Nelson v Steeton

Recap

STEETON fell to a second consecutive defeat at the start of the new campaign, going down 3-1 away to league favourites Nelson.

Roy Mason and his side pushed the big spending Admirals throughout in a much-improved performance from the previous weekend’s opening day loss to Maine Road but fell just short on a glorious summer’s evening.

With four changes to the starting eleven, the Chevrons took Nelson to the limit in a pulsating end-to-end first half at Little Wembley.

Despite the hosts forcing a number of routines saves out of James Catlow, the best chance of the early exchanges went the way of the visitors.

Owen Williamson, on his first start for the club, was desperately unlucky to not break the deadlock as he saw a scrambled effort cleared from the line.

However, minutes later the first goal went to Nelson.

After hitting Steeton on the counter, the hosts won a corner from which Charlie Frost managed to get free inside the area and head the ball home into the back of the net.

Undeterred, Mason’s side got back on the front foot.

Arley Barnes thought he had an immediate leveller as he met a Jake Townsend cross only to be denied by a great low save from the home keeper.

The equaliser though soon followed.

Finding luck down the Nelson right edge, Steeton attacked that side and found the breakthrough as Harvey Green got the wrong side of Josh Walne and whipped the ball into a dangerous area.

Townsend met the initial delivery only to be denied by a great block from Billy Priestley.

The loose ball fell into the path of Williamson, who wasted no time in burying the ball inside the far post for his first Steeton goal.

And the men in green and white only didn’t have a lead to take into the break after again being thwarted by Christopher Thompson between the Admiral posts.

He first denied Gartland with a diving save at the near post just moments after thwarting Barnes once more, the captain this time meeting a superb ball from Macca Smith as he broke down the right channel.

With temperatures continuing to swelter, tiring bodies throughout the second half allowed the home side to get onto the front foot and find a breakthrough to make sure they left with three points.

Just five minutes after the restart, Nelson re-took the lead in controversial circumstances.

A long ball was played up the pitch, with Alfie Gibbon heading clear.

The ball was then flicked into the path of Frost, the striker in an offside position behind the defensive line.

The lineswoman’s flag though did not rise, and the ball found itself in the back of the net.

Frustrations at the decision proceeded to boil over, the referee taking action and sending Barnes to the sinbin for a ten-minute breather.

A goal and a man down, the visitors continued to work hard and look to level up the scores once more but could not find the breakthrough.

They also lived dangerously at the other, Darren Holden missing a sitter before Frost saw a goal ruled out as this time the lineswoman’s flag did rise.

Frost’s hat-trick did come to finish the game as a contest as the forward raced onto a superb cross from William Foster to smash confidently past Catlow.

The game then petered out towards the finish but threatened to heat up as much as the sun in the sky as both sides threw in a number of crunching tackles.

A late Steeton chance at a consolation from Josh Coe though was saved.

STEETON (Subs): Catlow; M Smith; A Stewart (Hartley); Gibbon; J Smith; Hancock (Mitchell); Green (Lynn); Barnes; Williamson (Coe); Gartland (J Stewart); Townsend.

GOALS (Assists): Williamson 32’ (Townsend)