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Saturday 22nd April 2006
Bridlington Town 1 Stocksbridge Park Steels 1
Another fine result for Pete Smurthwaite’s young Town side, who were
looking
good for all three points against a side they could still have
mathematically overhauled in the race for the play-offs until a late Steels
equaliser. With this in mind, both sides produced a full-blooded end-to-end
game which ripped up the rule book on end-of season games, and a vociferous
home support afforded Town a deserved ovation at the final whistle.
A fine opening for the Seasiders saw livewire winger Danny Buttle rocket
past Steels right-back Andy Smith in only the second minute, and after the
Town winger had repeated the feat shortly after, the source of the opening
goal in the 8th minute was not ging to be a hard one to predict. The
wideman again displayed electric pace to go clear to the byeline, and sent
in a far post cross, which Ali Benson controlled, then turned to send a low
shot past Steels ‘keeper Steve Hodgson onto the far corner.
Only some questionable offside decisions by the officials stopped a buzzing
Town from possibly adding to the scoreline, with Benson’s strike partner
Ben
Eastwood feeling rightly aggrieved after being pulled up twice when
apparently well behind his marker.
Steels began to show their undoubted quality as the half-hour approached,
and Ben Walker was the first of the Sheffield side’s prolific front line
to
go close with a volleyed 20-yarder that flew narrowly wide of the post. On
32 minutes, they almost went one one better, as a right-wing corner sparked
havoc on the Town box, with a shot hitting the base of the post before Wayne
Lewis, in an unfamiliar centre-back role, was able to hack the ball to
safety. In a see-saw end to the half, Town went close as Anthony Bowsley
fired a fine 40-yard diagonal pass to tee up Danny Buttle to crash a shot
inches wide, and then on the stroke of half-time, Gavin Kelly was forced
into a acrobatic save to deny Steels winger Andy Wright.
Buttle continued to prove a menace on the left in the second period, sending
another 20-yarder fizzing over Hodgson’s bar in the 52nd minute. With
midfielder Wayne Wallace a powerhouse in the Town midfield, the Seasiders
were looking good to extend their lead, and his crunching tackle on Ian
McLean on the hour set up a fabulous one-touch move through Shaun Baker,
Buttle and Eastwood, that ended with Benson flashing a header inches over
the Steels bar. Eastwood himself was desparately unlucky minutes later as
he raced onto a pinpoint through ball from Bowsley only for the alert
Hodgson to race for his goal to smother.
With Town still in command, Steels brought striker Mick Goddard into action
from the bench, reflecting the seriousness of the visitors’ situation.
The
experienced frontman was a prolific scorer in the Conference North with
Alfreton, and up until recently in the Unibond Premier Division with
Ilkeston, and the fact that Steels were able to keep a player of this
quality on the bench served as a graphic illustration of the standard of
football at which Smurthwaite is trying to make this Town side compete.
Town took the change in their stride, but in the 81st minute, another player
of rare quality at this level, Stefan Zoll, who had up until then been
superbly marshalled by the peerless Carl Giblin, drifted wide onto the left
flank to pick up the ball from a throw-in. The striker, the second
top-scorer in the division, and with a hatful of experience with such as
Whitby and Farsley, is possibly the most skilful this level can offer, and
he brought his side level with a move of sheer genius, powering past three
challenges to bend a stunning 25-yarder into the top corner that gave Kelly
no chance.
With Town reeling, the visitors poured forward, but this time were denied
what looked a certain winner as Kelly produced a fantastic reflex stop to
tip over a Scott Lowe header. With added time approaching, Town caught
Steels on the break, and young wideman Gary Wardell, on as a late
substitute, was left cursing Hodgson who somehow tipped his goalbound chip
over the bar to save the day.