Pre-Season Friendly

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25.7.2009

Durrell 65

Knox 75, Smith 78

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Next Game

Despite losing out to the odd goal in three this afternoon, there was very little for the Hednesford supporters to grumble about as the Pitmen gave as good as they got against Blue Square North new boys Eastwood at Keys Park. Manager Dean Edwards hinted as to the likely line-up against Tiverton on the opening day by only making one change to the side that had beaten Stafford Rangers the previous week, with Sean Platt and Scott Lycett switching positions in the matchday squad. For the visitors, there were a number of familiar faces in their team, including recent acquisition from Hednesford, Tom Marshall

 On a sunny afternoon in Staffordshire, the home side were looking to continue their improved from in pre-season, with their three match unbeaten record coming up against the heaviest scrutiny of the close season campaign so far. Tony Dinning, who has been the standout performer for the club since making his debut at Heath Hayes, was first to test Eastwood's resistance with an early free kick to the left of the penalty area; his kick was well saved by Ian Deakin in the Eastwood goal, who tracked the ball all the way before turning it away for a corner

The Pitmen were looking to put the away side on the back foot early in the game, and Tyrone Barnett almost added to his pre-season tally on ten minutes when he escaped the clutches of Marshall and another former Hednesford man in Paul Robinson to race clear behind the Eastwood defence. His shot was on target, but Deakin was equal to it and saved well low down to his left

A series of corner kicks from Dinning in the first quarter failed to produce any chances of note, with Barnett going closest with a flick header at the near post that drifted wide of goal

The visitors had offered very little to the game in terms of an attacking threat, with record signing Danny Holland well shackled by the experienced Richard Walker. Holland's first attempt was a bobbled shot just before the half hour mark that was easily fielded by Gavin Ward in the Hednesford goal

Hednesford were enjoying a good spell of football at this stage, playing some neat one-touch stuff as they looked to prise open the Eastwood defence. A wonderful flowing move involving the three front players very nearly opened up the Badgers back line, but a late offside flag denied Dyer before he could slot Durrell's neat reverse pass past Deakin

Eastwood's Ben Chapman gave the Hednesford players something to think about in the latter stages of the half, heading just wide of Ward's goal after getting on the end of a left wing cross

The final action of an entertaining half saw Barnett again involved, heading Sean Platt's excellent free kick just over the bar, although he was over-stretching and barely got a touch to the ball. Eastwood, almost immediately, went up the other end and Andy Todd drove a firm shot narrowly wide of Ward's post

The hosts cranked up the pressure in the early stages of the second half, as they sensed a third pre-season win in four games, and their second against Blue Square North opposition. Durrell made an early run which forced Eastwood to concede a corner kick. From the resultant succession of kicks, the ball fell to Carl Palmer, whose powerful effort was diverted away from goal for another corner thanks to some desperate defending

With Walker keeping things tight at the back, Dinning controlling the midfield and Barnett looking a threat up front, you felt that there was a goal coming from Hednesford, as the pressure kept building. Robinson did well to deny Ross Dyer with  last-ditch tackle after the youngster was put through by the impressive Sam Aiston. This was followed by another run of corner kicks, but Deakin was allowed to deal with each corner unchallenged

Edwards saw it fit to make changes at this point, with experienced duo Walker and Palmer withdrawn in favour of triallist Ben Rix and Danny Harvey respctively

The Pitmen went even closer just after the hour mark, as Dyer rattled the post with what looked a goalbound header, but watched as it came back off the far post and away to safety. Barnett was continuing to cause Robinson and Marshall headaches, as he leapt above both of them to force Deakin into a smart save at his near post

On sixty five minutes, all of the Pitmen's pressure finally broke the Eastwood defence. After Deakin had made a great save from pint blank range, the ball fell kindly to Durrell, who smashed the ball home at the second attempt to open his account for the season and put the home side deservedly into the lead

The goal seemed to galvanise Eastwood, and within ten minutes they were level. A hopeful ball forward caught the Hednesford defence napping, allowing former Hednesford striker Peter Knox to nip in and lob Ward from just outside the area for one of his typically incisive goals

With their tails up, Eastwood sensed a winner, and with very little experience on the field for the Pitmen, they allowed the Badgers to come at them. Ward made a great instinctive save to deny Ian Holmes with twelve minutes remaining, but he could do little to stop Marc Smith from glancing home the winner a minute later, getting on the end of a great cross in from the Eastwood right

On came Justin Nisbett for Aiston to add an attacking presence to the side, with the former Willenhall man enjoying a good ten minute cameo, including one clever shimmy that beat two Eastwood defenders all ends up out on the touchline - his cross found Barnett, whose header was well saved by Deakin

In a frenetic final few minutes, Dinning looked to recreate his heroics against Stafford, but could only fire horribly wide with a twenty five yard effort. Theo Stair's run and cross almost brought it's reward, but Barnett failed to convert it as he was over-stretching

A defeat this may have been, but with a number of standout performances, the Pitmen can point to many positives from this game to take them to the second leg of the Chase Cup next week. It appears Hednesford are ticking along just nicely at this point in pre-season......   cds

Stafford Rangers (A)

Lycett

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Rix

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1

Harvey

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Nisbett

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30

Walker

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Palmer

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Platt

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     Aiston

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Action from Keys Park:  1. former Hednesford defender Tom Marshall battles it out with Tyrone Barnett  2. Carl Palmer makes a surging run down the right  3. Goal! Elliott Durrell gets the plaudits after opening the scoring

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