Aaron Joseph was one of only a few first team players who featured for Pontefract Collieries last night
Pontefract Collieries’ youngsters gave a good account of themselves in the Toolstation NCEL League Cup fourth round defeat to Clipstone.
A Ponte team, made up of a lot of the club’s under 19s side, lost 2-0 with both goals coming late in the game.
Even Josh Whiteley, who is starring for Ossett Town in the Evo Stik Division One North, but is registered for Ponte, was on show.
With the focus being on Saturday’s crunch match with AFC Emley, only four regular starters played, including striker Iwan Heeley, who was forced to be Ponte’s goalkeeper as Craig Parry was unavailable.
Heeley had little to do for the majority of the match, but so did Clipstone stopper Nick Siddons.
Chances were far and between and extra-time was a real danger until the last 15 minutes.
Debutant full-back Corey Vickers headed Clipstone in front and the game was quickly put to bed.
Substitute Matty Ord’s turn and superb finish from outside the penalty completed the job for Clipstone and booked a quarter-final tie with Cleethorpes.
Pontefract Collieries joint manager Nick Handley:
“There is a lot of pride we take from the performance.
“If you look at the team, there is only three or four lads which have been playing regularly.
“The rest were lads pushing for the first team or lads from the under 19s.
“I think you could tell that towards the end as we tired a little bit, but it was about a under 19s team playing how to play in men’s football.
“We did have to rest a few because of Saturday, but we’re a club that wants to include the under 19s and we have always said that we will when we can.
“Tonight was the ideal opportunity to give a few lads a bit of a rest and to include a few from the younger age groups.”
Pontefract Collieries: Heeley, Greenhough, Corbett, Copping, Robinson, Turfrey, Marsden, Joseph (Hoyle 52), Radford (captain) (Warville 56), Rouse (Hancock 61), Whiteley. Sub unused: Handley.
Clipstone: Siddons, Vickers, Shaw, Whitehead, White, Robley, Lewis Colley, Austin, Gibson, Owen, Paling. Subs: Mintoft,, Rawson, Wood, Ord.
Referee: Nigel Haycock
Ref Rating: 8/10
Attendance: 52