Game Reviews

Willow Park 2-1 Garforth Rangers

Willow Park again had to come from behind to win a crucial match against second bottom Garforth Rangers. The win moved the Pontefract side up to 8^th place and looks to have ensured Park their place in the 1^st division next season.

Willow Park started the stronger of the two teams and were unlucky not to take the lead with a couple of good chances but It was Garforth who broke the deadlock on 20 mins. Park responded well and were level 15 mins later when Andy Horbury rose well to head in Andy Bugg’s corner.

Martin Parkin kept the scores at 1-1 with a good save late on in the first half and Mark Stringer also cleared of the line soon after.

Park started the 2^nd half better than the finished the 1^st and wasn’t long before they took the lead when Rich Poole played in Andy Bugg to score his 20^th of the season. Garforth responded to the goal and Willow Park found themselves defending for large parts of the second half and Garforth were awarded a dubious penalty after Danny Atchinson’s well timed tackle was punished. Justice was restored at the Garforth played sent his penalty wide of the left post.

Gareth Morgan and Andy Bugg could have extended parks lead but bad bobbles on a poor pitch didn’t go in their favour. Matt Rush again was rewarded for his tireless efforts with the Man of the Match for the second time in 3 games. Park host the 1^st division leaders Moorends at Pontefract Park on Saturday @ 3pm

Willow Park - Martin Parkin, Dave Stevenson, Andy Horbury, Mark Stringer, Mark Horbury, Danny Atchinson, Rich Poole, Matt Rush, Andy Ashton (Gareth Morgan, 65) Andy Bugg, Luke Howorth

Willow Park 2-1 Magnet Hotel

Willow Park earned a much needed 3 points but had to come from behind to do so. The away side started the strongest with the strong winds behind them and were in front within 20 minutes. Martin Parkin made a good save to keeps Willow park in the game and were level soon after when Andy Ashton was brought down in the area to earn Park a penalty. Lee Howorth stepped up and saw his effort saved but kept his composure to slot home the rebound. The home side defended well and kept the scores level at half time.

Willow Park stepped it up in the second half and started to dominate the possession.  Luke Howorth saw his 20yard shot hit the bar only to fall into the keeper’s arms. Park took the lead just before the 70^th minute when Dave Stevenson received the ball from Mat Rush and crossed for Andy Ashton to score his first goal on his second appearance for the cub.

The lead could have been more with Alastair Wilcock and Gaz Morgan going close with headers from Andy Bugg’s corners. Park had to finish the game with 10 men when Glen Shaw had to go off injured with 10 minutes to go but the defended well and deserved the win.

A solid back line of Dave Stevenson, Glen Shaw, Michael Berry and Andy Horbury coped well with the movement of the Magnet players. Danny Atchinson, Lee Howorth,  Gaz Morgan and substites Rich Poole , Alistair Wilcock and Andy Bugg Battled well in the middle and Luke Howorth work hard up front but the man of the match went to goal scorer Andy Ashton who just beat Matt Rush

Willow Park - Martin Parkin, Dave Stevenson, Andy Horbury, Glen Shaw, Micheal Berry, Danny Atchinson (Andy Bugg, 60) Gareth Morgan (Alastair Wilcock, 65) Lee Howorth (Rich Poole, 60) Luke Howorth, Andy Ashton

Willow Park 2-1 Ferrybridge Amateurs

Willow Park continued their steady climb up the first division of the Selby & District League with a hard-fought victory over the leaders on Saturday. The Pontefract team – who were forced to play this home fixture at their opponents ground due to the poor state of Pontefract Park following the big freeze – were good value for their victory, restricting the leaders to a single shot on target throughout the entire ninety minutes. The fact that the single shot resulted in a goal meant that Park had to dig out a victory from a performance that merited a more convincing scoreline.

The match started in controversial fashion, with both teams being denied a reasonable penalty claim in the first five minutes. However, Willow Park were not to be denied for long, and scored after 8 minutes when Lee Howorth latched onto an excellent pass from Joe Ayre. Howorth’s powerful shot was well parried into the path of the onrushing Matt Rush, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net. The match appeared to be becoming a microcosm of Park’s season when they were pegged back on 23 minutes, despite creating several clear openings to extend their lead. This time it was a long ball over the Park defence that was their undoing, as Ferrybridge’s sole on-target effort beat the otherwise solid Martin Parkin at his near post.

