Miners Welfare 3-1 North Gawber
It just had to be him. Time and time again, Dodworth Miners Welfare’s king of razzmatazz or the prodigal son Danny Barlow rises to the occasion when his team needs him the most.
Because of four weeks without a game, some feared the break would hurt Dodworth, the “underdogs” according to Darren Young, in the quarter-final tie against local rivals and League Cup holders North Gawber, a team they had never beaten before.
Yet it took just five minutes for those fears to be dispelled as former Shaw Lane and Penistone Church forward Barlow produced a blockbuster of an opening scene to begin the dethroning of Gawber.
Barlow continued slammed his second goal home on the half-hour mark and although captain Luke Marsden sparked a potential Gawber comeback in the second half, this was Dodworth’s night and unlikely goal-scorer James Young sealed it for Young’s men.
The exceptional victory puts Dodworth on collision course with unbeatable foe and competition favourites Swinton Athletic in next week’s mouth-watering semi-final.
Dodworth will relish the tie having put a fellow Step 7 giant in Gawber to the sword.
Around 300 people watched the biggest grassroots football match in Barnsley since March 2020 and no-one should have been disappointed with the entertainment.
Although quality was limited, the local derby was a terrific advert for Step 7 football and a typical blood and thunder cup tie with drama for the majority of the 90 minutes, especially when Dave Simms’ Gawber put it back on a knife-edge.
The crowd played their part to create a carnival atmosphere. Dodworth’s large following of hardcore supporters produced noise not out of place higher up the pyramid and the cheering which greeted Barlow’s opener will have been heard across the Dodworth village.
Dodworth’s star magician conjured up the chance out of relatively nothing. A Liam Owen shot had been blocked and cleared to the edge of the penalty area. Barlow was lying in wait, but not particularly in a dangerous position. Most players would have passed, but this Danny Barlow. He can hit wonder goals and he went for gold. His well-hit shot seemed, from the side-lines anyway, to take a big deflection, but not that it matters as the ball flew in with Gawber goalkeeper Mitch Woodgate rooted to the spot.
The disastrous start for Gawber was soon made worse as centre-back Jack Bedford went off injured, forcing manager Simms to move personnel around.
It can’t have helped and Dodworth’s confidence just grew and grew. They had enough chances in the first half to finish the job there and then.
Owen and young associate Calan Rollinson constantly stretched Gawber’s defence with their pace and late runs.
The build-up to the second goal saw Owen breach the Gawber back-line and see his low shot saved by Woodgate who blocked it with his legs. The ball moved out to Gawber’s left side near their own corner flag. They tried to pass their way out of trouble and a poor pass was intercepted by Barlow who literally powered his way into the penalty area and slammed the ball into the net.
Barlow blew the chance for his hat-trick and the killer third goal straight afterwards after blazing over from a good area in the penalty area.
For a period of time in the second half the miss looked potentially costly. Apart from one chance right on the stroke of half-time, Gawber created little and were a shadow of the side which unforgettably won the treble in 2019.
Simms must have spoken some inspiring words at the interval as Gawber made a fist of it in the second half.
Captain Marsden’s powerful hit from just inside penalty area on 55 minutes brought the tension back and history from previous meetings suggested a dramatic finale.
Gawber pounded at the door, without truly hurting the hosts whose experienced back four stood up to the big test. Marsden and Carey Welford, former Nostell and Athersley Dec’s brother, are a handful and Dodworth dealt with them.
Most of the play was in Dodworth’s half, but the home side were able to find the sucker punch to kill the contest.
A well-worked set-play on the right ended with ex-Penistone left-back Young curling a left-footed cross into the far bottom corner from distance. Game over.
Gawber had a strong claim for a penalty late-on when a free kick was given on the edge of the 18-yard-box, but other than that Dodworth were relatively untroubled as the tie fizzled out.
After turning into a damp squib, the County Senior League’s League Cup has come to life!
What They Said
Dodworth Miners Welfare manager Darren Young
“We were nervous about how we would start and if the four week lay-off would reflect in the performance.
“I think we were outstanding. I think we won every second ball in the first half and we matched them in the physicality and had quality at certain times like Danny Barlow’s first goal.
“There’s only certain people on the pitch who can do that. I thought the front three were a menace from the minute one so I’m delighted.
“The competition was meandering to a damp squib, but it has been rebooted and we’re looking to win it now.”
On the crowd: “It just shows that if you have two good sides and a presence on social media that it attracts people.
“I think everyone who has come tonight will have realised this is a decent level and the top teams in the Prem could easily compete in the league higher. It is just the facilities stop us.
“I think if people had paid £5 to get in it would have been worth their money.”
The Teams
Dodworth Miners Welfare: Josh Herring, Connor Rollinson, James Young, Sam Severn, Simon Rogers, Tom Batty, Calan Rollinson, Aaron Brotherton (captain), Liam Owen, Danny Barlow, Reece Hawkshaw. Subs: Ben Severn, Jamie Horbury, Oliver Stokes, Craig Allen, Jack Wilson.
North Gawber: Mitch Woodgate, Robert Cartwright, Jake Senior, Lewis Elsworth, Jack Bedford, Carl Woodhead, Lee Elsworth, Jake Bedford, Billy Smith, Luke Marsden (captain), Carey Welford. Subs: Kieran Wright, Nick Baxter, Scott Chipchase, Jordan Simms, Zac Harper.
Who Was In Charge
Sam Clayton (6/10)
Man of the Match
James Young (Dodworth Miners Welfare)
What Next
Dodworth will host League Cup favourites Swinton Athletic on Saturday 12th June (kick off believed to be 1pm) to decide who will play either Handsworth Reserves or Ecclesfield Red Rose 1915 in the final.
If you have enjoyed reading Non League Yorkshire over the past few months, please consider making a donation to the not-for-profit organisation NLY Community Sport which provides sport for children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. CLICK HERE to visit the JustGiving page. There is a video at the bottom of the page showing our work.
NLY Community Sport, run by James Grayson and Connor Rollinson, has always had combatting social isolation at the top of our objectives when running our Disability Football teams. When we properly return to ‘action’, our work will play an important role in reintroducing our players, who have disabilities and learning difficulties, back into society.
We have six teams, a mixture of Junior and Adult teams – Nostell MW DFC, Pontefract Pirates, Selby Disability Football Club and the South Yorkshire Superheroes (Barnsley) – across Yorkshire.
We have enjoyed great success over the past three years. Several of our players have represented Mencap GB in Geneva, including Billy Hobson from Selby and Greg Smith, whose story is quite inspiring.
You can learn more about the organisation HERE and on our Facebook page.
Watch the video below to see highlights from our three years as an organisation. The video was produced for our players at the end of March to remind them of good memories from the last three years.
