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Sunday 12 February 2017

Heanor Town 4-2 Westfields FC (11/02/2017)

Midland Football League Premier Division















Admission £6.00 / £4.00 concession

Attendance: 108

Line-ups















Heanor: Joe McComack, Greg Marriott, Keenan Layton, Josh Craddock, Shaun Roulstone (c), Adrian Whitmore, Dom Wilkinson, Alex Brown, Nathan Benger, Joe Naylor, Jay Cooper. Subs: Kyle Daley, Jack Warner, Bailey Walker, James Wilson, Liam Power
















Westfields: Matt Gwynne, Jamie Sauntson, Sam Rawlings, Phil Glover (c),  James Febery, Matt Reeve, Craig Jones, Ben Miller, Chris Ham, Aidan Thomas, Alex Hainault. Subs: Scott Jackson, Nathan Hodge, Dan Polan, Richard Greaves, Keiron Blackburn

We hadn’t been to the Town Ground since the end of December, and on that occasion, the Lions went in at half-time a goal down to Tividale, and went on to win 4-1.  This game also saw the home team go in with a one goal deficit at the break, and once again, we saw them turn the game on it’s head to secure an unlikely victory.

Kev’s grandson Owen was with us for this game – the choice of shopping with Grandma or football with Grandad was not a difficult one for the youngster to make!

Heanor looked a little off the pace early doors, and had keeper Joe McCormack to thank for keeping the score sheet blank. He made a couple of superb saves to keep the rampant visitors out, but he couldn’t stop CHRIS HAM’s powerful header from a right wing corner on 13. The striker met the ball perfectly, although it should be noted that McCormack had little defensive cover – and giving a six foot plus striker a free header in the six yard box will not please the Heanor management team over-much!


Nathan Benger was making his 250th appearance for the Lions, but despite have a couple of half chances, never looked like scoring from free play. Heanor’s best chance of the half came just before the break, but Joe Naylor on the far post and with the goal gaping, somehow managed to miss the target and a very respectable chance to level was wasted.  H-T 0-1


With an hour played, Heanor were awarded a penalty for a mistimed challenge in the box, and BENGER made no mistake from the spot.  Westfields were soon back in the lead though, HAM again on the scoresheet.  As the visitors knocked the ball forward, it appeared that the Assistant on the far side had raised a flag for an offside – a flag the Referee Tom Kidd ignored, waved the play on allowing the Westfields big no. 9 to run and smash a terrific shot into the top corner. If Heanor had have heeded the old adage of play to the whistle, they may have closed Ham down, but they didn’t and were duly punished.

As the game entered the last 15 minutes, Heanor began to show a little more spirit and took the game to their visitors. Sub JACK WARNER was on the line to prod home Shaun Roulstone’s header from a corner to bring the scores level again, then a minute or so later, COOPER tried his luck from 20 yards and the ball cannoned off the inside of the post before nestling in the back of the net.

COOPER added more misery to the Westfield travelling few just before the final whistle – dribbling his way into the box before taking time to pick his spot and fire the ball past keeper Matthew Gwynne. F-T 4-2


A remarkable turn around from the Derbyshire outfit, and I’m sure that the Westfields fans, players, management must have travelled back down to Hereford wondering how the heck they lost this game, especially after such a poor performance in the first hour from their hosts.