PARKHOUSE JFC - 2   ALFRETON TOWN JFC U16’S  - 1

 

Valiant Effort But No Cigar!!

The league leaders scraped all three points but only just.  After a long weather enforced break, the first game of 2010 came nearly at the end of January - away to undefeated Parkhouse.  Once again we started brightly with both Bullen and Riley repelling early balls in midfield, Church leading the attack against their back four.  A defensive clearance on just three minutes by the sky blues fell to Kinsella who gathered the ball well and took his chance from well outside the Parkhouse box, beating the fingertips of the keeper to nestle in their top left hand corner of the goal.  1-0 to the Reds and game on!  Arrowsmith, starting at right mid and his opposite Griffiths on the left, worked hard down the flanks with some good link up play, along with both full backs, Carpenter and Pickering tidying up well.  Parkhouse pressed through the centre only to be intercepted by Hill and Greenwood who worked well across the back together, the introduction of Higton up front, Boden and Kirk in midfield all added something a little different to the proceedings.  However, on 35 minutes Boden was cropped without punishment to the offender and the resultant counter attack by Parkhouse caught us on the back foot and out of shape with their Centre Forward taking full advantage and placing the ball neatly in the back of the net to make it all square at half time.  Parkhouse came out with their tails up for the second half but the away team stood their ground time and time again, half chances coming and going at both ends weren't taken, then a dangerous ball in from Boden found Kinsella from a rebound who pounced again to make it what we thought was 2-1 to the Reds only to be disallowed by the Ref for a dubious off side call by the Parkhouse lino (who had just finished eating his second burger and was on his cup of tea at the time!).  Cal (Honest as the day is long) Kinsella, later promised that he was in fact on side and that the goal should have stood but I suppose that's football for you.  Harker in nets for Alfreton made a brilliant save on 60 minutes with a stinging shot gathered without too much fuss to keep us in the match.  Injuries to Greenwood and Carpenter had meant a re jigging of personnel and on 78 minutes we got the sucker punch when a poorly taken free kick by Parkhouse on the edge of our box trundled its way through the six yard box for a Parkhouse tap in to finish the game and dash our hopes of even a point from what was a great effort all round.  Well done lads, couldn't have asked any more of you but I'm sure anyone of a right mind will agree "we was robbed!".