Poor First Half Sentences Ollerton To Second Successive Defeat

A poor opening to their game against Worsbrough Bridge left Ollerton in troubled water

Two goals inside the opening twenty minutes saw Ollerton Town go down 3-2 to Worsbrough Bridge on Saturday in what was an important fixture near the foot of the Northern Counties East League Division One.
Worsbrough went into the game on the back of a win against Dronfield Town in midweek, their first since November, whilst Ollerton were looking to bounce back from last week's heavy defeat to Knaresborough.
Worsbrough looked the more confident of the two sides early on and they took the lead after only five minutes. A cross from the right landed at the feet of Rob Oldham and his first time effort flew past Scott Gretton. The home side then nearly added a second minutes later, Gretton saving well with his feet from a low shot by Joe Singleton.
It looked like Ollerton were struggling to adjust to the pitch which wasn't in the best condition but they created a half chance as they looked to draw level. Kyle Ludlow headed wide after the ball wasn't cleared properly following a cross by Jamie Allan.
Worsbrough continued to press and with seventeen minutes on the clock, they doubled their lead. The ball kindly to James Popplewell inside the area and he fired a shot past Gretton and into the bottom corner.
These two sides had met twice already this season with Ollerton winning the first in a cup game before a 1-1 draw in the league. Ollerton faced a mountain to climb if they were wanting to remain unbeaten and once again they had Gretton to thank as he palmed away Popplewell's shot from outside the box.
The last fifteen minutes of the first half were better for Ollerton as they started to settle down but they still were unable to test Aiden Tyas in the Worsbrough goal, the best chance coming three minutes from the break when Kyle Ludlow's flick on almost found Josh Brentnall a few yards out, but Tyas managed to smother the opportunity.
Ollerton knew they needed a big performance in the second half to salvage anything from the game, whilst the Worsbrough management team were focusing on the importance of not giving away an early goal.
Dave Winter's side certainly started a lot better and were putting Worsbrough under severe pressure, but it took until the 61st minute before they got a goal back. A ball over the top put Kyle Ludlow through on goal and Lewis Bingham was on hand to turn the ball home from close range.
At this point, Ollerton looked the team most likely to score again and cheered on by a strong support, there was belief that they could go on and complete the comeback. Bingham saw a chipped effort held well after going through on the right whilst Brandon Shaw's dipping effort from twenty yards out was saved by Tyas,
Ollerton's failure to capitalise on their pressure came back to haunt them as with fifteen minutes to go, Worsbrough scored again to seal the victory. Jack Mawson did well on the right wing to work his way into the box and he passed across to Ryan Pleasants who was given too much space and time to slot past Gretton.
The Town continued to hunt for a way back into the game but it took until the ninety-first minute before they found the net once more. A freekick on the edge of the are was curled round the wall and into the bottom corner by Ludlow.
It looked like it was a case of 'too little, too late' but Ollerton were presented with one, last chance. A freekick just inside the Worsbrough half was pumped into the box by Gretton but as the ball looked to be falling for Bingham, Tyas came out to make a crucial save which meant the three points stayed in Barnsley.
Ollerton now face six crucial last games as they look to secure their survival in the NCEL. Starting with next week's derby against Shirebrook, Ollerton know they need to start grinding out more results as they look to hold off the chasing pack which includes Worsbrough, who were deserved winners on Saturday.