Recap

Tadcaster Albion 1 Frickley 1

The Blues came away from Tadcaster with a hard earned point after an absorbing contest that saw us take a deserved first half lead but then had to withstand a sustained onslaught after the break.

Inside 4 minutes, Tom A picked out Destiny with his pass, and he surged into the penalty area, only for the home keeper to end up sat on the ball.

At the other end, Booth was called into action, producing an outstanding save on 8 minutes to tip a fierce Tadcaster drive onto the post.

Destiny was a constant outlet, showing his strength in the 16th minute to outmuscle a defender, though a bobble off a difficult surface meant that he shinned his shot.

2 minutes later, it was frustration as Destiny was hauled down by the last defender as he was about to go clear, but the ref waved play on.

Booth was on the money again, pulling off a superb 20th minute double save, while Kilner made a first class last ditch tackle, to keep the scores level

Les Bleus nearly went ahead soon after when Andrew latched onto Woolly’s perfectly weighted through ball, rounded the keeper, but could only lift his effort over the bar from a tight angle. And Tom A fired goalwards from distance on 39 minutes, his strike taking a deflection that sent it just over the bar.

The Azzurri made the breakthrough 2 minutes later. Andrew slid a clever pass into Destiny, whose aggressive run harried the desperate defender into poking the ball past his own keeper for an own goal.

The Blues almost doubled the lead immediately before the break when Andrew unleashed a powerful strike from range that flew inches over the crossbar.

The home side were at sixes and sevens at this point and the half time whistle came as a relief for them. HT 0-1.

The hosts regrouped and the second period began with Taddy pushing forward. An early chance rolled wide, while Andrew responded with a speculative shot of his own that also missed the target. Destiny tested the home keeper in the 54th minute, stinging his palms with a well hit shot.

Jenko produced a crucial, goal-saving tackle on 62 minutes, and shortly after, Kilner read the danger superbly to cut off a threatening attack. However, Taddy’s relentless pressure eventually told. From a 66th minute corner, the ball ricocheted around the box before Taddy volleyed home from close range to square matters.

Tadcaster had the momentum and nearly took the lead 3 minutes on, braking clear only for Booth to spread himself brilliantly and stopped the ball with his outstretched leg to deny them.

Defensively, The Blues stood firm. Fresh legs were introduced, Shayan for Andrew, and later, Butch for Woolly, as we looked to stay in the game.

The home side continued to probe, with further shots drifting wide and a dangerous low cross flashed across the face of goal on 81 minutes, evading everyone.

With 5 minutes to play, Taddy looked certain to score, but Booth and Love combined to force the forward to scuff the ball wide.

The Azzurri dug deep to negotiate the final minutes of normal time, plus another 5 of time added on, to claim a share of the points. FT 1-1.

Given the second half pressure we were under and the defensive resilience required to come away with a result, not forgetting the loss off a few big players, it felt like a point won rather than two lost, despite having taken the lead. And I’ll always take an away point 😉

WEBMASTER MOTM – that performance was all about hard work and an iron-willed refusal to be beaten. Harry Gaggio, Killer, Jenko and the Lovetrain were stellar. Smoking’ Joel, Linfinity, the Guru and the Woolfman were ceaseless. Ells Bells defended from the front and the big dog, Destiny, was an absolute handful. But the Glitterball goes to Spencer Booth. The Barrier kept us in it with several top drawer saves. Bootiful, Boothy!

TWITTER MOTM – Harry Gagen takes it from Spencer Booth, Joel Spence and Sam Kilner. Elliott Andrew also polled votes. Thanks to all who voted.

SPONSORS/VOLUNTEERS MOTM – Harry Gagen and Joel Spence were chosen by Tom Radley. Well done, lads!

341 through the gate, with 60-odd from The Azure Protectorate of SESKU. Thank you for foregoing the delights of Crimbo shopping to follow The Blues on such a murky afternoon. You’re all on Santa’s nice list!

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

The Blues are next in action on Saturday 27th December when Penistone Church are our visitors to The Wezzie, 3pm kickoff. Till then, have a very happy Christmas, and hope to see you all there….

#forzafrickley

#FFTD

#bluechristmas