Last night the first team began a hectic run of eleven games in 19 days. Tonight the Reserves Development Squad of players started their run-in of 13 games in 26 games which look like keeping the season alive until 15th May. With eight of these games at home it looks like being a busy time for all concerned.
Heanor Town Reserves were not just looking for their first win of 2018 but also their first goal of the year. The last goal scored by the team was in the home game against a Killburn Development side at the end of December.
Four minutes from the end of this game they missed a glorious chance to at least put an end to that barren patch when they were awarded a penalty, but you only need to look at the result of this game at the heading of this report to find out what happened!
Referee Richard Riley had a tidy game but somewhat spoilt his performance with a series of late, and rather needless, yellow cards, mostly for dissent following his own decisions.
Lack of time to advertise this game again kept the gate down.
As for the match itself, Heanor need to get someone in for next season to coach the players and teach them how to play football as a team because there is no cohesion in the ranks whatsoever. They just hoof the ball as hard and as far upfield as they can and hope that someone will run after it. But no one is showing the youngsters how to play or how to play in a system. No one has the confidence to hold the ball. They all run around like headless chickens. And whilst there is a great deal of encouragement from the touchline, it is not coaching.
The early stages of the game were typical end-of-season. Everyone on the field wanted to use up most of their energy shouting at someone or something rather than looking after the ball. Entertainment and excitement was nowhere in sight.
Goalmouth action didn’t arrive until the 14th minute and even then the net produce was in keeping with the way the game was going. Matt Heath found himself in front of goal and the ball heading towards him from the left and facing an open goal. He tried an ambitious volley and the ball went back across goal but didn’t even go out of play.
Two minutes later Joe Colman found himself facing an open goal at the other end but he lobbed the ball wastefully over a gaping net. Both sides were as bad as each other. It was followed by Heanor skipper Liam Power saving from Alex Stacey.
There was another good chance for Harworth minutes later when Marigy Alder shot wide following a corner.
Harworth were able to dominate long spells because Heanor simply had no plan and their midfield no ideas as to how to get their forwards into the game. And so the Lions were grateful to Power again for touching a Stacey shot round the post for a fruitless corner.
Alder then missed another chance because he had to switch the ball to his right foot to shoot and the chance was gone. With only Power to beat Brandon Ashmore put an easy header over the bar and a very poor first half ended in a goal-less stalemate.
The second half, sadly, was no better than the first. And it didn’t improve when Harworth broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute. It came courtesy of a hard low cross from the left which no Heanor defender attacked and visiting skipper MICK WIBBERLEY turned into the net from ten yards.
Seven minutes later the lead was doubled in somewhat controversial style. Wibberley’s shot came back into play off the bar and Colman rattled the rebound back which appeared to hit the post before flying across goal before a Heanor defender cleared the ball. Those spectators behind the goal claimed that the ball went a foot over the line and a goal should have been awarded. But it didn’t matter because in the ensuing scramble the referee pointed to the penalty spot although it was difficult to see what the actual offence was. BRANDON ASHMORE drove home the penalty and it seemed that justice had been done.
Heanor introduced Ollie Naylor into the game and it put more consistency into their attack. Matt Heath hit a first time snap shot over the angle of bar and post but Heanor were unable to put any sort of constant pressure on their Doncaster visitors and defeat appeared to have already been accepted.
The remaining minutes were both scrappy and indecisive but Heanor did at least have a chance of breaking their five game goal-less run when Ollie Naylor was brought down from behind as he raced into the penalty area. The referee immediately pointed to the spot and Naylor took matters into his own hands with four minutes remaining. Unfortunately, his spot kick was easily pushed aside by visiting custodian Dylan Sisman and it was the first save of any sort he had needed to make in the entire game.