Monday night U19 football looks like being a regular feature of my season, but Kev isn't too fussed about it so off to Greenwich Avenue on me jack-jones again! Blogger supremo and good friend Rob Waite had intimated he may be at this game, but little did I know he was going to be part of the Harworth management team!
Illness had left Harworth short handed, and Rob will always offer a helping hand despite often upsetting Julie, his good lady wife!!!! Rob had hand-written a team sheet for me as well - always makes the evening better when the players' names are known, Thanks Rob....
Only 29 in attendance - come on Basford public, you are missing a treat. This was a really good game contested between two really good teams.
Harworth took an early lead when MITCHELL LAX headed powerfully home from an Enzo Guarini right wing corner. Good header, but the marking wasn't the best. RHYS PLACKETT brought the scores level on 13, hammering a bullet shot across Harworth keeper Tom Hogg from the corner of the box.
Dan Jackson made a tremendous solo run in the 22nd minute, and finished the run with a fierce drive that Hogg did well to push away from goal. Four minutes later the home team took the lead, KYLE KEETLEY hammering home from a difficult angle after he was picked out superbly by Jack Smith.
Plackett almost increased the home teams lead on 42, his cross-shot looping over Hogg, but thankfully for the keeper the effort crashed off the bar, and the rebound cleared. F-T 2-1
Hogg gifted Basford their third goal on 54, allowing a tame KEETLEY far post header to roll out of his grasp and trickle over the line.
The visitors were back in the game on the hour mark, a 22 yard LAX free-kick met by a cracking diving header by Connor Naylor - great goal by the sweeper celebrating his 18th birthday - unfortunately Naylor is Basford's sweeper!!!!! Classic own goal, but the free-kick was on target anyway, so Lax gets the credit.
So back to 3-2 and the fightback on? It was until three minutes later, when Matt Smith was dismissed for a studs up challenge on a Basford player. Straight red, and Smith agreed with the decision, but said, when I had a chat to him, he was only going for the ball. It was just a case of bad technique rather than bad intention, I think.
Hogg handed Basford their fourth goal in very embarrassing fashion. The keeper had a straight forward kick to clear his line, but somehow missed the ball completely, giving predator DAN JACKSON the simple task of rolling the ball home. F-T 4-2
Not the keepers best night, but these things happen, and the young man has to take his mistakes on board, and learn from them - as does Matt Smith. The Under 19 league is a great platform for players making the transaction from youth football into the mens game - and hopefully errors that players make at this level stick in their memory - lessons learned, hopefully never to be repeated.
Admission £2 inc programme
H/C 29
