League: BetVictor NPL Premier Division
Lancaster City FC vs Witton Albion
South Shields vs FC United of Manchester
Mickleover Sports vs Hyde United
Radcliffe FC vs Whitby Town
Mickleover Sports vs Basford United
Morpeth Town vs Hyde United
SPORTS SET TO SEEK OUT HYDE
by Peter Scherer
Following Tuesday nights farcical defeat at Ashton Utd, and the postponement of the home game against Basford On Thursday, Mickleover Sports will be hoping that the pitch is fit, no health warning limit’s are applied and they take away three points from the visiting Hyde Utd.
Hyde lost 2-1 at Morpeth on Tuesday, but took three points off Matlock Town last Saturday and currently lie 10th in the Northern Premier League, five points ahead but having played four games more.
So let’s take a look at our visitors. Former leading goalscorer Tom Pratt captains the Hyde Team, which has a mixture of youth and experience.
Lloyd Allinson is currently their first choice keeper. The ex Huddersfield player has also had spells at Chesterfield, FC United and Nantwich, before being signed from Gainsborough Trinity.
He has competition from James Hodges though, back in his second spell at the club after resigning from Tadcaster.
Defender Bradley Roscoe started his career at Preston North End and also played for Fleetwood before Hyde picked him up from Buxton.
He is joined in the defence by the well-travelled Ashley Young. A signing late last year from FC United, Young is another returnee, but has had spells in the Welsh League with Bangor City, Rhyl and Aberystwyth.
Tom Dean is also a defender they signed from Clitheroe, but had previously seen action with FC United, Mossley and Buxton too.
Kyle Brownhill had been at Hyde a number of times, but the experienced defender starting off at Stockport County and Burnley, before a spell at Ramsbottom preceded his last move.
Jordan Fagbola is another defender that came from FC United about a year ago. He started at Rochdale but arrived via Stockport, Colwyn Bay and Solihull Moors.
With a number of injuries and suspension, Hyde have taken ex Fulham midfielder Will McCamley on loan from Huddersfield Town, as well as promoting juniors Sam Summerbee, Max Pritchard, Joshua Churchman and Hamid Addai to the first team squad.
Striker Paddy Lane is a product of Hyde’s own Academy, along with defender Jack McConville.
Sheffield United loanee Reece York is in line for a place in midfield, he started his career at Fulham, while the Blades have also loaned out Senegalese midfielder Iliman Ndiaye, who began his football at Boreham Wood.
Jack Dyche and Liam Tongue are also midfieders. Dyche came from Leeds United Juniors and Scunthorpe, before his non league career started at Ashton. He came to Hyde from Guiseley. Tongue signed from Stalybridge Celtic after an apprenticeship at Stockport.
Star striker Chris Sharp has scored a Champions League goal against Anderlecht when he played for TNS in the Welsh League. He also represented England C and played for numerous North Western and Welsh clubs before joining Hyde from FC United.
Finally Kielen Adams is another loanee striker, but from Oldham, after they had signed him from Bradford City Academy.
Warrington Town vs Matlock Town
Nantwich Town vs South Shields
Ashton United vs Mickleover Sports
SPORTS FALL FOUL OF DUBIOUS REFEREEING
by Peter Scherer
It may be cliché but Mickleover Sports Northern Premier League visit to Ashton United was certainly a game of two halfs.
In the opening minute of the game Jordan Young, Sports Coventry City loanee shot just wide.
Ashton had their early chances too, with a free kick sent high over the bar after four minutes, followed by shot’s from Sheridan and Brewster both blocked by the Sports defence.
Stuart Beavon then made a break but lacked support, before Hardcastle came back for Ashton, sending his shot well wide.
The partnership between Beavon and Webb continued to cause problems for the Ashton defence, but a through ball although splitting the defence, was just out of Webb’s reach.
Ashton’s Ludofu was first in the book, but Hardcastle followed up with a couple of random shot off target.
But Sports began to take control of midfield, with Beavon going close after a corner. Karel Tvaroh was then sent on a telling run by Mason Warren, Webb collected the ball but a shout of handball as the defender challenge went unrewarded.
A minute later Kemy Agustien was brought down, before a Webb managed to chip Ashton’s keeper Hartley, only for Sass-Davies to clear his effort off the line.
But after 21 minutes Sports pressure finally paid off, as Beavon and Young moved the play forward, Webb chested it down, turned and volleyed into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
Ashton almost equalised a minute later, when Durrell Berry cleared, before Wilson’s shot on the rebound went wide.
Webb was continuously causing problems for Ashton, with long balls providing excellent service. Scott was the first Sports player in the book, but on the half hour Ashton seemed to rediscover their attack.
Hardcastle, Wilson and Rowney all went close for the home side, before Webb went just wide from a Scott cross for Sports.
Turner and Freeman combined well to keep the Ashton strikers out, and after 36 minutes Webb was just short of collecting a rebound from a Beavon shot, beaten away by Hartley.
The momentum was back in Sports favour as the half time whistle approached, with Webb’s shot onto the roof of the net from another Beavon cross, but a couple of breaks saw Hardcastle hit the Sports post, before play was held up with the referee requiring treatment.
The referee was replaced by one of his assistants, while one of Ashton’s media men ran the line. But little would anyone have realised how the game was to take a sour turn.
Sports had a dangerous free kick in the early minutes of the second half after Webb was fouled. The kick was put out for a corner, which Scott took and put back into the box before his shot was saved by Hartley.
Freeman was the first booking for the stand in referee, but after Webb a shot straight at the Ashton keeper, Scott put the ball across the face of the goal and Thomsett then went close for Ashton.
But on 63 minutes a Rowney cross seemed to confuse the defence and found its way passed debutant keeper Harrison Davison-Hale into the back of the net.
Ashton’s McHale tried a spectacular bicycle kick which went just wide of the post and Freeman won the ball from a Warren corner, but his effort easily collected by Hartley.
Hardcastle was then on the attack again and had touch with Freeman, which the referee decided was a penalty. Agustien led the barrage of Sports players disputing the decision and received a double yellow card, before Wilson put the penalty away to give Ashton the lead.
With Marcus Calderone on for Freeman and Andy Wright on for Scott, there was another penalty appeal from Ashton. Turner was then pushed in the Ashton penalty area and despite appeals they were turned away and Turner joined the yellow cards a few minutes later.
It wasn’t long before the referee did award another penalty, but for Ashton again, after McHale went down easily from a Calderone challenge. Wilson scored again and despite a desperate effort from the 10 men of Sports, it remained 1-3.
Just to add the card collection Mason Warren was straight red carded for an innocuous challenge
So three yellow cards two red cards, two penalties concluded a second half of less than memorable non-league football.