Glasshoughton Welfare crash out of FA Vase to Armthorpe Welfare

Jay Rollins after scoring his first goal

Glasshoughton Welfare 1-4 Armthorpe Welfare

By James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson)

Match Photos are HERE

Frustrated Glasshoughton boss Rob Hunter described his team’s FA Vase second-qualifying defeat to Armthorpe as the worst performance so far this season.
Jay Rollins scored twice inside three minutes to give Armthorpe a 2-0 half-time lead at Leeds Road as Glasshoughton failed to put their mark on the game.
A Joel Freeston header with 15 minutes left gave Glasshoughton hope, but Kieron Benson quickly scored to restore the two-goal advantage. And with 84 minutes on the clock, Rollins completed a deserved hat-trick and round off Armthorpe’s victory.
Former Askern Villa boss Brian Johnston’s men are now in Monday’s draw for the third-qualifying round and Hunter had no complaints.

“That is the worst we have played this season and it is bitterly disappointing,” he said.
“Too many players didn’t turn up on the day and I think at this level players have to be well-organised and have the right attitude before the game. I think too many players went into the game half-hearted and without the right attitude.
“We deservedly got beat 4-1. We have had a 20 minute spell where we pulled a goal back and looked like we were going to get another. But, on the day, they were better than us.
“The first half performance, I would go so far to say, was the worst 45 minutes I have been involved in since I came to the club. We looked a shambles and in defence and midfield we didn’t work hard enough.
“Both of their (first half) goals were the same type of goal where we have had our centre-half isolated and the full-back were too square. The other centre-half hasn’t been close enough to get round. The ball went in the air and they reacted quicker than us.
“It’s very frustrating, but let’s put it into context. We have had such a tough start (due to playing the first eight league games away from home due to cricket) and we had some players missing today. We have travelled and travelled and had four wins and a draw from eight league games and that’s respectable. But it has taken its toll.”

Glasshoughton were extremely poor in the first half and conceded the first sloppy goal after just a quarter of an hour on the clock. Centre-halves Alex Low and Matt Donnelly failed to deal with the long ball and Rollins nipped in to beat goalkeeper Paul Hagreen from the edge of the box with a powerful shot.
Welfare then pressed the self-destruct button. Ex Knaresborough Town man Donnelly’s wild clearance came back off his own player and gave Rollins a chance to run at goal. Donnelly tracked back, but Rollins was able to turn and slot the ball past Hagreen.
Rollins was proving to be a real thorn in Glasshoughton’s side and had a couple more chance to score a first-half hat-trick. All Glasshoughton could manage was a long range Russell Headley attempt. Leading scorer Calum Ward looked isolated upfront and Glasshoughton definitely missed the physical presence of Rob Pell.
After surviving conceding a third-goal, Glasshoughton were a little better in the second half. Freeston was the man having most of the chances and he wasted two fantastic opportunities to score – the first being a run which ended with a save from goalkeeper Biggs.

Joel Freeston scores for Glasshoughton

The striker then blazed over from close range when it seemed easier to score. Freeston did make amends as he headed his captain Darrell Young’s free kick past William Biggs to suddenly drag Glasshoughton back into the game.
A comeback seemed inevitable, but Armthorpe were quick to ensure one was not forthcoming. Benson rose to beat Hagreen with a header and that was the tie won.
The game was lost for Glasshoughton, but there was still time for Rollins to outmuscle Low and then get round Hagreen before tapping the ball into the empty net.
Apart from the defeat, the other blow for Glasshoughton were the injuries to Darrell Young, Russell Headley and Liam Tuck who join David Ward, Reece Chappell and John Hirst as doubts for Tuesday’s home league game with Worksop Parramore.
Manager Hunter does have new signing Darol Lucas, who replaces the departed Dan Middleton, available
Glasshoughton Welfare: Hagreen, Beaston, Edwards, Tuck, Low, Donnelly, McGrory (Corley 60), Young (captain), C Ward, Headley (Chappell 89), Freeston. Subs unused: Hirst, D Ward.
Armthorpe Welfare: Biggs, Tunney, Garner, Smith, Morley, Johnston, Taylor, Mirfin, Rollins (Boyd 86), Preston (Benson HT), Buck (Ryan 80). Subs unused: Davies, Kurde.
Referee: S Wade
Man of the match: Jay Rollins (Armthorpe Welfare)

