An improved second half performance gave The Ambers a 3-1 victory over first time opponents Horbury Town. Goals from Toby Kenyon, Mitch Dunne in his record breaking 179th Handsworth appearance and a first ever senior goal for Charlie Booker edged The Ambers back into the top half of the table following back to back wins for the first time this season.
A spate of absences were overcome thanks to Mark West’s welcome return from injury, whilst Fernando Tavares also came back into the starting eleven, whilst the bench also included a fit again Harry Jessop alongside a surprising inclusion in Jesse Omoregbee who was recalled from his loan spell with Swallownest. Tyler Williams took the Captains armband in the absence of namesake, Johno.
Despite their slow start to the season, the visitors have picked up in the past couple of weeks, and off the back of successive 4-4 draws, they gained their first Step 5 victory in midweek thanks to a shock 1-0 success over Sheffield FC.
It was Horbury who had the better of the opening exchanges with Clegg firing wide, and old nemesis Jagger forcing Jim Pollard into an early save with a well struck free kick. Although the keeper could only parry the shot, he reacted quickly enough to grab the loose ball and snuff out the danger as two Town players converged.
It was ten minutes in before The Ambers managed to get to grips with their opponents, and it wasn’t much longer before they took the lead with a fine goal. A ball played in to Dunne saw him cleverly back heel the ball straight into the path of the onrushing Kenyon, and the midfielder burst into the box before calmly slotting the ball past Hagreen to claim his first goal since the FA cup defeat to Silsden on the opening day of the season.
The visitors however were in no mood for giving up at this early stage, and after Pollard had caught Jagger’s flicked header from a Whittaker cross, some good interplay by Town saw them cut through the Ambers’ backline like a hot knife through butter, with skipper Playford applying the finishing touches with a low shot beyond Pollard to level things up on 22 minutes. However, there was a blow for the visitors when Clegg had to be immediately withdrawn after picking up a knock in the build up to the goal, with Awty taking his place.
Handsworth immediately went in search of another breakthrough, and when Ben Harriott’s cross to Jordan Hines fell invitingly for Scott Ruthven, the striker’s first time volley was just too high. Hagreen then had to pluck a curling effort from Dunne out of the sky as the ball arced towards the far corner following a quickly taken corner kick, but it was Horbury who went closest when an excellent effort from Awty struck the far post after a good run in from the left. Fiern then skewed an effort wide from just inside the area after Jagger had picked him out with a cross from the right, as both sides continued to create chances.
It was The Ambers who had the next opportunity when Sam Fewkes fed Ruthven and his lay off set Dunne racing into the box only to see his effort blocked at the near post by a defender, and the half ended with Jagger firing wide before Pollard saved from Awty after The Ambers had played themselves into danger.
The second half got underway with Booker on in place of Kenyon, and the youngster made an immediate impact with a surging run down the right wing and a ball played into Ruthven at the front post. The striker held up the ball before playing it back to Booker whose cross or shot managed to pick out the lurking Dunne at the back stick and the ball was poked home to register the winger’s seventh goal of the season, less than ninety seconds after the re-start.
Dunne then almost turned provider when his free kick picked out Harriott at the back post but his towering header soared away over the bar, and the action quickly switched to the other end when the tricky Asamoah got free down the left and forced Pollard into action as he tipped away a dangerous cross.
The visitors then made a triple substitution in an attempt to get back into the tightly contested game, with a final replacement made just before the hour mark, alongside a double change for The Ambers, Josh Nodder coming on for Hines, and Omoregbee making his first appearance of the season replacing Daniel Pudil who had put in a solid shift at the back, on his 40th birthday.
Dunne then had the ball in the net after latching on to a long ball but the offside flag was up to deny him, but it wasn’t long before The Ambers were able to grab their third goal, as Nodder’s pinpoint delivery of a free kick near the halfway line, picked out a criminally unmarked Booker who was able to caress his header over the keeper and into the far corner to register his first senior goal.
To their credit, the visitors did not throw the towel in, and only a late intervention by the covering Fewkes denied Asamoah, whilst at the other end a mis-directed clearance from Hagreen landed at the feet of Ruthven whose first time effort from the centre circle was not too far off target.
The game then surprisingly flared up on a couple of occasions with Tavares and Fewkes picking up cautions alongside two of the Horbury players as tempers got frayed, and The Ambers should have put the icing on the cake when Nodder again picked out an unmarked Booker in the area, but this time the midfielder’s shot struck the post and he was unable to control the immediate rebound which flew off his knee and into the crowd.
Next up for The Ambers is a visit from play-off chasers Knaresborough Town next Saturday, in what is sure to be another tough game.