Shirebrook Town 2 v Selby Town 0 - NCEL Div 1

Thursday 22nd March 2018

Toolstation NCEL Division 1

at Langwith Road, Shirebrook

Shirebrook Town (1) 2

Kieran Watson 21, 80 

Selby Town (0) 0

Admission £5. Programme £1. Attendance 122

Tonight's two goal margin of victory was a fair reflection of the balance of play in this high tempo game.

While elsewhere, a goalless draw between Glasshoughton Welfare and Winterton Rangers, served to illustrate just how significant a three points this was for Rob Camm and Jamie Allen's Shirebrook Town side, in their quest for a play off place.

Of course, Selby Town, who host tonight's victors in a League Cup third round game at the Fairfax Plant Hire Stadium next Thursday night, still have games in hand, but the seven point breathing space that Shirebrook have given themselves over the chasing pack, by virtue of this win, means that their fate this term is well and truly in their own hands now.

It was Selby who first showed any attacking intentions, when only three minutes into the game, Joe Dale made a diagonal run, from left to right, inside the home sides half, before threading the ball through for Ryan Woodhead to run onto through the right channel, but Jamie Dean did well to block the resulting shot with his feet.
Matt Robinson and Sam Dockwray, were adding an attacking edge to Shirebrook's midfield, while Tom Cooke and Declan Brewin were both running themselves to a standstill for their team's cause.
In fact it was the latter who picked up the ball forty yards from the Selby goal and stroked a measured pass forward to Robinson, who burst forward down the right flank as far as the dead ball line, before picking out the stealth like run of Kieran Watson to the far side edge of the six yard box, who gratefully accepted the opportunity to net his fortieth goal of the season in his thirty third game.

Adam Colton's outstretched leg, meant that Charlie Clamp had to rush his shot on the edge of the Shirebrook area, which sailed over the bar, while Ryan Gothard failed to keep a headed opportunity on target shortly before half time as the Robins tried to get back on level terms, but their efforts were frantic and lacking in a bit of composure in the final third and having had slightly the better of the exchanges in the first half the home side just about deserved to go into half time a goal ahead.
HT: Shirebrook 1 v Selby Town 0
Christian Fox's visitors looked a bit livelier at the outset of the second half, to no avail and they began to look tired and slightly off the pace as Shirebrook raised the ante again and pushed forward in a bid to cement their lead.

Brewin set off of a mazy run towards Chris Barrett's goal from the left hand edge of the Robins area, but having done the hard part of leaving three weary looking challengers in his wake, the lively number nine was tackled inside the six yard box by a troublesome bobble, which helped the Selby keeper to make a last ditch save.

Dockwray went to ground in the Selby area, under what appeared to be a shove in the back, but the young referee Liam Marsh from Worksop (I work with his dad and occasionally travel to Englnad games with his mum) had a better view of things than me, so I'll keep schtum about that particular incident... and moments later Brewin crashed a twenty five yard effort over the bar.

Shirebrook Town teamsheet

Gothard scythed Brewin down near the dug outs, with a challenge that was worthy of the yellow card he was subsequently shown... at the very least. Selby probably figured that Brewin needed subduing, because a heat map depicting his non stop charging about thus far, would have resembled a pitch sized bright red rectangle.

Shirebrook captain Chris Timons, rolled back the years and ventured forward from his defensive holding role and went close to doubling his sides lead with a thumping shot from just outside the Selby eighteen yard box... and I'm sure that the people who own Willow Tree Family Farm next door to the football ground will bring the ball back tomorrow morning.

Selby Town teamsheet

Shirebrook continued to grow in stature during the second half, while their forlorn looking play off rivals visibly wilted. You couldn't help but feel sorry for those who had travelled down from Selby to watch this performance, they're a nice bunch and I hope for their sake that this was a one off below par performance, or a season that looked to be full of promise could end in a whimper rather than a bang.

Cooke darted forward, carrying the ball some fifty yards before laying the ball of to Brewin out to his right whose cross found Dockwray but he hooked the ball over the crossbar.

From Shirebrook's next attack, Dockwray's flick on into the Selby area was blocked from reaching Watson by an outstretched arm clad in lime green (both teams were wearing their away kits tonight), but the referee missed that one. 

But hey! He's only human... even if he is from Manton (Worksop). 

Ray Wilson MBE - Everton, England and Shirebrook

Inside the closing ten minutes, the Selby defence collectively stood ball watching, while their keeper seemed to mistakenly be under the assumption that they were going to deal with making a routine clearance. WQuick as a flash, Kieran Watson took full advantage of their communication failure and hesitancy and paced forward before planting the loose ball past Barrett, to finish the game and the Robins resistance off.

There was to be no concerted effort to stage a late comeback by the visitors, who now need to get their heads back up and motivate themselves as they undertake the unenviable task of making some serious inroads into their forthcoming top heavy fixtures schedule.

FT: Shirebrook Town 2 v Selby Town 0

The visitors will have been disappointed with their uninspired performance tonight, but all told the best team won... and deservedly so. 

NCEL Division 1 10.30PM 22/3/18