Rob Hunter shocked by early managerial changes

Darren Hepworth

By James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson)
Glasshoughton Welfare manager Rob Hunter admits he is astounded by the number of managerial changes, despite the season being only one month old.
Highly-rated AFC Emley manager Darren Hepworth was sensationally sacked on Friday afternoon, even though the reformed club were seventh in the Toolstation NCEL Division One table.
Hepworth joined axed Guiseley boss Steve Kittrick on the list of managerial departures and Hunter said: “In terms of Emley I watched them in pre-season against Harrogate Railway and I thought they were a well-organised team and were going to do well in that league.
“They weren’t far off the pace up to yesterday and they have won today. We don’t know the reason why he has been sacked, but I think if he has been sacked for results then that’s a shocker.
“It is a great club with great facilities. They have a good pitch and a good set of committee members and supporters and to sack your manager so soon into the season is not healthy for football.
“Steve Kittrick’s exit was a shock because Guiseley have done ever so well over the last couple of years.
“They have had a promotion and made the play-offs and they are not a fashionably successful club and I think they have been fighting above their weight for a while in my mind.
“Steve has done very well and to get the sack after six games, I think the Guiseley chairman and committee have messed up. If they didn’t think he was the right person to manage the club then they should have the decision in the summer.
“I believe they should have shown a little more faith in him.”

Steve Kittrick

In the NCEL, after only a month, there has been four manager departures and Hunter believes clubs need to more patient.
“Two managers have gone already and not only managers because there has been a massive turnover of players at different clubs,” he said.
“We’re lost two players and are looking to bring more in. But, the Emley manager has gone and so has the Guiseley manager. There has been a change at Nostell, Maltby and at Winterton and it is unbelievable how clubs set themselves up at the end of the season for the following year.
“The players come in during pre-season and then eight games in to the season it all falls apart and they want a change. The league hasn’t settled down yet, it is a 50-game season with the cups and we’re only 15 or 20% into the season. To have so many changes so early on is terrible.
“If these managers have been sacked at this stage in the season then you have to blame the clubs for not getting it right in pre-season.”
On his team front, Hunter has confirmed the departure of midfielder Dan Middleton, but announced the signing Darol Lucas.
He said: “I’ve got to go out there and try to bring some players in who are going add a bit more strength and a little more enthusiasm than we have at the moment.
“I have signed Darol Lucas on today. He played at Ossett Albion last year and had been training with Farsley. He’s the type of midfield player who is very busy and gets around the pitch well.
“He is a very fit lad and a good character for us so I’m looking forward to having him in the squad on Tuesday against Worksop.”

Darren Hepworth exit from AFC Emley is a huge shock

By James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson)
They say nothing should surprise you in football, but there are things that still do.
Darren Hepworth’s shock departure from AFC Emley this afternoon follows on from Steve Kittrick’s sacking from his position as Guiseley boss last week.
The difference between the two is that Kittrick’s exit had been anticipated since May, the only surprise being the timing being six games into the new season – with Hepworth, his ‘parting of the ways’ is totally out of the left-field.
The reaction from his players on Twitter tells its own story, this was an announcement no-one was expecting.
Since the popular Hepworth took the job permanent following Darren Bland’s departure, Emley have made strides as a club and not just as a first team.

The club’s under 19s and Development Squad are run in tandem with the first team and a number of players have made the step-up to the Northern Counties East League Division One.
In the league, Hepworth’s team have broken records. Emley reached the FA Vase fourth round last season and the third round win at Barnoldswick Town is hailed as one of the best wins in the club’s reformed history.
Last season Emley finished a record seventh with Ash Flynn scoring 42 goals. Hepworth lost Flynn in the summer to Shaw Lane Aquaforce, but was still planning an assault on promotion – something he has not been given the proper opportunity to do.
His team had made a steady start. The incredible FA Cup victory over Wigan will live long in the memory and after recently overcoming a difficult three games which saw three defeats and no-goals, Emley were back on track.
Hepworth needed a goal-scorer and he signed Adam Todd from Shaw Lane and he scored on his debut in the 2-1 win at Teversal – a game which has turned out to be Hepworth last match in charge.

That was the eighth game of the campaign and Hepworth leaves with Emley in seventh and seven points off leaders Eccleshill United and two points behind third-place with a game in hand – hardly a bad start to the season.
He has not done a lot wrong in two and a half years in charge – 73 wins in 138 games tells its own story.
Emley have let a very passionate and caring manager go and one that will probably go and achieve success at another club. His successor, who Emley hope to have in place by next Saturday, has a hard act to follow.

Interview: Steve Jeff enjoying life at Ossett Town

By James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson)

Ossett Town left-back Steve Jeff reckons there is a big difference between the Evo Stik Division One North and the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division.
Penalty-kick expert Jeff left NCEL Premier outfit Tadcaster Albion in the summer after scoring 17 goals in Paul Marshall’s side that finished in sixth-place.
But, after Ossett boss Craig Elliott wanted to sign him in the summer, Jeff made the move and after nine games for Town, Jeff said: “It is difficult, but the main thing is I am enjoying.
“It is definitely a step-up as all the teams we have played are very good.
“It is the consistency of the teams and how good they all are (that makes it different from the NCEL).
“There isn’t an easy game, whereas in the NCEL you might get the odd four or five games where you turn up and not play well, but it is quite easy.
“Here at Ossett, every game has been a massive test. I feel I’m doing alright and the team are doing ok. I’ve scored a few goals and set-up a few goals.”

