Maltby Main 4 Garforth 2

It appears Muglet Lane has joined Glasshoughton as a place where Town perpetually get nothing. That said, it was a poor first half performance which ultimately cost The Miners yesterday.

Maltby took the lead on 14 mins after Tim Robertson gave the ball away on the right. Neil Spruce delivered the ball into veteran striker Brian Cusworth at the far post who headed home.

Garforth were struggling to keep possession with a very bobbly surface affecting our passing game. Cusworth and Oliver Fearon almost put the hosts further in front on 16 mins after Town couldn’t clear their lines but the two attackers couldn’t capitalise. Soon after Ben Hunter saved from Fearon.

Down at the other end on 21 mins we won a free kick which came to nothing and a lightening break forward by Main saw Sam Forster one on one with Hunter but the keeper kept him out with a good challenge.

The South Yorkshire side were causing problems for our defence again three mins later when Andy Hawksworth headed an inswinging cross against his own post and thankfully into the grateful arms of Hunter!

Garforth’s first real chance came on 29 mins when Joel Barnett got himself into a good position but shot over the bar. Some good football on 42 mins from Danny Harris and Mark Fereday down the middle ended in Luke Mangham shooting just wide from the edge of the box. Maltby keeper Ben Brunt was finally tested on 44 mins by Nick Black’s powerful drive from 20 yards out.
Jassim Alali had put in a good shift at the back but with Liam Smith (suspended), Glen Wood (unavailable) and Craig Laight (illness) all missing we struggled to deal with our physical opponents. Main’s biggest threat came down the right and it was from here again which brought about a deserved second just before the break. Nicky Darker’s long throw in to the box wasn’t dealt with, allowing Forster to slot home at the far post.

Town needed something to rescue the game and a double substitution at half time and a change in formation seemed to do the trick; Callum Cheetham and Sinmi Oyebanji replacing Barnett and Black. The lads attacked the home side at pace with Harris and Cheetham pulling the strings. Five mins in and we were back in it, Robertsons' cross headed past his own keeper by Nicky Darker.

Soon afterwards Mark Fereday almost grabbed the equaliser and his first Town goal when he headed narrowly wide from Cheetham’s cross in from the right. Cheetham almost got himself on the scoresheet after making a good run in the box and forcing a stop from Brunt. A comeback was on the cards and was duly secured on 55 mins when a decent low ball in from Oyebanji was back-heeled into the net by Fereday for his debut goal.

Hunter in the Town goal had to be alert on 59 mins when preventing Gary Hibbert’s free kick from reaching the top corner but otherwise at this stage it was all Garforth. Another superb run by Harris five mins later saw him put through Fereday who could only shoot weakly wide. With the home side tiring it looked as though things were going our way but a double substitution of their own on 65 mins seemed to give them a second wind.

On 76 mins they retook the lead when Cusworth put through Fearon to score with a powerful strike into the bottom corner. Sadly this didn’t spell the end of their physical game, with Fearon being booked soon after for a nasty tackle from behind on Robertson. The threat from Harris had been identified, with up to three players flying in on him every time he got the ball. Two mins from time Fearon received a second caution and his marching orders after a late challenge on Mangham.

With time running out Hunter hoped to use his height in injury time to try and get Town back into the game, coming up for a couple of corners. On the second occasion he did well to get back to his goal during the inevitable counter attack but after trying to round Forster on the right he was dispossessed, allowing the striker to advance and place into the empty net. A cruel end to the game for the Miners after a spirited comeback, but hopefully a result we can move on from in the next week with upcoming visits to Liversedge and Armthorpe.