Recap

Knaresborough Town 0 Frickley 3

The Azzurri banished one of their most stubborn recent records in emphatic fashion as they claimed a deserved 3-0 victory at bogey club Knaresborough Town to record their first ever win at Manse Lane.

Having lost on each of their previous 5 visits, The Blues finally laid the hoodoo to rest with a clinical second half display, although the final scoreline scarcely reflected how much they had to withstand before taking control after the interval.

The Boys in Blue kicked the game off on a sun baked surface that produced a frantic opening, with the dry, bobbly pitch making fluent football difficult for either side. Following an early corner that caused a pinball scramble inside the Frickley penalty area, Les Bleus launched a swift counter attack that ended with Wright lifting his shot over the crossbar with 6 minutes played.

A minute later, the hosts thought they had taken the lead when they found the net, only for an offside flag to cut short their celebrations.

Knaresborough were making the most of the downhill slope and enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, earning another corner from which a free header drifted over the bar.

The Azzurri had a whiff of an opening in the 19th minute. Good persistence from Cable closed down a defender and created uncertainty in the home defence, but despite the loose ball falling kindly, The Blues were unable to force it home.

The hosts continued to enjoy a spell of pressure midway through the half, seeing one effort blocked inside the penalty area before winning successive corners.

Chances were at a premium for a period, although Knaresborough did send a speculative 20 yard effort comfortably wide.

The home side came closest to breaking the deadlock after 33 minutes. A dangerous move down the right ended with the ball being flicked back to the edge of the area, but with the goal at his mercy, the final effort was sliced wide.

2 minutes later Frickley enjoyed another escape. A volley from the edge of the box had Allison scrambling, only for the dipping strike to clip the bar and bounce over.

Knaresborough finished the half strongly, but The Blues stood firm and reached the interval with the scores still level. HT 0-0.

The second half started with The Azzurri beginning to find some rhythm. In the 53rd minute, Spence drove purposefully through midfield before feeding Andrew, whose shot forced a smart save before the keeper reacted quickly to gather the rebound. Moments later, Cable burst through on goal only to see another promising effort blocked.

The breakthrough finally arrived on 69 minutes. Price produced a great run before sliding the perfect pass into the path of Luke Williams. Willo kept his composure to guide a precise finish into the bottom left corner.

With the momentum now behind them, The Blues continued to threaten. Cable was cynically chopped down just outside the penalty area, but only a yellow was shown. From the resulting free kick, Flanagan curled an excellent attempt agonisingly wide.

There was a growing feeling that several decisions weren’t going our way, but Woolly’s men refused to lose concentration. Flanagan remained key to our creativity, delivering an inviting cross that was diverted behind for a corner before Cable saw yet another shot blocked. Soon afterwards, Flanagan’s delightful backheel released Cable, whose fierce drive was tipped over.

The pressure eventually told 5 minutes from time. Flanagan’s corner was met by Harry Gagen, whose header was fumbled over the line to double the Blue advantage and leave the long awaited first victory at Knaresborough within touching distance.

The Blues almost added another moments later when Joel Spence broke forward and delivered an inviting cross for Jayden, whose deft flick towards the top corner brought another save from the home keeper.

There was still time for one final flourish. Deep into stoppage time, Martyn Woolford showed why he’s the gaffer, putting the icing on the cake with a sublime finish that left the keeper helpless. And in the process he extended his record for the longest Frickley career goalscoring span to 20 years,10 months and 8 days.

The final whistle confirmed not only an impressive first victory of the campaign but also the end of Frickley’s miserable record at Knaresborough. FT 0-3.

It was a commanding second half performance from The Blues. After surviving sustained first half pressure and riding their luck at times, we eventually overwhelmed the hosts with 3 unanswered goals, laying the Knaresborough hoodoo to rest in style.

WEBMASTER MOTM – what a result! The cleano is testament to our solidity at the back. We played with patience throughout. And the bench were outstanding – Willo and Woolly getting goals and Price and Flan with assists (David Fairclough eat your heart out). But the Glitterball goes to Tyler Sheard. He’s playing at left back with a maturity way beyond his years. Tremendous, Ty!

TWITTER MOTM – Tyler Sheard takes it from Josh Dacre, Sam Cable and Liam Flanagan. Thanks to all who voted.

SUPPORTERS’ MOTM – Tyler Sheard was chosen by Joel Clarkson, Gerry Wray and the general consensus. Well done, JD!

183 through the gate with a good following from the provinces of SESKU. Thank you for your loyal support!

To hear the thoughts of the gaffer, Martin Woolford, click here.

To see the goals, click here.

The Blues are next in action on Saturday 1st August when Horbury Town are our visitors to The Wezzie kickoff. Hope to see you all there….

#forzafrickley

#FFTD