Jeff had been a key player in Marshall’s team had gone from NCEL Division One champions to Premier Division hot-shots over three seasons and he admits it was a difficult decision to leave 2Inspire Park.
“It was a tricky one because I had been at Tadcaster a while and I believed that we had the squad there to win the NCEL, but Ossett were offering me something Tadcaster couldn’t,” he said.
“That was to play at a higher level – something I have always wanted to do. Craig was very forthcoming about his plans for the season – what he wanted the team to do and what he wanted me to do.
“That convinced me to come and give it a crack. It was an out of the blue call I got from Craig. But, my friend Ryan Qualter came mid-season last year and he told me about how much he was enjoying it so when the call came, I said I’d give it a go.”

And while all the focus is on Ossett, Jeff keeps an eye on Tadcaster’s progress and believes even though chairman Rob Northfield left in the summer, Albion can still challenge.
“It is unfortunate because all the lads got on well with Rob as he was a very vocal chairman who outlined what he wanted the team to do,” he said.
“Since he has gone, I keep looking at the results and they seem to be winning games. I keep in contact with the manager and coaches and players there and they have got a good set of lads there so I’m sure they’ll do well.”

Garforth Town are "going in right direction" on and off-the-pitch

Brian Close (left) and Graham Nicholas

By James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson)
Chairman Brian Close believes Garforth Town are “going in the right direction” on and off-the-pitch at Wheatley Park.
In the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division, head coach Graham Nicholas and his team have defied all predictions to sit in fifth-place after 11 games.
The Miners have also scored 31 goals and Close said: “I’m really pleased with Graham.
“He was really after a chance to get into management and we gave him that opportunity and he has fulfilled everything I thought he would.
“He has been very professional, he knows his players and where he needs to improve. He has already improved his squad in certain positions.
“Realistically we couldn’t have expected to have been doing so well, considering we started from scratch. He and the team have been exceeding expectations. We’re definitely higher in the league than I thought we would be at this stage in the season.
“I think nearly game this season has been exciting and the fact that we are the league’s top goal-scorers shows this. I think everyone is enjoying the season.”
Off-the-pitch, Garforth have draught back on in the bar and have started holding functions for local residents, while the five-a-side courts are being booked out.
That is two achievements that Close and his management team have made since taking charge of the club in June on behalf of Oxfordshire-based owner Rupert Lowe, the former Southampton chairman.
And Close said: “Rupert Lowe came up about a month ago to meet with Leeds City Council, who are the landlords, and the local councillor Mark Dobson.
“Everyone went away happy from that meeting and very supportive of what we are trying to achieve. It was the first time I have met Rupert and he seems very supportive about everything.
“He is more than happy with the way things are going as he can see the progress that we have made in such a short time.”
He added: “We have started to see an increase in attendances, I’ve seen people at games who I haven’t seen for years,” he said.
“It is what we need to help with the revenue. We’re reasonably pleased with how it is going (off-the-pitch) considering we started from scratch. There is always things we need to spend money on and there is definitely certain revenue streams we need to improve on.
“We could do with more sponsorship, but it has started to move in the right direction. It does help that we don’t pay the players anything other than expenses.”

Mark Bower has right attributes to manage - former Guiseley assistant boss Mark Ellis

Mark Bower replaced Steve Kittrick (left) last week

By James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson)

Former Guiseley assistant manager Mark Ellis believes Mark Bower has the right attributes to manage the Lions, if he is given the job on a permanent basis.

Bower, a former captain of Bradford City, currently holds the caretaker role following the sacking of Steve Kittrick last week and Ellis sees a future manager in him.
“He has been there a while now and although I don’t know him that well, I know lads who know him and they all say he is a good lad,” he said.
“I know they haven’t had the best of starts, but I hope he does well. (Going into management) is something I think he wants to do.
“I’ve only seen Guiseley play once this season, against Bradford City, and wasn’t totally impressed. Bradford won at a canter really. I don’t know whether they have added to their squad since, but they are obviously struggling a little bit at the moment.

“I’m sure Mark will do alright if he is given time. With what I know and with him being a captain, he’ll have good leadership skills. It is like the lad (Lee Duxbury) we have at Eccleshill, he has been a captain all over the place and he’s doing a great job. If he’s in the same mould as him, he’ll do well if he gets the chance.”

Ellis, who played for Bradford and Halifax during his playing career, served as Terry Dolan’s assistant before taking charge of three games after Dolan departed in November 2007.

He won two and lost one of the three matches as caretaker boss – holding the fort until then Ossett Town manager Steve Kittrick was appointed.

