Match Reports Compiled By:- A Turner Yorkshire Division 6 North 07/01/12 Halifax 4th XI 1 Bradley 1st XI 3 Bradley's superior athleticism ultimately was the deciding factor in this closely contested encounter. Halifax were eager to improve upon a 4-0 drubbing in the first half of the season and entered the match with some solid performances to their credit. The visitors however, were able to field by far their strongest side and gelled very quickly to provide stern opposition for the home side. Renowned for their abrasiveness Bradley started the match strongly but all of their work was well within the rules and spirit of the game. They marked well at the back and made it very difficult for the Halifax midfield and defence to find the two forwards Dave Collins and Stephen Lapworth. Simon Meredith was influential in midfield and linked well with debutant Dave Manning and Cameron Hellowell. Halifax tended to bring pressure upon themselves, hitting long passes from the back to the rather isolated front men. Many passes were intercepted by the forceful Bradley defenders and counter attacks set up using effective distribution. Only sterling work at this stage from Rob Keene, Jamie Maddocks, Andy Turner and Aidan Crowe kept the visitors at bay. Even when this quartet were breeched, Fred Owens displayed his immense improvement in goal using both his pads and gloves to repel all shots. The first half remained scoreless with Bradley having slightly the better balance of play. The visitors started the second half where they had finished the first and pressed Halifax hard. Their graft and guile were soon rewarded with a smart finish following a mistake at the top of the D. Halifax rallied and put more pressure on the visitors than at any time of the match. Paul Newton was marking the Bradley's danger man out of the game and the home midfield were able to capitalise on the player's ineffectiveness. Cameron Hellowell's speed was carving open the visitor's rearguard and Halifax moved into the ascendancy. Three chances were forged from open play, all of which went begging. Just as it appeared that their efforts would not be rewarded, skipper Stephen Lapworth latched on to a loose ball and found the back of the net. Bradley responded in fine fashion, reflecting their lofty position in the league. They pinned Halifax back and only the heroics of man of the match Jamie Maddocks kept the scores level. An injury to the Fax starman disrupted the defence and Bradley took full advantage scoring from a short corner and then from open play. Halifax managed to quell the late surge of the visitors but were left to rue the missed cahnces earlier in the half. Had they converted one or more of the three opportunities the final score may well have had a different look about it. Even in defeat the side gleaned many plusses from the performance that should be rewarded in the coming few weeks. 03/12/11 Halifax 3rds 3 Halifax 4ths 0 The 3rds cemented their place at the head of the division with an expected and deserved victory, but the real winners on another blustery and inclement day weather wise were many of the fourth team. The laegue leaders were pushed all the way by the lower side and had it not been for some clinical finishing, outstanding goalkeeping and flashes of individual magic the result could have been different. Many of the 3rd team felt that the fourth team were the next best team they had faced this ahlf of the season apart form York University. It became apparent right from the off that this was going to be stern test for Dave Manning's team. Paul Crowther, Mike Dransfield and Simon Meredith pressed hard in midfield and it was only the brilliance of youngster Matthew Bairstow that gave the 3rds the edge in attack. His awareness and skill left defenders in his wake time after time. Whilst inroads were made into the fourths half, veteran Rob Keene was having the game of his life. Looking athletic and very mobile he snubbed out attack after attack with precise tackles and astute covering. The thirds were beginning to mount sustained pressure without ever being totally in control. from their first short corner they broke the deadlock. Nigel Bowers elected to feed Lee Chapman and he drilled the ball into the backboards. The 3rds settled more into a passing rhythm and achieved neat triangles and one twos. Matthew Ward was supporting the attack really well down the right flank and Chris Reynolds and Nick Barker were proving a formidable barrier in defence and a springboard for attack with penetrative passes. A second flash of clinical finishing saw Kristian Mayland extend the elad with a sharp shot from another short corner. The game was certainly not won at this juncture and the higher side were