With the sides level at half time, Ferrybridge started the second half strongly, enjoying their best period of the match. However, the Pontefract team soaked the pressure by maintaining men behind the ball and restricted the “visitors” to a series of corners. A triple-change in personnel for Park saw Dave Stevenson replacing the excellent Glen Shaw, Sam Pettit replacing Matt Rush, and Gareth Morgan replacing the tiring Lee Howorth, who is still coming back to full fitness following a two-year injury lay-off, but showing his class nevertheless. The changes seemed to inject a new energy into Willow Park, and the introduction of Morgan, in particular, reaped dividends when his long throw-in enabled Michael Berry to knock the ball down for the imperious Joe Ayre to slot home the winner with eight minutes remaining. The solid Park – marshalled in defence by Berry, skipper Gary Asquith and the excellent Mark Stringer – were able to close down the match without being threatened.  

Park have now taken their unbeaten run to six games during a period in which they have taken four points off the erstwhile leaders – their improvement in form owing much to the introduction of Saturday’s match-winner Ayre alongside the excellent Rich Poole in the engine room, and the ceaseless energy of players such as Danny Atchinson and Luke Howorth. However, Ayre was pipped to the Man of the Match trophy by Matt Rush, who bravely battled through illness to make a major contribution to his team’s cause.

Willow Park - Martin Parkin, Glen Shaw (Dave Stevenson, 70) Mark Stringer, Gary Asquith, Micheal Berry, Danny Atchinsion, Joe Ayre, Rich Poole, Matt Rush (Sam Pettit, 75) Luke Howorth, Lee Howorth (Gaz Morgan, 80)

Willow Park 3-3 Sherburn White Rose

Willow Park took their unbeaten run in Selby & District Division 1 to five games on Saturday, but were made to fight for their record by a determined Sherburn side. Three times the Pontefract team trailed, but three times they bravely fought back to salvage a point from a game they dominated.

Park missed an early chance to take a lead when the normally-reliable Mark Stringer missed a penalty, sending his shot the wrong side of the upright. The Pontefract side were punished two minutes later when Sherburn broke to slot under keeper Martin Parkin for a lead, against the run of play. Some excellent promptings from the midfield of Ayre, Poole, Pettit and Lee Howorth drove Willow Park forward, and it was Howorth’s excellent pass to Andy Bugg that set the prolific striker free to slot home. However, Park could not maintain parity for long as Sherburn broke again, two minutes later, to restore their advantage.

Half-time changes saw Glen Shaw replace Dave Stevenson at right back, and Matt Rush replace the injury-plagued Lee Howorth on the left-hand side of midfield. It was Rush who bore the most influence on the change of fortunes after the break, with a series of probing prompting his side forward. The second-half dominance was rewarded on the hour, from the most unlikely source: skipper Gary Asquith – normally more adept at scoring at the wrong end – smashed home a volley from 12 yards out following a corner. The Pontefract side – now completely in the ascendancy – were sucker-punched by the third breakaway goal three minutes later and, once again, were finding themselves trailing in a game they should have been leading. However, another corner saw Willow Park draw level for a third time, when the excellent Bugg smashed home his second of the match and 18^th of the season, after a header by debutant Gareth Morgan had been cleared.

The courage and character of the Willow Park side, allied with their determination to never give up has now seen them fight back from losing positions to gain at least a point on five separate occasions this season. However, they will be disappointed not to have won a game in which they created 23 attempts on goal, compared to their opponent’s 13, and having dominated the second half almost without respite. Despite Bugg’s brace and some excellent performance in the midfield, the Man of the Match trophy was presented to his strike partner Luke Howorth, for another excellent exhibition of all-round forward play.

Willow Park - Martin Parkin, Dave Stevenson (Glen Shaw, 45) Mark Stringer, Gary Asquith, Gareth Morgan, Sam Pettit (Danny Atchinson, 75) Joe Ayre, Rich Poole, Lee Howorth (Matt Rush, 45) Andy Bugg, Luke Howorth

Willow Park 7-5 Old Castle.

