Thackley stun leaders Tadcaster

Thackley staged a stunning 2-1 victory at Toolstation NCEL Premier Division leaders Tadcaster Albion last night.

Ryan Farrell’s second half winner secured the shock result which dents Tadcaster’s title ambitions after Worksop moved one point behind Paul Marshall’s men on the same number of games.

Shaw Lane Aquaforce can now go seven points clear at the top of the Division if they win their five games in hand.

The defeat will go down as arguably Tadcaster’s worst performance of the campaign, four days before the biggest game in the club’s history – the FA Vase quarter-final replay with Highworth Town.

Tadcaster could have postponed the fixture because the league board promised any teams reaching the Vase quarter-finals could have a free midweek.

Albion decided to play to ensure suspended full-back Paddy Miller is available for the Vase game, but from a title hopes and result point of view, the decision backfired.

The extra-time 1-1 draw with Highworth may have been a factor for their lethargic performance.

Apart from a decent start which led to Andy Milne heading home Josh Greening’s free kick on 26 minutes, Tadcaster had little to offer in a game of few chances.

Thackley were relegation fodder back in September – the embarrassing defeat 9-0 defeat at Shaw Lane was the watershed moment.

Former Silsden boss Chris Reape, their fourth manager of the season, was soon appointed and he has done a magnificent job by steadily building a solid team which is now proving their worth.

The victory at Tadcaster was their fourth successive league win and their comeback at i2i Sports Stadium began on the stroke of half-time.

Goalkeeper Edward Hall started the move with a quick-throw. Nick McNally led the charge downfield and his pass allowed Tom Dugale past his former Farsley AFC team-mate Tom Morgan.

The second half didn’t get any better. Tadcaster never came close to breaking down a well-organised Thackley team.

Their side, which contained former Bradford City midfielder Craig Bentham, who was making his return to English semi-professional football after five years away, defended well and looked dangerous on the counter-attack.

That was how Thackley stuck the winner with Farrell coolly slotting home a low strike from the edge of the box.

A Tadcaster comeback could be ruled after heroics against Handsworth Parramore and Maltby Main last month.

Danny Gray, David Brown and Calum Ward were all thrown into the breach, but Tadcaster still failed to test Hall.

Thackley deserved their three points and former Silsden striker Mike Garrod almost nicked a third goal for them – Morgan saved his side from conceding a third goal.

It was a bad night for Tadcaster and they will have to be a lot better for the visit of Highworth, otherwise Wembley is off the agenda.

Tadcaster Albion manager Paul Marshall:

“There was a lack of desire from a lot of players and we didn’t do enough.

“We did alright in the first half, but against the wind in the second half, we were absolutely awful.

“I thought we created a lot of chances in the first half, but we scored a goal from a set-play and you think everything is going to be straightforward.

“Fair play to Thackley. They wanted to win the game more than we wanted to win the game and that’s the disappointing thing.

“I think we were hoping somebody would step up and just score a goal like they have been doing recently and no-one has taken ownership of winning the game apart from one or two players who were outstanding.”

Tadcaster Albion: Morgan, Barrett, Bissett, Ormsby, Sparkes, Milne, Thompson (captain), Patterson (Gray 72), Clarkson (Ward 80), Dhesi (Brown 73), Greening. Subs unused: Stewart, Stimpson.
Thackley: Hall, Holmes, Hargreaves, McGuire (captain), Hopkins, Bentham, Farrell, Whiteley, Garrod, McNally (Brown 83), Dugdale. Subs unused: White, Lee, Keen, Clayton.
Referee: Andy Smith
Ref Rating: 8/10
Attendance: 260
Man of the match: Ryan Farrell (Thackley)

Twitter: @jamesAgrayson, @NonLeagueNorth