Kittrick went onto lead Guiseley to unprecedented heights and Ellis, now the director of football at the Richmond International Academic Soccer Academy, was surprised by his departure.

“I was quite shocked really because he had been there so long and it is so early in the season,” he said.

“But, they want success and they have been unlucky in the last three seasons so they probably thought it was time for a change. It happens as every manager has a temporary job, eventually it is going to come to an end.

“He (Kittrick) did well because he got them promotion. I know the owners quite well and I know they are pretty ambitious to go higher. Even though the budget has been cut, they still obviously believe they can do it with what is available now.”

Garforth Town denied by fantastic display from Liversedge goalkeeper Jamie Abbott

Logan McDaniel

Garforth Town 2-2 Liversedge

By James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson)

Garforth Town head coach Graham Nicholas praised Liversedge goalkeeper Jamie Abbott after his magnificent display denied the Miners all three points in the fairly one-sided Toolstation NCEL Premier Division clash.
Abbott was in exceptional form as Garforth, who hit seven past Winterton on Saturday, threw the kitchen sink at him throughout the match.
After Abbott kept Garforth at bay in the opening half-hour, Gibril Bojang scored a wonder-goal to put Liversedge ahead until Stephen Simpson equalised.
American utility man Logan McDaniel scored in the second half as Garforth took the lead, but as the clock hit 90 minutes, James Riordan snatched an unlikely point for the away side.
Liversedge only created a few chances on the night and Nicholas said: “It is two points dropped tonight.
“Luck was with them and it was a fantastic goalkeeping display (from Abbott. We had the chances, but we didn’t have the finishing touches so we will have to work on it in training.
“He (Abbott) was fantastic. He was very alert and very quick off his line. He made things very difficult because he threw his body in front of everything tonight.

“But, we have to be more clinical in front of goal because the amount of chances we had, it has just not been our night. I think on occasions when the shooting opportunity has come up, rather than take the shot I think we sometimes took the reverse move and played someone else in and tried to walk it in.

“When we went 2-1 up I thought ‘that’s it, there is no way back for them’ because defensively we looked solid at the back and well-organised. It (the match) was ours to take and it’s disappointing.”

James Riordan (right)

Liversedge, under the control of Sean Regan and former Wakefield FC coach John Pickup due to the absence of manager Eric Gilchrist, struggled to cope with Garforth’s fierce attack, despite the experience of centre-halves Riordan and Wes Milnes.
Milnes was playing his second game for Liversedge since leaving Frickley Athletic by mutual consent and he gave some much-needed leadership to the back four. But, the main problem for Liversedge was down the left as C J Lyle was causing mayhem for right-back Alastair Butters.
Inside the opening 30 seconds, Lyle had gone down the left-wing and crossed for Simpson, who fired wide from close range.
Garforth should have scored a few times in the next 30 minutes. Lyle produced two saves out of Abbott, while Simpson went close again and McDaniel blazed over with the goal gaping.
And against the run of play, Garforth were then made to pay for the missed chances. Bojang created a bit of room 25-yards from goal and curled a tremendous strike into the top corner – goalkeeper Karl Martens was helpless to stop the effort.
The Miners responded quickly when Abbott made his only mistake of the night. The Liversedge stopper spilled a cross and Simpson was on hand to score from the rebound.

Nick Black

Garforth continued attacking with intent in the second half and got their deserved second goal on 64 minutes. McDaniel broke through and neatly lobbed the onrushing Abbott and although Riordan managed to clear the ball, the assistant referee flagged to say that it had already crossed the line.

Garforth had opportunities to kill the game. Simpson had one shot saved and Saturday's hat-trick hero Nick Black saw a couple of attempts flash wide of the post.

And the wasted chances came back to haunt Garforth. After conceding a free kick 30 yards from goal, Riordan struck it with power and the ball took a huge deflection which took it past Martens.

As there was delay early on in the second half as assistant referee Martin Saville hurt his back after crashing into the railings which caused him to collapse to the ground, five minutes of injury-time followed.

That gave Garforth enough time to try and find a dramatic winner and stand-in captain Andy Hawksworth almost nicked Garforth the win in the closing seconds with a close range header, but Abbott stood firm with a comfortable save.

Garforth Town: Martens, Stohrer, Misambu, L Smith, Hawksworth, Boland (Cartman HT), Simpson, Rupere, Black, Lyle, McDaniel (Greenhalgh 86). Subs unused: Booker, Helliwell, D Smith.

Liversedge: Abbott, Butters, Haigh, Wood, Milnes, Riordan, Hitch, Thompson (Swallow 52 (Bugg 77), Johnston (Grogan 57), Riley, Bojang.

Referee: J Price (Bradford)

Attendance: 77

Man of the match: Jamie Abbott (Liversedge)