Frickley Athletic v Handsworth FC

Recap

Frickley 2 Handsworth 1

Finally, a goal, a win and a bit of luck! But it didn’t come easy. It took an injury time header from Keanan Mannings and a ton of collective cojones to give The Azzurri victory over a rather good Handsworth side, ending a run of 7 games without a win.

There was a single change from last week’s starting lineup with new signing Panashe Makwiramiti coming in to make his Frickley debut in place of Marcel Chipamaunga who missed the game because of a family bereavement (much love to you and yours, brother). And Niall Butchart replaced Mason Booth on the bench.

It was almost a disastrous start when a Handsworth forward was clean through in the 5th minute and deftly lobbed the keeper, Sykes, but thankfully hit the bar

The next quarter of an hour saw both sides cagily probing for gaps with nothing else clear cut opening up. Claisse, Spence and Panashe M were in perpetual motion, skirmishing in midfield.

Handsworth reminded our back four not to lose focus over the following 10 minutes as they hit the side netting, had a shot deflected wide and nodded just past the post from a corner.

However, having rode our luck, it was The Blues that nosed ahead on 33 minutes. Tommo crossed and ex-Blue and Handsworth skipper Johnno Williams couldn’t avoid sticking it in his own net for our first goal of 2025 and our first goal in 6 games!

The Blues kept it calm and eased their way through to the break in the lead. HT 1-0.

Shortly after the restart, Harry Gagen took a whack in the dial and had to go off for treatment for a bloodied hooter, leaving us temporarily down to 10 men. The visitors made the extra man count in the 52nd minute as Mitchell Dunne got goalside of his marker and equalised with a smart finish.

Often this could have lead to us going all ‘jigsaw’, i.e. falling apart. But there’s a new touch of Blue steel about the side, and once Butch and Tom Alngohuru came on for Tommo and Gagen to bolster the ranks, we were back in the fight.

Panashe M continued to buzz around in midfield and had a long shot of his own on the hour but the keeper fielded it.

A ball broke for Big Al, yet the ref imagined a foul, and Al nonchalantly pinged the ball over the goal in response to the whistle.

The 75th minute brought a blur of Blue chances. Big Al had a shot blocked which he was sure was stopped by a hand. The ball was cleared but only as far as Claisse and his 35 yard rasping drive cannoned off the upright. The ball stayed in play and was crossed to Gelder but his header went agonisingly wide. The same happened to his header 5 minutes later.

The draw would not have been an unfair result but The Azzurri weren’t finished. Deep into time added on, Butch, who had been a man possessed since entering the fray, almost won it when his dipping volley was tipped over the bar.

The Gaffer took the resulting corner and put it perfectly into that hard to defend area at the front post. Keano was a gimlet eyed assassin as he laser guided his header into the back of the net from 3 yards out. Cue scenez. FT 2-1.

Make no mistake, Handsworth were always in this game, they were no pushover and could easily have taken a share of the spoils. But The Boys in Blue got their shovels and picks out, dug in and excavated 3 vital points. Enjoy the highs, people!

This win was for Chippy and for all the Blues fans who get behind the boys every week.

WEBMASTER MOTM – what I loved about this performance was how heads never dropped when there were setbacks. It was eyes forward, bayonets fixed and let’s give this a go. Thus, it’s only right that the Glitterball goes jointly to Sykesy, The Elk, Gadge, Jack C, Keano, The Gaffer, Joel 90, The PM, Tommo, Gelly, Big Al, Tom A, Butch and all the squad members who didn’t make it onto the park. Everyone played their part. A band of brothers – boom!

TWITTER MOTM – Joel Spence takes it from Panashe Makwiramiti, Tom Claisse and Keanan Mannings. Thanks to all who voted.

SPONSORS/VOLUNTEERS MOTM – Panashe Makwiramiti was chosen by Chris Hawkins. Well done, PM!

An amazing 247 through the gate, the second biggest NCEL attendance of the day. Thank you for your cheering us on through tricky times. Your support has been absolutely priceless!

To hear the thoughts of the gaffer, Tom Claisse, click here.

The Blues are next in action on Saturday 15th February, when we travel to Golcar United, 3pm kickoff. Hope to see you all there….

#forzafrickley

#FFTD