Dan Wilkinson Memorial Trophy
Wombwell Town X1 1-2 Worsbrough Bridge
Many of the 2016/17 Shaw Lane AFC title-winning side were reunited for the first time in a few years to remember Dan Wilkinson.
Captain Ryan Qualter led former team-mates Neil Austin, Alex Byrne, Spencer Harris, Stevie Istead, Kelvin and Kieran Lugsden, Oscar Radford and Joe Thornton all played for a Wombwell Town X1 against Worsbrough Bridge.
Organiser Doug O’Connor, the former Aquaforce director of football, ran the side from the dugout with ex-Shaw Lane assistant John Reed.
Fellow assistant Daz Smith attended the fixture, but Craig Elliott was unfortunately unable to due to his busy Boston United schedule.
Former Shaw Lane chairman Craig Wood presented the Dan Wilkinson Memorial Trophy to Worsbrough Bridge’s first half captain Ross Pritchard at the end of the match.
Dan passed away in September 2016 after collapsing on the pitch whilst playing for Shaw Lane in a League Cup tie at Brighouse Town.
The battle between the Wombwell X1 and Worsbrough was the first time the trophy had been contested since its inaugural contest between Brighouse and Shaw Lane in 2017.
A fair few people turned out to watch it – helping to raise plenty of money for the Dan Wilkinson Foundation which raises awareness of Sudden Cardiac Death in the young and provides funding towards heart screening, defibrillators and CPR and defibrillator training for grassroots clubs.
Worsbrough – whose away shirts have the Dan Wilkinson Foundation logo emblazoned on the front – hit the front-foot straightaway.
Alfie Dodsworth’s low strike from the edge of the penalty area beat goalkeeper Jordan Watson.
Worsbrough were always in for a tough first half with the quality in the Wombwell side.
Istead – who put one hell of a shift in – and Thornton may have retired, but Byrne, Harris, the Lugsdens, Qualter and Radford all still play at a decent level.
It was actually Thornton’s brother Matty who levelled the scores with a deft close range header.
Joe Thornton then thought he had netted a dream comeback goal, but a last ditch block saw his goal-bound effort deflected for a corner.
Worsbrough regained the lead early on in the second half when Luke Francis capitalised on bad defending to score into an empty net.
The much-changed second half Wombwell side gave everything towards the end.
Wombwell striker Mark ‘Willy’ Wilson, playing against Conor Glavin, the son of his former Emley manager and mentor Ronnie, curled an effort towards the top corner – only for another deflection to take it for a corner.
Watson even came up for it in a last-ditch bid to force penalties, but it wasn’t to be.
Worsbrough collected the trophy at the end, but the real winners were the Dan Wilkinson Foundation.