urged not to relax in the half time team talk. They had been kept in the ascendancy with some fine saves by stopper James Smith when only a single goal ahead and any lapse in concentration in the second period was likely to be costly. Jamie Maddocks continued to show his quality and composure in the second period and Andy Turner was probbing well down the right flank for the 4ths. On a number of occasions a better final pass would have caused problems for the league leaders. Trevor Love was also having a great match. He marked well and was even able to release left flank player Paul Mayes on dangerous runs into the opposing half. A combination from these two found Kristian Mayland well outside the 25. He motored forward, beat two defenders and smashed the ball into the net. It was quite a sublime way to put the game out of reach of the fourths. As the weather deteriorated in the second half players battled to maintain the quality of play. To the credit of both sides the match was a showpiece that the club should be proud of. Not only were there some fine individual eprformances, but the spirit of the game remained highly competitive but very fair and sporting. With results going their way, the thirds have a 3 point cushion over Bradley and a five point lead over Huddersfield. A cup and league double still beckons. 30th January 2010 Halifax are Fourmidable! Halifax 4 – 0 Slazenger’s Halifax hit the ground running during their first home game of 2010. The team lined up with some new faces but much needed experience as they battle against relegation. After gaining a much needed point at second place Thirsk the previous week they lined up as follows: Matty Bretton, Andy Turner, Rob Keene, Neil Penny-Ward, Trevor Love, Steve Fawkes, Paul Mayes, Lee Chapman, Tom Love, Myles Brown, Phil Green and subs: James Smith, Roy Atkinson, Steve Hammond. Halifax started the first half as they meant to go on against a Dad’s Army like Slazenger’s team. Straight on the attack but not making chances pay as Phil Green misses what can only be defined as easier to score than miss but he will try and hit the ball first time when he has five minutes to stop it. Not long after, Keene made a fantastic stop as Slazenger’s had a rare attack on the Halifax goal. Unfortunately he tried to stop it with his hand and then his mouth so enter the game Atkinson to support Turner in the centre of defence for the remainder of the game. Soon after, wave on wave of Halifax attacks that were not really making any really threat to the opposition, Tom Love took the impetus to take the ball from just over the half way line and through some pretty nifty skills beat a couple of defenders to bury the first Halifax goal into the bottom of the Slazenger net. 1-0! As the half progressed, with a much more relaxed Halifax team on the attack with Penny-Ward, Mayes and Chapman linking up well down the right and Trevor Love and Brown linking well down the left, eventually enabled Phil Green made up for his awful miss to bury the second into the Slazenger’s net with such a force the ball was accelerating as it left the net. 2-0! This brought to an end the first half at Stadium Park lane. The half time talk was a tale of two motivational speeches. Initially, Captain Hammond with his pleasure that Halifax were winning overshadowed by “green eyed monster” Fawkes with a slating Halifax were not being clinical. The Second half began with the introduction of “Super Sub” Smithy replacing Mayes down the right to exploit the distinct lack of pace in the Slazenger’s team as he, on numerous occasions, won the battle with the ageing opposition left back. He set up Green for the next goal, a reasonable tap in after the forward had again numerous chances to finish with ease but the returning striker continued his 1 in 5 shot to goal ratio. 3-0! Green then again set up by an attacking force of Love, Chapman, Fawkes, Brown and Smith determined that Brighouse needed demolishing decided to hit a ball so far over the bar, it would have been better placed on a cricket pitch for 6. Slazenger’s had some threat on goal although Turner, Atkinson, Penny-Ward and Love had it all covered without much pressure. As the game drew to a close, down the right, a link between Chapman and Smith, allowed Halifax to put the game to bed they won a decisive long corner. Taken by Fawkes, a shell across the “D” ,allowed Green to finish his hat-trick with a deft deflected touch that squirmed through the keeper’s legs in a fantastic worked goal! Did he really know anything about it or did he just put his stick in the way! 4-0! Game over at Park Lane. Halifax 4, are doing well with their newly found form and continue to move away from the relegation zone. Man of Match – Phil Green