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17.7.2010

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Next Game

Hednesford kicked off their pre-season programme this afternoon with a narrow defeat at the hands of local rivals Stafford Rangers at Marston Road. For the most part, the Pitmen looked in good nick, playing neat, positive football against their Blue Square Bet North opponents

Bernard McNally's side took to the field with a number of new signings in attendance - goalkeeper Dan Crane, defender Louis Keenan, midfielders Jay Denny and Dave Bridgwater and striker Mark Bellingham were all making their debuts for the club, with Craig Marshall returning to the Pitmen after five seasons away from Keys Park

  The Pitmen, in their new red away kit, kicked off an very nearly made a dream start to the game with a chance within the first ten seconds. Marshall raced onto a Bellingham's through ball and stabbed it narrowly wide of the right hand post as Stafford's defenders pounced on him

Rangers responded in fashion with a quick move down the left that saw Tom Moss cross for Nick Wellecomme, who made a meal of his attempted shot and was forced off the ball by Ben Bailey

Stafford grew in confidence, and took advantage of their extra match sharpness - having played Biddulph Victoria on Tuesday night - to force the Pitmen onto the back foot in the first quarter

Wellecomme, whose summer was interesting to say the least - was again slow to react on ten minutes, picking up a Ben Mills pass but allowing Bailey to put a foot in and block the shot

Hednesford's best chance of a disjointed spell fell to Marshall again, with the two forwards linking up well again on fourteen minutes on the edge of the area. Marshall dwelled on his shot twelve yards out,  allowing Rangers  full back Andre Francis to get a tackle in and clear the ball

New Keys Park stopper Crane was called into action for the first time on seventeen minutes, making a smart stop low to his left to deny Mills after the Stafford striker had beaten Bailey for pace with a powerful run and shot

Bellingham and Craig McAughtrie were enjoying their own real battle, with the giant Stafford defender finding Bellingham's movement and constant attention unsettling. The prolific marksman managed to get the better of McAughtrie on twenty two minutes, turning him on the edge of the area and firing in a shot that Stafford keeper Tom Harrison did well to get his hand to

The Pitmen were starting to turn he screw as they grew in confidence. Chris Clements tried his luck with an audacious lob three minutes later that dipped onto the top of Harrison's net

Marshall was guilty of missing a sitter on twenty eight minutes, as he sidefooted Bellingham's square ball wide of goal, despite being only three yards out with the goal unguarded

Back came the hosts, with Mills getting on the end of a Moss ball, but his powerful header was watched over the crossbar by Crane

Elliott Durrell, who had been a peripheral figure so far, was stretchered off nine minutes before half time after he had skipped past two Stafford challenges before seemingly turning his ankle. He was replaced by Dorryl Proffitt

Clements should have opened the scoring for the Pitmen two minutes later; good link-up play from Marshall and Bellingham saw the ball drop to Clements, who strolled past two challenges before rolling the ball inches wide of Harrison's left hand post

This proved to be an expensive miss for the away side, as Stafford took the lead on forty minutes. Former Kidderminster midfielder Dean Bennett, on trial at Marston Road, played in Wellecomme, who slipped the ball to Mills. The striker finished well with a well placed drive past Crane

Marshall again had an opportunity to mark his second debut with a goal just before half time, but Harrison was equal to his bobbled shot

Hednesford started the second half well, with Marshall again heavily involved up front for the Pitmen. A ball in from Proffitt saw Marshall execute an overhead kick that beat Harrison before clipping the top of the crossbar on it's way over

Three minutes later, Sean Platt's deep cross found Marshalll lurking again, with the lanky striker beating his marker to the ball but headed a yard over the bar

McNally introduced his first triallist of the game on fifty five minutes, replacing Aaron Gibson with centre back Scott Fuller, formerly of Cirencester Town. Fuller was to impress with his coolness on the ball, as well as his threat from set-pieces going forward

The hour mark saw Bellingham get the better of McAughtrie, collecting the ball to the right of the penalty area. His clever jinking run saw him fire in a shot, but McAughtrie did enough to get back and block the shot and turn he ball away for a corner kick

The Pitmen made more changes to their side as the half progressed, with highly-rated youth team graduate Jamey Osbourne replacing Platt and triallist Jonathon Watkins coming on in place of the luckless Marshall

Rangers could have increased their advantage sixteen minutes from time, when the much-travelled Levi Reid turned Keenan before firing narrowly wide of goal

Hednesford continued to offer the greater threat in front of goal, however, with the impressive Bellingham forcing Harrison into a fine save on seventy seven minutes with a dipping, swerving free kick that the Stafford number one did well to turn away at full stretch

Rangers' best chance to take a stranglehold of the tie came with a double chance ten minutes from time. Crane was alert to deny first Mills with a save low down, followed by fine handling to deny Bennett on the follow-up

Triallist Aaron Roberts was the final change for the Pitmen, with the very impressive Dave Bridgwater making way for the former Bromsgrove man

Bellingham thought he had given the Pitmen an equaliser late on, beating former Hednesford defender Grant Goodhead to the ball but was once again foiled by Harrison. There was just time for Watkins to waste a good chance, firing well wide after Clements had slipped the ball into his path

All in all, a fair result, with the Chase Cup still up for grabs next Saturday in the second leg. McNally will have been impressed with a number of standout performances, but will be looking to work on improving on the number of chances wasted by his team  cds

Mins On

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Osbourne

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Fuller

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Proffitt

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  Watkins

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54

Durrell

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Marshall

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Platt

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Action from Marston Road:  1. Chris Clements crosses for the Pitmen  2. substitute Dorryl Proffitt  beats two Stafford players  3. danger man Mark Bellingham at a corner  4. Craig Marshall challenges for Hednesford

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