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Rob Smith's men
march into the New Year with renewed confidence after they completed a
memorable, and historic, league double over deadly rivals Stafford
Rangers this afternoon at a boggy Marston Road
The Pitmen
had waited over sixty years to beat Stafford in a league game back in
August, and named a powerful attacking line-up for the reverse fixture
against a side that had spent the majority of the season sitting in
mid-table. Nick Wellecomme, a former Stafford top scorer and captain,
was restored to the line-up in place of Mark Danks; he partnered August's
hat-trick hero Marvin Robinson up front. In midfield, Elliott Durrell
gave way to the creative influence of Ben Jevons, who was given a rare
start at number eleven. There was also a start for Ben Bailey,
impressive after his return to the club from his loan at Sutton
Coldfield, at right back. this move pushed Kyle Haynes further forward,
with Jamey Osbourne the man to miss out
The players
and supporters were greeted with a typically bumpy, dug-up pitch upon
kick off, as heavy rain the previous day had turned the playing surface
into a soft, muddy mess. Rangers were without their two ex-Hednesford
men in the forms of Alan Nagington and Anthony Maguire, both of whom
were on their honeymoon
Robinson's
physical presence saw him with the first real sight of goal on five
minutes, as he turned his marker quickly but fired his low shot into the
side netting
Stafford were
swift in their reply, with new signing from FC United of Manchester
Michael Carr racing onto a Matthew Bell ball, testing Dan Crane's
reflexes with a well struck shot that Crane turned away for a Rangers
corner
Rangers were
enjoying a good spell going forward in the first quarter, as they forced
the Hednesford defence onto the back foot. A wild clearance from Pedro
Monteiro ended up going for a corner kick, which was headed away by he
excellent Bailey as Stafford's forwards threatened
On nineteen
minutes, Jevons went closest to opening the scoring as Kyle Haynes'
cross was dropped by Stafford keeper Danny Read, only for Jevons' shot
to be blocked by Ryan dicker as it headed goalward
The dark
undertones that always follow a local derby surfaced momentarily midway
through the half, as the Pitmen looked to clear their lines out on the
left hand side. Darren Campion and Luke George clashed, with Campion
taking exception to the late challenge of the Stafford man. After a bout
of fisticuffs, both players were booked for their part, although Campion
can think himself lucky to stay on the pitch for his aggressive stance
Hednesford
were looking to use the aerial threat of Robinson wherever possible,
with the big man out-jumping Karl Espley to head Monteiro's cross
straight at Read on the half hour mark
Wellecomme
followed Campion into the referee's book on thirty four minutes for a
mistimed challenge just inside the Rangers half
Bailey's long
throws had been a constant source of difficulty for Stafford's
defenders, and on thirty seven minutes the tactic bore fruit. His angled
throw into the near post found the head of Monteiro, who managed to
flick the ball on to the incoming Robinson; he slid in to divert the
ball past Read from close range and send the 450+ Hednesford supporters
wild
Rangers
quickly countered, and a brace of corner kicks again asked questions of
the Hednesford defence. Again, Bailey was supreme in the air, dealing
with both balls in with authority and a no-nonsense attitude
Indeed, it
could have been even better for the Pitmen as half time approached, as
Campion almost grabbed a second goal on forty two minutes. taking the
ball forward down the left, Campion cut inside before unleashing n
rising shot that was half a yard or so wide of the far post
The Pitmen
will have been happy with their efforts in the first half, particularly
in defence, as they had kept Stafford's tricky striker Neville Thompson
quiet for the majority of the half
The expected
Stafford fightback at the start of the second half saw Espley waste a
glorious opportunity to equalise just seconds after the restart. A
corner from the right hand side dropped to the centre back inside the
six yard box, but his effort was skewed over the crossbar when he really
should have tested Crane from so close in
Hednesford
weathered the storm, and started to create chances of their own, as they
looked to exploit the space behind the full backs. Wellecomme was a
willing runner to chase down angled balls over the top, causing Dicker
to come out of position to deal with his threat
An inswinging
Chris Clements corner caused panic in the Rangers defence on fifty eight
minutes, but Monteiro was way off target with his rising header
Despite
winning a number of set-pieces in promising positions, the Pitmen were
well shackled by Rangers in the next few minutes, as the game hit a
scrappy period. Neither side could keep hold of the ball for long
periods, as the pitch continued to deteriorate. Passing football became
an issue for both midfields, meaning many balls were being pumped
forward by both defences
Veteran Kevin
Street gave the Hednesford defence food for thought with a moment of
trickery on sixty six minutes, firing goalwards but denied by a block
from Cheyenne Dunkley. Thompson also tried his luck from the follow-up,
but he too was denied by the outstretched leg of Dunkley
Both Bailey
and Jevons incurred the wrath of the card-happy referee in quick
succession, with the two players earning yellow cards for minor offences
Jevons should
have finished the game as a contest on seventy minutes, as Wellecomme
took advantage of Dicker's miscued clearance to play the midfielder in
on goal. However, Read was quick to spot the danger and managed to get
enough on it to divert Jevons' low shot away from goal
Dunkley's
powerful header from a corner kick three minutes later should have
tested Read some more, but the youngster miscued his effort and cleared
the crossbar from Clements' inswinging ball
As play
continued at pace, both benches suddenly became embroiled in a bout of
their own handbags. The referee had to halt the game mid-flow, and after
consulting the assistant on that side of the pitch, sent off Hednesford
manager Smith and Stafford assistant manager Dorian Garner. Hednesford
substitute Chris Shaw was also booked for his part
The game
became stretched in the final fifteen minutes, with Hednesford looking
more likely to extend their lead than Stafford were in equalising.
Jevons, who had put in a tireless shift for the Pitmen in midfield, was
replaced by Osbourne with nine minutes remaining. A few moments later,
Andre Landell was also sent on, in place of goalscorer Robinson
Rangers' best
chance of a last-gasp equaliser came with two minutes remaining, as
Harry Clayton managed to get to a low cross first, but fired straight at
Crane. Rangers substitute Jon Sheldon was booked for his challenge on
Crane on the follow-up, clearly kicking the Hednesford keeper in
frustration as he held the ball low down
The Pitmen
quickly broke forward, and George was guilty of blocking Landell's shot
with his hand as the substitute tried to squeeze the ball home at the
far post. The referee awarded the Pitmen a penalty kick, but Clements'
weak effort was easily saved by read low down to his right
There was
little of no time for Rangers to launch another attack of note, leaving
the Pitmen to celebrate a famous win over the oldest of rivals. The win
has also put Hednesford back into title contention, as league leaders
Chester could only muster a 1-1 draw at home to Nantwich, their second
draw in succession
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