Worsbrough Bridge 0-3 Brigg Town
Worsbrough Bridge blew the chance of making inroads on the Toolstation NCEL Division One top ten after losing a winnable clash with ten man Brigg Town.
A lot of the club’s summer literature contained references to the club’s aim of becoming an established top ten side and this was the first chance of the season to close in on the top half of the league.
Quite how they lost remains a mystery? Playing their stylish way and despite dominating large parts of the game, Worsbrough were undone by a disastrous start and then the long ball in the second half.
Perhaps the referee being the only person in the ground caught by the M1 delays between junctions 36 and 35a, forcing a 3.15pm kick off. meant Bridge were too warmed-up? That’s because after just 60 seconds, Billy Rhodes hauled Reece Moody down in the Bridge penalty area. Moody took the penalty himself and scored.
The rest of the first half lacked quality. Mawson should have scored a sitter, but on the whole Bridge’s forward play lacked energy. Balls down the channels brought much danger to Brigg, but the home side rarely resorted to it.
Morris made changes at the break to add the energy by moving right-back Connor Rollinson to an attacking midfield role and bringing Kyle Wordsworth off. The tactical change made a difference as Worsbrough took the game to Brigg.
Kieran Hirst rattled the post and forced a brilliant save from Patrick Shaw as the pressure mounted. It seemed only a matter of time before the dominating home side equalised.
However, out of nothing, one long boom from centre-half Jack Tierney from just outside his own penalty area cut the Bridge defence open. Ryan Thompson went through and got round Bridge goalkeeper Dan Morton, who had raced out of his penalty area, to score with ease.
The shock goal knocked the stuffing out of Worsbrough, who were then kept in the game by Morton’s fine save from captain Stephen McCarron.
Lee Morris threw himself on, but he was unable to be the saviour as Thompson struck from distance to seal it with 15 minutes remaining.
Brigg’s Jake Reed was sent off late-on after a throwing a disgusting and unprovoked punch to the back of Rollinson’s head. Reed, who was lucky he did not trigger a 22-man brawl, could face a lengthier ban than the standard three-game suspension due to nature of the incident.
The dismissal made little difference to the make-up of the game, and Worsbrough were just glad when the final whistle was blown.
The Team
Worsbrough Bridge: Morton, Rollinson, Taylor, Batty (captain), Rhodes, Oldham, Emmett, Race (Morris), Hirst, Wordsworth (Palmer), Mawson. Subs unused: Collins, Barnard, Harling.
Brigg Town: Shaw, Pembleton, Short, Nelson, Tierney, Raithby, Pearson (Growing), McCarron (captain), Reed, Moody (Moloney), Thompson. Subs unused: Ellis, Smithson.
Who Was In Charge
Waqar Ahmed (6/10)
Mr Ahmed and one of assistants were the only people in the ground caught up in the M1 chaos. But at least he turned up and one positive from his performance was that he was restrained with his cards.
How Many Were There
65
Man of the Match
Jack Mawson (Worsbrough Bridge)
