Official website of Bamber Bridge Football Club
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Home > Archive > 2006-07 Season > Match Reports > Ossett Albion (10.03.07) |
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2006-2007 SeasonMatch ReportsOssett Albion 2 Bamber Bridge 1Northern Premier League 1st Divisionat Queens TerraceSaturday 10th March 2007By Dave RowlandOssett Albion completed the league double over a much weakened Bamber Bridge side in this scrappy windswept affair at Dimple Wells on Saturday. Neither team seemed able to master the less than ideal conditions and as a result good football was at a premium. It was always going to be a backs-to-the-wall job for the depleted South Ribble side, and so it proved. Bamber Bridge were looking for their third straight win against Yorkshire opposition after recent victories over Wakefield and Bridlington Town. Ossett Albion were hoping to get back on track following a run which has seen the West Yorkshire side without a win in their last five league and cup outings. Brig manager Phil Entwistle was forced into making multiple changes to his line-up after a number of recent blows had decimated his squad. Loan player Jonathon Smith had returned to Morecambe during the week, whilst full-back Jamie Nay had left for work in the capital and signed for Isthmian League First Division North side Enfield Town. Joining Steve Williams in the treatment room were defenders Allan Fleming and James Archer along with midfielder Danny Mahoney. All had picked up knocks in the Bridlington Town game at the weekend and are now expected to be out for the rest of the season. Midfielder Steve Brown was also missing after suffering a knock in the Bridlington game and Mike Fletcher was suspended. In came versatile midfielder Stuart Beech, signed from Fleetwood Town early last week and front runner Stuart Barlow, also from Highbury Stadium, who is on loan at Irongate until the end of the season. Robin Myers returned to full-back after a long absence and both Chris Gallagher and Mark Edmeads stepped up from the Lancashire League side alongside Phil Turner, Paul Roberts and Ben Cartwright who took their places on the bench. Right from the start it was obvious that the swirling wind was going to make life difficult as the ball was blown hither and thither like a kite. Indeed, the players never really got to grips with the elements throughout. A Michael Senior throw-in on the left was almost turned in by Danny Toronczak after 6 minutes but Brig goalkeeper Dave Newnes was alert to the danger and saved easily. There was little to separate the sides in the early stages but the home team did manage to unsettle the visitors with a few sporadic raids. However, these lacked penetration and when danger did threaten it was quickly snuffed out by no-nonsense central defenders Adam Tong and George Melling. The ball was constantly in the air with little cohesive football being played but Albion came close on 35 minutes when a Senior cross was headed over Newnes crossbar by Toronczak. Not surprisingly, Bamber Bridge, with so many changes to their line-up, struggled to find any sort of rhythm to their game but had competed well against determined opponents. However, on the stroke of half-time disaster struck for the Lancashire side when they conceded a goal from out of the blue. The visitors had failed to clear their lines properly on the left and Senior chested the loose ball down and into the path of Tom Parker. The Albion midfielder smacked his shot on the half-volley from 20 yards beyond the reach of Newnes’ despairing dive. Worse was to follow for Brig shortly after the break when they conceded a second goal after 51 minutes. What can only be described as a catalogue of basic schoolboy errors in the visiting defence presented Albion leading marksman Danny Toronczak with the easiest of chances. He touched the ball home from a couple of yards out after a ghastly mix-up saw several defenders fail to clear a loose ball bobbling around on their six yard line. Galvanised, the homesters almost increased their lead six minutes later when a timely tackle by Tong denied Toronczak as the striker broke through on goal. From the resultant corner-kick by Senior, former Barnsley skipper Rhys Meynell headed narrowly over the bar. To their credit the visitors came out fighting and showed plenty of spirit. Albion goalkeeper Neil Bennett, had difficulty in dealing with an Alex Porter free-kick which he grabbed from under his crossbar in the 65th minute. The Lancastrians were now beginning to settle down and were having their best spell of the game. Indeed, Stuart Barlow was unlucky twice in as many minutes when Bennett saved his snap-shot at the second attempt and then moments later superbly finger-tipping away a fine glancing effort by the Brig front-runner. Brig had a lucky escape in the 75th minute when Senior robbed Melling twenty yards from goal before bringing the best out in Newnes with a fine effort. The South Ribble side were awarded a penalty-kick in the 84th minute when Stuart Beech was sandwiched between Dominic Riordan and Kyle Cook as Brig’s new midfielder homed in on goal. Alex Porter confidently fired home his 20th goal of the season in fine style from the spot. Porter then sent a shot fizzing across the face of goal as the Lancastrians went in search of a late equaliser. However, despite their valiant efforts, all was to no avail. After the game Brig boss Phil Entwistle said, “With so many enforced changes to the side our overall cohesion as a working unit was inevitably adversely affected. However, the narrow defeat should in no way detract from the performance of the youngsters who were drafted in or the two new lads who only arrived at the club a few days ago. Everyone gave a hundred percent for the cause in difficult circumstances and as a manager you can’t ask for any more than that.” Bamber Bridge: Newnes, Myers, Gallagher, Melling, Tong, Beech, Ince (Turner 70mins), Edmeads (Roberts 65mins), Barlow, Salmon, Porter. Unused sub: Cartwright Goals: Porter pen (83 mins) Attendance: 115
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