Garforth Town 0 - Halifax Town 1

21-9-09

Harold Brown asks the viewers ‘Who Gives You Extra?’ in the infamous Halifax bank advertisements on television, and ironically enough, tonight at the Genix Healthcare stadium in Garforth the other Halifax, Town FC, also had that little bit extra… in luck.

Garforth did not play badly – quite the opposite. There were several close chances, and the home side largely imposed their will on the visitors, despite the full time deficit. The Miner’s’ first early chance came from tenacious work in midfield from Craig Harding, who chased down a 50/50 ball and slid in to release Chris Ovington on the right. A dangerous dipping cross set up the lunging Greaves but at a stretch, and his contact sent the ball over the bar.

Greaves received a throw in soon after, with a quick turn and shot. The shot slid wide, but if a striker doesn’t shoot, he doesn’t score. Ovington was next, with a jinking run on the right which culminated with the new-boy cutting in to shoot across goal. The goalkeeper managed to parry it wide in a fingertips effort.

The only shot in anger during this first thirty minutes from a quiet Halifax came courtesy of an admittedly excellently taken free-kick from twenty-five yards. Morgan did well to save for the canary yellows.

Ovington tried to steer the ball into the path of Greaves, though the Halifax shot stopper was equal to it and came to intercept. Morgan cleared a backpass only for it to be headed back upfield, and Halifax came close to breaking the deadlock with the subsequent half volley. They almost had another bite at the metaphorical apple via a through ball up the wing, but Milton Turner darted over to win a 30/70 ball and clear the danger. Halifax did hit the crossbar, but only after the ref halted play for a foul. Thus ended the first half.

Garforth’s relative comfort and the ease with which they had dealt with an impotent Halifax attack thus far would be for nought, as the Plastic Wolverhampton Wanderers found the net ten minutes into the second period of play. The ball was played into Paul Whitehouse, who found space and shot from outside the box. He found the corner of the net, to the delight of an away bench now devoid of the blond muppet from last year.

Town responded with a handful of crosses, with the subsequent headers coming varyingly close to regaining parity in the scoreline. Greaves tried his luck with a shot that went wide, and slowly the confidence came back for the home players. The keeper for Halifax left his area to prevent a corner, and his poor clearance almost saw him lobbed from thirty yards and he hurtled back into position.

A ball to Thornton on the right found the striker in an expanse of space, as the attempted interception of an orange defender was mistimed. The chance was promising, but the cross was poor.

The same striker tried his luck with an overhead from an Ovington cross, but all in all it was to be ‘one of those nights’. A strong penalty claim for Garforth was ignored during the second half, and it is noteworthy that Halifax players dropped like flies crossing the motorway. On the plus side, Garforth’s last three performances have seen improvement, and with that ‘extra’ bit of luck, hopefully the Miner’s can start picking up some big wins. The next few games against Woodley, Prescott and Salford are winnable, and with three more good performances, Town can rock down to… Electric Avenue, and then we’ll take it higher.

Garforth Town 4 - Radcliffe Borough 2

15-9-09

Fourceful Garforth rebounded well from a malfunction at the junction on Saturday in Geordie Land with a ring a ding dong dandy of a first half match-winning four goal performance against Greater, or Lesser, Mancunians Radcliffe Borough at the Genix Healthcare stadium. Ten men Garforth defended well against the expected second half siege, and shut out their frustrated, niggly foes on a warm Tuesday night in West Yorkshire.

An early ball through to a blatantly offside lurker almost resulted in a harsh disadvantage for Garforth, but the defence recovered well. It would be for nought though, as only a minute later a bouncing throw-in was not dealt with, falling kindly for Mark Drew who finished well with a half volley.

Soon after the visitor’s lead was doubled; an unjustly awarded free kick was curled right to the back post, evading all and sundry. Tom Brookes converted. 0-2.

From here Garforth turned the heat up, and snatched victory from the snapping jaws of defeat. Captain Renshaw sailed a peach up to new boy Chris Ovington, and with the striker tripped, Darren Thornton claimed his first goal for Garforth with the consequent penalty. He bagged his brace when the Borough goalkeeper controlled a back-pass poorly and the ball fell to him; the striker simply sidestepped a defender to place the ball into an empty net. 2-2.

Town placed Borough’s defence under some pressure; the ball was stroked about the midfield before Greaves angled to shoot, Tom Klass tried his luck and a header went wide. Then the third arrived; a cross from a corner was headed back out, and was soon sent back in. Borough players stepped out in an offside trap attempt that failed miserably, Renshaw fairly challenged the goalkeeper for the high ball, and it fell for Luke Woodall to put it in. In a time when so many referees blow the whistle for the slightest contact with a keeper, this one allowed for Brett’s legal challenge, and a legit goal stood. Good call, ref.

Craig Harding, though, didn’t have the same luck as Renshaw. A 50/50 tackle contested with a Borough man sparked a skirmish, in the aftermath of which Harding was sent for an early shower. Though the studs of one boot may have been showing on his slide tackle, it was difficult to surmise the reasons that Radcliffe players who impeached rules by raising hands to faces in anger during the skirmish did not join Mr Harding in his early walk.

However, Town claimed a fourth, when Greaves finished off an interchange by beating the shot stopper in the one on one. Radcliffe, a man to the good were left mourning a 4-2 deficit having claimed an early two-goal lead. But that is football; take your eye off the ball and your foot off the pedal, and like the song says; in an mmm-bop, it’s gone.

In the stoppage time of a six goal half, Thornton was – wittingly or otherwise – stamped on. The incident went with no punishment meted out. After, Greaves closed out the half when he sidestepped a challenge, and shot well over. Thus ended a great half for Garforth.

With 11 against 10, a second half siege was expected, and that is what we got. Town dug in their trenches and battled it out, and did very well to end the half with only the two earlier goals conceded. A header from a Radcliffe corner struck the crossbar, but with nearly every outfield Town player blocking the goal like an army defending the city gates, the visitors could not convert from the ensuing penalty box scramble.

Later on, after sustained pressure, Garforth would again threaten. A seemingly innocuous ball up the left wing was somehow latched onto by Renshaw, when the centre-back careered up the pitch to reach it. Unfortunately, his cross inside would not be quite as good. Radcliffe tried another cross, and on the counter attack Darren Thornton released Greaves into the box, whose shot was saved point blank by the onrushing keeper. In a subsequent counter-attack, substitute veteran Andy Hayward played Thornton into space with an overhead pass, and the striker cut inside and shot wide.

Radcliffe ultimately could not break the resilient Town defence, and that ol’ junction seemed somewhat repaired and reorganisation. A good game, a good victory.

Fletch.