by Peter Scherer
Three first half goals ended any hopes Mickleover Reserves had of taking points from visitors Wirksworth Ivanhoe at the Don Amott Arena.
Starting line-up:1-Josh Bull 2-Mason Hoult 3-Chris Palmer 4-Jared Cholerton 5-Silas Donker 6-Harry Atwal 7-Brad Brittan 8-Ted Stevenson 9-Mike Mandimutsira 10-Josh Powell 11-Luke Thompson. Subs: Moran Shweikh, Hamza Konane, Josh Maher.
After a fairly even opening five minutes, a clearance from the Wirksworth keeper set up an attack, with the ball lofted over the home defence. The pursuing striker had keeper Bull advancing, but timed his chip well to open the scoring, 0-1.
Eight minutes in another attack from the visitors earned a corner, but although Mickleover were playing the ball around nicely, they failed to make much progress or threaten the Wirksworth goal.
Four minutes later the visitors added a second, with the home defence beaten on the left. Both Bull and Hoult were in the box, but neither claimed the ball and the unchallenged striker fired home from close range, 0-2.
Atwal managed to find Thompson with a long ball after 17 minutes, but the strikers effort and the first shot of any kind for Mickleover was easily blocked.
A minute later Bull easily dealt with a weak shot from Wirksworth, which was soon followed by a high and wild effort from distance.
Bull was in action after 20 minutes, diving to his left to save a curling shot through a crowded box and four minutes late he held another shot aimed straight at him.
Mickleover were struggling to break from their own half and after 25 minutes it was only a late interception from Donker that ended another telling break.
But Atwal managed to respond and found Stevenson in the box, but his attempts to turn were thwarted to earn a corner, from which Mandimutsira collected but also found his path blocked.
Bull pulled off another save after 27 minutes, but two minutes later Thompson and Powell worked well on the left to find Brittan. But he lost the ball and his efforts to recover earned him a yellow card.
Wirksworth fired another shot over the bar on the half hour, but Mickleover still hadn’t tested the visitors keeper.
Atwal tried to send Brittan on a run down the right, but that didn’t work out and then Donker made another late interception to give the visitors another corner.
But as the ball came in from the left, the defence stayed rigid and the ball was in the back of the net again, 0-3 after 38 minutes.
With five minutes left in the first half some more good work from Atwal on the left found Thompson, but his shot was blocked. Wirksworth responded with another break but a fortunate clearance allayed the danger.
Mandimutsira got a good cross in from the right, but no one was there to receive. He was then fouled and Palmer’s free kick was heading for the top right hand corner until the keeper palmed away. The whistle soon followed it remained 0-3.
At the start of the second half there were signs of improvement, with more possession and some positive forays into the Wirksworth half.
On the hour Hoult made a good down the right, earning a corner which received a hefty Wirksworth boot out of danger.
Four minutes later Palmer curled in a nice cross from the left, but a slight touch from a defender sent it away from the home strikers.
68 minutes and it was 0-4 following a corner and Sports brought on sub Shweikh for Powell and six minutes later Konane for Stevenson.
Hoult was having a better second half and his 76th minute run earned a penalty, only for Brittan to step up and see his shot saved.
Cholerton headed just over after 79 minutes and Thompson had a good shot saved by the keeper, after Shweikh’s determination on the left. But it was soon game over with the Sports youngsters well beaten at 0-4.
