Toolstation NCEL Division One
Nostell Miners Welfare 3-1 East Yorkshire Carnegie
Nostell’s double goal-scorer Jack Owen reenacting a scene from the Cheltenham Gold Cup with an East Yorkshire Carnegie defender
The new Showman Jack Owen struck twice and missed a penalty as resurgent Nostell Miners Welfare pushed themselves closer to securing their league survival.
Owen, a player who oozes quality, scored his second goal in the dying seconds after a nail-biting finish which saw Nostell hanging on for dear life as East Yorkshire Carnegie mounted a last-gasp attempt steal a point.
Owen’s 12th goal since joining Nostell in December gave them a first half lead. Liam Radford doubled it on the hour in the middle of several blizzards that heavily affected the flow of the clash. A Daniel Walker penalty brought the visitors back into it, ensuring a nervy finish.
Nostell should have been out of sight by this point. Not that it matters now as the three points are in the bank and its means that they are now literally on the coat-tails of Carnegie, Armthorpe Welfare and Ollerton Town. With nine matches left to play, three or four wins will surely guarantee safety.
Nostell, a team transformed by Simon Houghton, Jason Dodsworth and their assistants Ryan Poskitt and Wayne Ball, are playing with confidence and feeling confident ahead of every match.
Although Carnegie began brightly, Nostell soon hit the front-foot after Owen broke through and finished in the seventh minute.
There was hardly time to breathe out as Nostell cantered forward again and this time, former Shaw Lane AFC star Joe Thornton was hauled down by Carnegie’s Omar Bajong in the penalty area. The chance to double the lead was spurned as goalkeeper Lewis Hill dived to his left and saved Owen’s spot kick.
Conditions deteriorated towards the end of the first stanza. For the rest of the match, blizzards, sunshine came and went – and it must have taken its toll on the players.
The home side remained in control and had their visitors pressed deep in their own half at the beginning of the second half. Liam Owen missed the first chance of a few, his brother also forced an excellent save out of Hill from distance. Eventually the pressure told and the influential Thornton showed his class by supplying the goods for Radford to score his first goal in a Nostell shirt.
Carnegie arguably did deserve a goal as home goalkeeper Shaun Penn had to make a couple of saves, but they didn’t need help from Mr Henger who was clearly masquerading as Father Christmas when he awarded them a penalty. Penn was deemed to have fouled Tom Whittling who went down rather easily. Walker converted the penalty with ease.
Nostell lived on the edge for the next 20 minutes. The younger Owen brother failed to score from two chances and most will have thought that the missed opportunities would come back to haunt them.
Even the moment when Carnegie were finally killed off in the final 60 seconds contained high-octane drama. Carnegie had won a corner and Hill had come up for it. In a hand-in-the-mouth moment, the ball flashed across the six-yard box where a Nostell defender was fortunately waiting. It was then released down the right-flank to substitute Dan Henighan. He raced down the wing, as the passionate crowd screamed “shoot” because of the empty goal. Choosing to ignore the advice, he kept going before passing to Owen on the edge of the penalty area. In a moment of magic, the striker beautifully danced his way past two defenders before firing the ball past a helpless Hill.
Nostell will have to perform better against stronger sides, but they are more than capable of doing so. For the moment, a win is a win.
Nostell left-back Jamie Allsop wins a header
There were several blizzards
Action from Nostell 3-1 East Yorkshire Carnegie
Action from Nostell 3-1 East Yorkshire Carnegie
Former Shaw Lane AFC star Joe Thornton set up Nostell’s second goal
Nostell’s Liam Radford in battle
Rhys Meynell stops himself from running into Carnegie goalkeeper Lewis Hill
Liam Owen had several chances, but was unable to score
Lee Swift on the ball for Nostell
Nostell talisman Jack Owen oozes quality
The Teams
Nostell Miners Welfare: Penn, Welford (captain), Allsop, Ward, Meynell, Almond, L Owen (Henighan 83), Swift, Thornton (Mole 66), Radford (Greenhough 75), J Owen. Subs unused: Noteman, Collins.
East Yorkshire Carnegie: L Hill (captain), Waud, Bajong, Foster, Robinson, McHale, Ward, Harrison, Littlefield, Whittling, Walker. Subs: J Hill, Sarel, Ricardo, Gordon.
Who Was In Charge
Ryan Henger (6/10)
Mr Henger dealing with several complaints at half-time
Not young Mr Henger’s finest hour. The penalty decision in favour of Carnegie looked like a ridiculous one from the stand, capping off a bad afternoon.
How Many Were There
79
Man of the Match
Lee Swift (Nostell Miners Welfare)
Lee Swift was exceptional for Nostell Miners Welfare
The Hemsworth Miners Welfare legend was exceptional in the middle of the park and he was a huge influence on the game.