Saturday 22 January 2011

Game on at Armthorpe

Well today we travelled to Armthorpe Welfare a team who i feel have always given us a good game it is also the place where we were crowned Champions only 9 months ago.Its my fourth visit to Armthorpe and one thing that has always drove me mad the chippy opposite the ground is never open when we arrive for the match so i was into the near petrol station/mini market for a nice ploughman's sandwich £2.40 mind you.

Town were fielding the two new signings in the team today Scott Phillips who has joined from Barton Town and David Kemp from Scarborough from what i have seen of them they both look like good signings a should fit in well to our side.

The match programme was the usual Armthorpe special only £1 and is more like a small version of the Yellow pages full of adverts and then a piece of A4 stapled in the middle of info about Bridlington Town that we already know about but i buy it every time i guess my pound will help towards the Armthorpe club funds.

It was a good end to end game with both sides making good chances and it was Town who made the breakthrough on 29 minutes with a nice team goal Ash Allanson smashing the ball past the boisterous Jamie Green in the Armthorpe goal this lad seems like a right hot head often finding himself well out of his goal and shouting at the Referee cant believe he was not booked or at least spoken to being honest.

Armthorpe had a great chance to equalise only moments after we went ahead it was a towering header from former Doncaster Rovers and Cardiff striker Leo Fortune-West he towered above everyone and headed towards goal and it looked like it was going in all the way until my man of the match Mark Wilberforce managed to get a hand to it and push it away for a corner, this would not be the first time that Wilberforce would save us today.

it was in the 33rd minute when Town extended the lead with a blistering shot from Alex Rhodes from possibly 35 yards out flew past the diving Green to see the Seasiders two nil up and the travelling 25 to 30 Seaside barmy army went crazy

Once again both sides created good chances but failed to put them away. Poor old Craig Palmer was denied twice by Green in the Armthorpe goal and he also forced good saves from Craig Hogg (who i thought had a very good game) and Scott Phillips.

Half time and i hit the tea hut its like a little cafe with a seating area i like this and sat down with a cup of tea and Pie and Peas (very nice pie might i add)

The second half it was a strange one the Bridlington Town of last season would have been able to step up a gear and take control of the game, my own view is we have lost two much quality from the Champions team especially with Wallace, Giblin and Hotte no longer with us.

I always felt we needed that third goal but it was Armthorpe who pulled one back and it was the giant Leo Fortune-West who scored it. We were right under the cosh now wave after wave of attack i bet Dave Kemp was wondering what he had let himself in for and Mark Wilberforce was superb. Yes Town did have one or two chances but rarely troubled Green in the second half in fact his mouth did more work than his hands.

And then bang as i expected in the 84th minute Armthorpe were level and deservedly so Joe Wilcox scrambled to ball past Wilberforce.

But we are still in the race to retain our title there is a long way to go yet. Roll on Tuesday night when we play Armthorpe again at Queensgate, fingers crossed the giant Leo Fortune-West will be unavailable.