Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Hemsworth Miners Welfare 0-4 Knaresborough Town
Sean Hunter’s double helped Knaresborough Town heap more misery on struggling Hemsworth Miners Welfare whose afternoon collapsed after captain Harry Viggars was sent off late in the first half.
Knaresborough took full advantage after Viggars’ exit by scoring twice before the break.
Two quick-fire goals on the hour mark finished the job for Knaresborough who also beat Hemsworth by the same score-line back in August.
The result leaves Hemsworth in deeper relegation trouble with 16 games remaining.
It may seem a lot but the Wells have only won twice all season out of 22 matches.
Although Knaresborough had had a goal harshly chalked off for a foul on the goalkeeper, the game was fairly even-stevens until the red card.
Referee Mark Findlay was left with no option other than to show his red card to Viggars who had wildly flown in on Knaresborough captain Ben Parkes.
Rob Hunter’s visitors immediately grasped control of proceedings.
Craig Ramplin bent a delicately hit strike into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area to break the deadlock.
As the half-time whistle loomed, Hunter nodded home Tom Dugdale’s in-swinging free kick from inside the six-yard-box to increase the lead.
Hemsworth’s disastrous afternoon continued after the break as Adam Wilson’s sin-binning meant they went down to nine men for ten minutes.
Wilson’s eventual return to the field did little good as that’s when Knaresborough grabbed their third and fourth goals inside two minutes.
Dugdale’s fine turn and lovely loft down the left-wing sent Brad Walker away and in the clear.
He powerfully crossed and the ball shot across the six-yard-box until Jack Carr arrived to blast it into the net.
Walker was again involved for the fourth as it was his dinked cross which Hunter connected with and headed past debutant Wells goalkeeper Hagie Damba.
Those in attendance probably expected Knaresborough to push on and score more but once as Hunter got his second goal, the clash fizzled out.
What They Said
Hemsworth Miners Welfare manager Shane Kelsey
“The sending-off has killed us.
“There’s no point saying we were unlucky or whatever, ill-discipline is what is causing us problems.
“That’s two weeks on the trot that we have lost a man.
“How can you get any consistency, rhythm when you’re not keeping eleven men on-the-pitch.
“We had a sin-binning as well.
“We could have been on the receiving end of an even heavier defeat.
“Credit to the lads who remained on-the-pitch though.
“You could say at four (Knaresborough) took their foot off the gas but I thought they put an honest shift in and didn’t throw the towel in.”
Knaresborough Town manager Rob Hunter
“It was very satisfying because we have come to a place like Hemsworth on a 3G pitch and they’re fighting at the bottom of the league like us.
“I thought for the first ten or 15 minutes we were on it and playing on the front-foot and squeezing high and making them make mistakes.
“Once they went down to ten men after one of the worst challenges I’ve ever seen for a long time, there was no way they were going to beat us.
“We moved the ball about so well.
“I thought Craig Ramplin in the middle of the park was outstanding – he scored a great goal and I don’t think he gave the ball away once.
“So very pleased.”
The Teams
Hemsworth Miners Welfare: Damba, Edwards (Walker 61), Jeff, Viggars (captain), Barks, Higgins, Hebda, Wilson, Ripley (Swaine 76), Tingle, Swinburn (Wilberforce 67). Sub unused: Teale.
Knaresborough Town: Hassall, Hields, Milsom, Parkes (captain) (Hamilton 70), Anderson (Powis 66), Donnelly, Carr, Ramplin, Hunter, Dugdale, Walker (Wade 76). Subs unused: Gregson, Kidd.
Who Was In Charge
Mark Findlay (6/10)
Mr Findlay’s indifferent display ranged from Winston Churchill-like one minute to Mr Bean-esque the next.
How Many Were There
95
Man of the Match
Craig Ramplin (Knaresborough Town)