The summer investment in a new artificial surface reaped dividends for Spalding United, with the Sir Halley Stewart Field hosting one of only four Southern League, Premier Central Division games to beat the freezing conditions on Saturday.
A 3-0 win against Barwell hoisted Jimmy Dean’s team six points clear of second-placed Harborough Town, albeit from four games more. Quorn, in third place, are a further seven points adrift, with only one game in hand on Spalding.
The Tulips can make that gap even more impressive on Saturday, when they welcome their title rivals to South Lincolnshire.
However, Dean is playing down the importance of the clash between the division’s runaway leaders and said:
“Whatever happens the league won’t be decided on Saturday. Whoever wins will keep their momentum but that’s all.
“It’ll be competitive right to the wire but we are in the money rounds now, coming into the New Year when you want to be involved in it.
“We’re six points clear now but they’ve got four games in hand. I’d rather be in their position to be honest but there’s a long way to go.”
The Tulips took their time to break down a resilient Barwell but eventually took the lead in first-half stoppage time. Alfie Bendle’s delivery into the danger zone heralded a scramble, with Liam Moore forcing the ball over the line.
The lead was doubled 13 minutes into the second half when superb determination from man of the match Dion Sembie-Ferris saw him capitalise on hesitation in the Barwell box. He squared the ball for Josh McCammon to slot home.
The scoring was completed after 74 minutes when Yusifu Ceesay picked up the ball just inside the visitors’ half, wide on the wing, and cut in on his right foot, past three defenders, on his way to tucking the ball into the far corner of the net.
Dean said: “The game played out exactly as I would have wanted it to, apart from no earlier goal. We had three or four good chances and it looked like the ball was over the line from Ceesay before we got one before half-time.
“They came out and fought for five to ten minutes and had good pressure but didn’t create anything. We got a little bit more aggressive up the pitch and made it 2-0.”
Spalding trained on New Year’s Day and Dean said that had been important. “I’m glad we did it because they looked a bit lethargic,” he explained.
Tulips: Wilks, Sembie-Ferris, Olopade, Moore, White, Thompson, Roberts, Bendle, McCammon, Cybulski, Ceesay.
Subs: Hart, Fryatt, Freeman, Lawlor, Sani.
Attendance: 598.
- Defender Ryan Fryatt has joined Spalding United on a month’s loan from National League North side Peterborough Sports.
The 32-year-old former King’s Lynn Town, Kettering Town, Dereham Town and Wisbech Town goal-scoring centre back was with Norwich City and Cambridge United as a youngster.
He replaces Ashton Fox, who is sidelined after a long-awaited operation.
Dean said: “We need three good solid centre backs ready to play and Sports offered us Ryan.”
Pictures by Adrian Smith.
