Toolstation NCEL Division One
Armthorpe Welfare 2-1 Brigg Town
Gary Collier in action for Armthorpe during the 2-1 win over Brigg. Picture: Steve Pennock
A goal in each half from Gary Collier saw Armthorpe Welfare defeat Brigg Town and register their fourth win in five matches – but they had to hang on for all three points at the end.
Collier headed Welfare ahead on the stroke of half time and added a second on 58 minutes. Welfare were cruising but conceded a sloppy consolation goal on 85 minutes and made hard work of seeing the game out.
The visitors started brightly with Dan Montgomery tipping a 22 yard shot from Josh Skipworth past a post. There was a lengthy delay as Brigg’s Jack Tierney received treatment and he was eventually replaced by Will Forrest after 15 minutes.
After the delay Welfare began to take control. Darren Mansaram turned inside a crowded box but saw his 10 yard shot turned round the post by Pat Shaw on the half hour and four minutes later Liam Radford made space on the right of the box to fire in a strong angled shot that Shaw did well to divert past the post.
Shaw again denied Radford on 44 minutes when he made a great one-handed save to keep out Radford’s shot from 25 yards but in stoppage time Mo Selassie sent over an inviting cross from the right for Collier to power a header past Shaw and give Welfare a deserved half time lead.
Brigg’s Dave Dean headed over the bar from just inside the box three minutes into the second half and then a bizarre incident a minute later saw Brigg go even closer. The assistant referee made an error in the laws of the game by flagging for an offside decision against Welfare following a goal kick by Montgomery. The assistant referee admitted his mistake to the referee Matt Bacon who still awarded Brigg the free-kick. This immediately led to a header from substitute Josh Fawcett which came back off the crossbar with Charlie Dolling heading the rebound into the side netting.
Welfare gathered themselves and Wayne Brook volleyed wide from 16 yards following a flowing Welfare move on 52 minutes and on 58 minutes Collier scored his and Welfare’s second of the game when he matched on to a long clearance from Montgomery to lift the ball over the advancing Shaw and into the net from just inside the box.
Brook had a low 30 yard shot collected by Shaw on 69 minutes and Will Ramsay saw his close range effort smothered on the line by Shaw following a good cross from Radford on 73 minutes as Welfare took control.
Chris Gowen was the next to go close when he finished off another good move with an angled drive that Shaw pushed away on 77 minutes and five minutes later Collier missed a chance of grabbing his hat-trick when he headed wide from 6 yards following a chipped cross from Brook.
With 5 minutes of normal time remaining Brigg pulled a goal back when Steve Garner couldn’t quite manage to intercept a through ball for Dean who broke clear. Montogomery came out but his clearance struck the onrushing Dean and ricocheted into the empty net.
This set up a nervous end to the game with Brigg throwing players forwards in search of an equaliser but Welfare held out and went close to sealing the game in the final seconds when Chris Simpkins picked up a sliced clearance from Shaw before firing in an angled shot which flew across the face of goal.
The win was no less than Welfare deserved but for the second game running Welfare came close to throwing points away in the final ten minutes after being the better side for much of the game.
Thanks to Steve Pennock for this report.