AFC Emley v Athersley Recreation - NCEL 20th October 2012

It’s an overused footballing cliché but this was most definitely “a game of two halves” as Emley dominated the first half but ran out of steam in the second.

Emley were quite simply unplayable in the first half of the game and barely gave Athersley an inch from the first whistle. Brad Riley made his first full start since signing for the club a week ago and was at the heart of much of Emley’s attacking play. The tricky wideman set up Ashley Flynn with a cheeky nutmeg through Gareth Hunter’s legs but the visitor’s keeper Darren Shirt pulled off the first of a series of excellent saves.

Anthony Haigh fired just wide early on following a Flynn cross, then returned the favour with a low free to Flynn who saw his shot deflected to safety. Shirt also made regulation saves from a Doran Jordan shot and a Liam Schofield free kick whilst his team mates did little to trouble Luke Herriott at the other end of the park.

In a frantic spell of play Riley had an effort cleared off the line and Jordan had a shot blocked forcing a corner. The corner was cleared but Riley drove back into the box before squaring to Flynn to record his 13th goal of the season in the 28th minute.

Shirt saved a Flynn effort through a crowded penalty area following good build up play by Jordan. The busy striker went close again, sliding in to react to a Haigh flick but he poked the ball wide. Riley then carved out a brilliant chance beating 2 defenders but the ball bobbled as he teed up his strike much to the frustration of Flynn who was also in a good position.

The key moment of the half came in dying stages as Emley put together their best move of the game. Riley crossed from the right hand side to Jordan who controlled the ball well before laying off to Flynn who hit a terrific shot destined for the top corner but Shirt pulled off a fine one handed save to deny him once again.

It wasn’t just Emley’s attacking play that caught the eye, they were equally impressive at the back with John Cyrus and Paul Banton dealing well with the Athersley frontmen. Midfielder Aaron Joseph too caught the eye with a tireless performance in midfield.

Athersley boss Simon Houghton clearly had strong words with his side at half time and they came out with a greater sense of purpose, introducing Scott Poxon and Jamie Sutton from the bench. They reacted well to the situation and it was Emley’s turn to be on the backfoot.

The visitors registered their first effort at goal on 52 minutes as a defensive error let in Sotton but his shot was a tame one. Adam White made a good break down the left flank before crossing to Lee Bennett but Emley got bodies in the way of his strike. Then Kyle Cook drove a shot across the face of goal which Ryan White was inches away from converting.

There was an ominous feeling that an Athersley goal was on the horizon as Emley’s early chances of the half were restricted to shots from Haigh and Flynn which failed to hit the target. They did go agonisingly close to grabbing a second goal midway through the half. Flynn saw a well hit shot deflect up in the air, Jordan reacted quickly, showing great technique to execute a bicycle kick which went just wide with Shirt rooted to his line.

Athersley responded well as White, Bentley and Sotton all went close but a combination of wasteful finishing and last ditch defending kept them at bay. In truth Emley were looking more and more stretched at the back. Bentley delivered an equally impressive overhead kick which flew just over the bar before finally breaking Emley with 2 goals in 3 minutes.

Bentley’s first came on 74 minutes after being allowed too much space on the edge of the box before hitting a hard and low volleyed effort past Herriott into the bottom corner. The second came 3 minutes later as Sotton got round the back of Liam Schofield to deliver a lethal ball across the six yard box for Bentley to volley home from close range.

The Emley team were visibly shattered following the defeat, knowing that they put in a performance that more that caused real problems against the league leaders and could easily have yielded a full 3 points. Instead they drop to 5th in the table, 9 points behind Athersley. Looking ahead they must bounce back from the defeat and put another run together, overall on the showings of the last 6 games there is both the quality and desire within the side to push challenge at the top of the table.

Emley:
Herriott, Leech (Hazelden), Schofield, Ingham, Cyrus, Banton, Joseph, Jordan, Flynn (Kenworthy 75), Haigh, Riley (Roberts 75).

Athersley:
Shirt, Harban, Cook, Welford, Hunter (Poxon 46), R White, Scargill (Sotton 46), A White, Bentley, Bennett, Briscoe. Subs (not used): Thompson, Clifford, Eastwood.

Emley Cautions: Leech. Athersley Cautions: Harban, Scargill, Bentley.
Emley man of the match: Aaron Joseph Att: 183.