THORNE COLLIERY 2 SWINEFLEET FC 5
Victory for the ‘Fleet in the Goole & Thorne Cup Semi-Final away at Central Midlands League side, has now set up a rather tasty Final against local rivals, Goole United. It is believed the game will now be played on a Friday Night at the VPG, so the Final is bound to attract a massive and vociferous crowd. VPG officials are already rating this match as a Category A fixture, so there will bound to be a heavy Police presence that night!
Swinefleet having drawn 0-0 in a pre-season friendly against Colliery, were well worth their victory and raced into a 3-0 lead within the first 32 minutes of the match. The first goal came on 13 minutes with Regan Allen playing the ball into the path of overlapping full-back Liam Cooper for the same player to hit a low cross across the Colliery penalty area. In from the left came Cohen Vause to receive the ball, dance round the centre-back and place into the bottom corner of the net. Swinefleet should have added a second on 16 minutes when Vause played his fellow striker Niall Barker through, but his shot struck the Thorne cross-bar. Barker made amends just 5 minutes later when he weaved his way past 3 Colliery defenders, to score from a tight angle. Both Vause and Barker up front for Swinefleet caused the Thorne defence problems all afternoon, and they were never really able to get to grips with their movement, trickery and pace.
Swinefleet were not having it all their own way though, as the home side tested the Swinefleet defence a number of times with close efforts whizzing just wide of the goal, and keeper Jamie Ward having to make two really good stops, one a dive to his left on 25 minutes and another tipping the ball onto the cross-bar and over to safety on 28 minutes. But Swinefleet’s response was to score again on 32 minutes, this time with Aaron Raymond touching the ball past the Colliery keeper from a Ryan Whitlam free-kick. The home side were given a life-line on 41 minutes with the award of a penalty. Darren Fell converted to give them a chance to get back into the match.
The first 15 minutes of the second half saw Colliery look the more dominant, and the Swinefleet centre-backs of Will Sparkes and Archie Stephens had to be on the top of their games. A floated ball into the Swinefleet penalty area on 57 minutes looked as if it was to find its way through to Thorne’s Scot Rhodes, but a last interception from Sparkes just deflected the ball away from the Thorne marksman. Swinefleet’s left back Gareth Welsh also made a timely interception on 63 minutes to deny the home side a goal. With 25 minutes to go, a scramble in the Swinefleet penalty area saw the ball prodded home from close range to make the score-line 2-3. With the home side now searching for the equaliser, the game became more and more stretched. But with the lightening pace Swinefleet have in their side, Thorne always looked vulnerable at the back with Whitlam attacking them down the left flank and Keir Vause now on for Allen, doing the same on the right.
Swinefleet’s central midfielders Danny Nicholson and Aaron Raymond were now the more dominant in the last 20 minutes and were able to feed the two wide men on the flanks, or look for the blistering pace and movement of Vause and Barker up front. It was of no real surprise that Swinefleet added their fourth goal on 76 minutes, with Raymond finding Vause on the left, and Vause playing Whitlam in to score. An injury to Vause on 79 minutes meant the introduction of Dale Noon up front, and a change in tactics dropping Barker back into central midfield to make it a 5-man midfield. With just 3 minutes left to play, Swinefleet surged forward yet again, this time with a 4 against 2 situation, allowing Captain Danny Nicholson, to place the ball past the Thorne keeper, to make it a resounding 5-2 victory, against a full-strength Colliery side.
The Ady Heathcock Sponsored Man of the Match Award was a close one, with Jamie Ward and Cohen Vause both close contenders, but the Award by the narrowest of margins, went to defender Archie Stephens.
Next week Swinefleet play in the Semi-Final of the Hospital Cup, one they won last year. They are away V Scotter Utd, who are themselves already through to the Centurion Cup Final, so another tough game expected for the ‘Fleet. All players to meet at Marshlands at 12.00pm.
