Stocksbridge Park Steels 0 Spalding Utd 2
by Ray Tucker
Victory at Stocksbridge on Saturday sent the Tulips sky-rocketing to their highest ever placing in the Football Association pyramid.
The success took the Tulips into fourth position in Division One South (Level four in the pyramid) of the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League with games in hand on three of the four teams around them.
It was the Tulips’ fourth win on the bounce and their fifth since last experiencing defeat in the league and their impressive sequence puts them in pole position in the league’s current form guide – ahead of present league leaders Sutton Coldfield, Newcastle Town, Norton United, Leek Town and Romulus, who visit the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field on Saturday (3pm).
Saturday’s performance in gloomy Yorkshire, but on a perfect Stocksbridge pitch, was not one of the Tulips best, but one still good enough to see off the challenge of league strugglers Stocksbridge.
Assistant boss Marcus Ebdon agreed that the team’s display was not of the same quality as of recent outings.
“But we again achieved a clean sheet which is testimony to our defensive qualities,” he said.
“Our keeper Michael Duggan did not have a single save to make in 90 minutes and, to be honest, we missed quite a number of opportunites to have won by a much greater margin.
“But full credit to their keeper who led a charmed life at times and towards the end got a foot in the way of four goalbound strikes inside a minute.”
Tulips man-of-the-match Jamie Thurlbourne was the first to be denied by keeper Liam Flynn, who blocked a first shot after just two minutes in a one-on-one situation. Shortly afterwards, following some rather scrappy play by both sides, Thurlbourne saw a 20-yard “dipper” drift just wide of the far post.
The home team battled hard in their effort to end a dismal run of defeats, but despite twice firing wide, were unable to make the most of their efforts.
Tom Waumsley went close to breaking the deadlock by hooking the ball over the bar following two successive corner kicks, as the Tulips piled on some pressure.
It was left to Lewis Webb to open the scoring with a tremendous shot out of the blue in the 27th minute. He let rip a real snorter from just outside the 18-yard area which flew past Flynn and nearly took the net off its fixings.
The lead was extended just four minutes into the second half. A strong right side run by the ever prominent and influential Mitch Griffiths, carved out the opening for Jamie Thurlbourne to superbly curl the ball inside a top angle from 20 yards.
The Tulips were in full control of the game and continued to create inroads into the home defence but were denied time and again by some desperate defending. A short corner routine between Jack McGovern and Griffiths ended with Jordan Hempenstall heading just a few feet wide.
Andrew Tidswell and Jordan Nuttell were introduced to the action – replacing Waumsley and Hempenstall – and both missed out from good scoring positions with Flynn performing heroics in a regularly packed goal area to deny the Tulips a fistful of additional goals.
Tulips: Duggan, Leary, Jackson, Stevens, Stainfield, Webb, Griffiths, McGovern (L Thurlbourne 78mins), Hempenstall (Nuttell 68 mins), Waumsley (Tidswell 62mins), J Thurlbourne. Subs (not used) Hall, Oliver.
Man of the match: Jamie Thurlbourne.
Attendance: 87.
