Match Reports

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Goals from Robert Golson, George Guest and Euan Sessford helped Steeton secure their first league victory at the expense of in-form Wilsden. It was a happy return for Steeton who suffered a 6-2 rout the season before in their first ever eleven-a-side fixture, but returned as a far more experienced and resolute outfit.

Steeton pressed hard from the off and the home side were on the back foot for the majority of the early stages. Defending much higher up the pitch than in the disappointing display against Queensbury two weeks previously, the visitors maintained posession well but crucially battled hard in every position once the ball was lost - the head of central defender Dominic Mortimer being the rock that Steeton built their resolve upon. The quality throughout this division was evident however as good defending from Wilsden meant our attacks only really produced half-chances in the crucial final third. As the game progressed, the danger of conceding against the run of play increased as Wisden slowly regained their composure and began creating chances of their own. So it was when a home free-kick just outside the area was awarded and lead to Wilsden giving themsleves a somewhat undeserved, albeit unsurprising lead. Attempting to defend the dangerous deadball, Steeton were simply too slow in organising the wall and by the time the ball was delivered, the taker had several choices of where to place his strike. The Steeton keeper did well to block the initial shot but could only parry the ball back into play and as the defence watched frozen, an advancing Wilsden player pounced to hit home. This time however, the Steeton confidence could not be knocked and the visitors were soon back to the attacks of the earlier stages and were rewarded when a free-kick was perfectly placed just under the crossbar by Euan Sessford from wide out to the left corner flag and headed in at the far post by Robert Golson taking the teams into half-time level with one goal each.

The second half was only minutes old as a much more determined Wilsden side re-gained the lead through a very quick, very slick move erupting from the right side of midfield finishing with a cool, first-time strike by an advancing striker despite close attention from three Steeton defenders. Momentarily, the visitors threatened to resort to the panicky, directionless play that has infected previous games when going behind despite good work. But the players managed to regain their composure and after a long period of stalemate in midfield, George Guest muscled his way into the Wilsden box to poke home the equaliser and draw the teams level once again. Sensing blood, Steeton started to show their class as the defence and midfield finally clicked as a single unit with Joe Mason, Pat Lee, Josh Storr and Euan Sessford all piling on the pressure with Dominic Mortimer, Tom Leach and keeper Sam Warriner cleaning up any rogue counter attacks and quickly returning the ball to the advancing attack. As the final minutes ticked down, one of these counter attacks was excellently marshalled back to the Steeton keeper who collected the ball and with a huge clearance found Robert Golson to nod the ball into the path of Euan Sessford who held off his lone defender and slotted the ball past the fingertips of the Wilsden goalie to give Steeton the lead moments before the final whistle. Seemingly shell-shocked, Wisden were unable to mount any real reply in the limited time left and Steeton ran down the remainder of the game to record that all-important first win of the season.

Team: Warriner, Mason, Barraclough, Mortimer, Leach, Lee, Guest, Sessford, Jordan, Storr, Golson: Subs: Muir, Sugden