Willow Park continued their steady climb up the Selby & District First Division with a high-scoring win over their neighbours at Pontefract Park on Saturday. Park started the stronger, with the industrious Rich Poole and Joe Ayre running the midfield and strikers Andy Bugg and Luke Howorth causing problems for the Old Castle back line. However, it was “the old man” of the team, Lee Howorth, on the back of celebrating turning thirty two days earlier, who grabbed the opening goal with a 30-yard left-footed shot over the Castle keeper. Four minutes later, Park doubled their lead when Rich Poole’s corner was headed into his own net by an unfortunate defender. Within another four minutes, Willow Park were three up, when Bugg latched onto a through ball from centre-half Gary Asquith to finish strongly. After scoring their first three goals at regular four-minute intervals, Park had to wait 11 minutes for their fourth, but when it came, it was worth the wait: Joe Ayre curling a superb free-kick beyond the wall and into the corner of the net. Bugg bagged his second on 39 minutes, to leave Old Castle trailing 5:0 at the break.

The second half was a different story. Old Castle started the stronger of the two teams and their renewed vigour and 3:5:2 formation - coupled with the withdrawal of the defensively-solid Sam Pettit at half time – saw gaps appear in the Park defence. A defensive mix-up let Castle in for what looked like an early consolation, but when the away side were awarded a dubious penalty two minutes later, its conversion created a new nervousness in the Willow Park defence. These nerves were settled when Luke Howorth and Rich Poole slotted home the sixth and seventh goals, either side of another from Old Castle. However, Old Castle showed admirable persistence, and reduced the deficit from 7:3 to 7:5 with two goals in the final five minutes of the match.

With twelve goals, the scoreline suggests a thrilling match. However, the reality was that the shocking state of the pitch at Pontefract Park following the combination of snow, ice, rain and the sheer number of games played on the surface, conspired to make passing football difficult and contributed to the defensive lapses that marred both sides’ performance. Despite the conditions, there were some good individual performances from Willow Park, with skipper Gary Asquith returning to his best form following an operation, and the forward line threatening throughout. However, it was the influential and energetic Rich Poole who was awarded the Man of the Match trophy, as Park extended their unbeaten run to five games.

Willow Park - Martin Parkin, Dave Stevenson, Mark Stringer, Gary Asquith (Mark Horbury, 80), Michael Berry, Sam Pettit (Chris Blackwell, 45), Joe Ayre (Danny Atchinson, 60, Richard Poole, Lee Howorth, Andy Bugg, Luke Howorth

Ferrybridge Amateurs 2 - 2 Willow Park

Willow Park belied their lowly league position by battling to a draw against runaway leaders Ferrybridge. Both sides were coming off the back of the long snow-enforced winter break, yet showed little sign of fatigue as they set about each other from the start.

The Pontefract side enjoyed the better of the first half, with the influential central midfield partnership of Rich Poole and Joe Ayre setting numerous moves on the way and driving their team forward. It was Ayre who, after 16 minutes, won the ball in midfield and set Andrew Bugg away to finish well for his 14^th goal of the season. Park created more first half openings than their rivals, but were to rue their inability to convert these into an extended lead. In fact, it was Ferrybridge who dominated the first quarter of an hour following the break, with Jamie Bird equalising a minute into the second half and putting the home side in front on the hour. However, the second Ferrybridge goal seemed to re-awaken Willow Park, who started creating chances of their own during the final half hour of the match. Park scored their deserved equalizer following the best move of the match, when an incisive ball from centre-half Michael Berry set up full back Mark Stringer, whose first-time cross was met decisively at the front post by Luke Howorth. The final quarter of an hour saw both teams creating opportunities, with Dave Stevenson and Rich Poole coming close for Park. However, neither side could conjure a winner and had to settle for a hard-fought draw.

Park, having started the season poorly, will take confidence from having played the top two sides in the league in successive games either side of the unplanned Christmas break and held both teams to 2:2 draws. In a game in which all players contributed, Luke Howarth pipped his strike partner Bugg and the hard-working Sam Pettit to the man-of-the-match trophy for Park on what was, for them, a day from which many positives were to be taken.

Willow Park - Steve Charles (Martin Parkin, 58) Dave Stevenson, Mark Stringer, Gary Asquith, Michael Berry, Sam Petitt, Joe Ayre (Chris Blackwell, 65) Rich Poole, Lee Howorth, Andy Bugg, Luke Howorth

Willow Park 5 - 1 Old Castle