Thackley snatch last gasp opening day win at Garforth Town

Thackley celebrate Josh Eastwood's late goal

Garforth Town 1-2 Thackley

By James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson)

Match Photos are HERE

Joint-boss Dave Morgan praised his nine-man Thackley team after their dramatic last gasp win in a topsy-turvy NCEL Premier Division opening day clash at Wheatley Park.
Garforth should have been dead and buried at the break as the Miners needed a couple of top saves from goalkeeper Karl Martens and two goal-line clearances to keep themselves in the game after Chris Davey had put the visitors ahead.
Garforth equalised early-on in the second half and red cards for Davey and Thackley captain Matthew Morgan in separate incidents changed the landscape of the game.
It put the home side in the driving seat, but Garforth failed to capitalise and an unlikely Josh Eastwood goal won it for Thackley in the dying embers of the match and former Bradford Park Avenue and Guiseley striker Morgan was delighted.

Thackley captain Matthew Morgan is shown his red card

 "We could have killed them off at half-time with the chances we missed, but that has been going on during pre-season,” he said.

“It could have come back to haunt us, but luckily it didn’t. We went down to nine men for two sending-offs which I have no complaints about, but the lads who were out there did everyone at the club proud.

“(When Matthew Morgan was sent off) I thought we were going to get beat and the chances we missed in the first half were coming back to haunt us.

“But we stuck in there and I thought we finished the stronger team. The goal did come out of nowhere and the lad is a defensive midfielder or winger. We shoved him up front because he is the fittest lad at the club and we thought he would close the back four down on his own. The goal came out of his persistence.

“Garforth let us play for the first 30 minutes and we weren’t doing things quick enough. When we went 1-0 up they pressed us higher up the pitch. The scored straight away in the half-time and we went down to nine men.

“There is not a lot you can do with nine men, it is just about getting behind the ball and hoping for the best.”

Josh Greenhalgh (right) celebrates his goal

Both sides were evenly matched in the opening exchanges as they were electing to pass the ball around instead of choosing the long ball, which meant both were hard to break down.

Thackley found a way through on the half-hour mark after Morgan’s shot was blocked and Davey fired home the rebound.

The visitors took control and Martens pulled out the save of the match by tipping over Lewis Morgan’s long range strike. Andrew Hawkesworth then cleared a goal-bound attempt off-the-line.

Garforth held-on until half-time and caused problems for Thackley straight from the start of the second half and earned their reward. Nick Black had hit the post before Josh Greenhalgh headed CJ Lyle’s free kick home to get Wheatley Park bouncing.

Garforth had Thackley on the rack and the visitors pressed the self-destruct button. Davey made his exit for a second bookable offence before skipper Morgan manhandled Tawanda Rupere during an off-the-ball incident to receive his straight red card for violent conduct.

Garforth scented blood and were bombing forward which left the defence exposed. With just minutes remaining, substitute Eastwood picked up the ball just inside the Garforth half and chose to shoot from 30-yards. Goalkeeper Martens got a hand on the ball, but it was not to prevent it crashing into the top corner.

The goal was a bitter pill to swallow for Garforth head coach Graham Nicholas who said: “Reflecting on it, I’m very disappointed. I think when Thackley had the first player sent off, we kept our shape really well and passed it well. It didn’t go to our heads.

“Then the second one got sent off and they went down to nine men, I think we lost the composure we had.

“You have to keep possession better than we did. I made the change of putting Gary Storher into midfield to give that edge to push us on and give us that extra bit of quality we were lacking in the final third.
“I put Moise (Misambu) at right-back. In reflection, I probably shouldn’t have done it. Maybe we should have held on for at least the draw.

“But, I’m heartbroken about that performance. With ten or 15 minutes to go you’re saying ‘Garforth, you haven’t won on the first day in six years' and you’re seeing it coming.

“I built it up in my head that it was coming and going to happen. But to concede that goal there against nine men, it is unacceptable.

“The midfielders stopped doing their jobs, they didn’t track. With the defenders it was four against one and he was only going to cut inside and from that distance, he should have never have scored.

“We have got to move on quick and learn from it. But we should have got three points today.”

Garforth Town: Martens, Gary Stroher, C Misambu, Allen, Hawksworth, Greenhalgh, St Juste (Lye 32), McMurrough (Misambu 83), Black, Booker (Obeyami 56), Rupere. Subs unused: Bell, Ellis.
Thackley: Willis, White, M Morgan, Whiteley, Firth, Hopkins, Hall (Eastwood 65), L Morgan (Tasker 76), Mathers, Garrod (James 87), Davey. Subs unused: Hudson, Morrison.
Referee: B Ballantyne (York)
Attendance: 122
Man of the match: Karl Martens (Garforth Town)