Saturday 1st October 2011 - kick off 3pm - temperature 29 degrees!!!!!!
Where do I start with this game? Absolute cracker, and well worth every penny.
Arrived at the Town ground - and it looked a picture in the blazing October sun ( I have this horrible suspicion that we will pay for this Indian Summer very soon)!!
Grabbed the team details off Stan Wilton - Heanor, unsurprisingly were unchanged from Wednesday, but the squad is getting worryingly under-strength - Jimmy Gee-Pemberton and Lee Askham the latest departures. David Moon and Dan Williams have moved on as well, Moon to Borrowash, Williams to Shirebrook.
Mind you, the capture of Kieran Debrouwer from Pinxton was a great piece of business - "Keano" will walk into any team at this level - and his performance today showed why Managers Craig Hopkins and Glenn Kirkwood were so keen to secure the midfielders signature.
Also signed on the dotted line is former Pinxton defender and good friend of ours, Jamie Renshaw. Spent most of the 90 minutes in the company of "Jammer" - and for the first half he looked like he wondered what he had let himself in for, as Heanor's defensive lapses saw his new team end the first half 1-3 down!
Teams:
Lions : Frost, Foster, Austin, Cancellara, Peel, Degirolamo, Webster, Debrouwer, Benger, Vernon, Wells. Subs : Stevenson, Lowry, Guest, Whitehead, Hopkins.
Bardon : Harris, Blythe, March, Fletcher, O'Callaghan, Partner, Whatley, Schultz, Mulonga, Sheldon, Demidh. Subs: Hebberd, Cox, Taylor, Williams.
Bardon : Harris, Blythe, March, Fletcher, O'Callaghan, Partner, Whatley, Schultz, Mulonga, Sheldon, Demidh. Subs: Hebberd, Cox, Taylor, Williams.
Heanor went close in the 14th minute when Nathan Benger headed Phil Austin's free-kick over the bar, but NATHAN BENGER soon made amends 2 minutes later, tapping home from close range, after Kieran Debrouwer had cleverly flicked the ball over Bardon keeper Aaron Harris.
The lead lasted barely 90 seconds though, as PAUL O'CALLAGHAN rose well to head in off the post.
On 20, Brett Peel was given a caution after he made a reckless challenge, and he was punished even more so when the resultant free-kick from Danny Blythe was volleyed past Frost by KARL DEMIDH.
It got even worse for the home team with 10 minutes of the first half to play - the Lions' defence parting like the Red Sea to allow KARL DEMIDH time and space to smash the ball off the post and into the net. Look at the pic below and count the defenders!!
Then came an incident that earned Referee Scott Mason the "baddie" label. Robert Mulonga had challenged for the ball as Heanor keeper Frost gathered it - then the no. 9 appeared to raise his hand and slap Frost. Not too sure if the effort connected or not, but surely raising a hand into another players face is deemed a dismissible offence. I may be wrong, but I always assumed this was a red card offence. Anyway, Referee Mason issued a yellow, and had to put up with some rather nasty verbal abuse as the teams went into the changing rooms at half-time. H-T 1-3
The second half was most notable for the spirit that is so strong in this Heanor team. They pressed right from the restart, and were that dominant throughout the half, that keeper Frost had occasion to touch the ball only two or three times!
Heanor were back in the game on 52 when Benger's header was well kept out by Harris, but in saving the effort he only managed to set up GRAHAM WELLS who nodded back across the keeper and into the net.
The home team were given the chance to level on 70 after Blythe tripped Wells in the area. NATHAN BENGER hammered home the spot kick and it was game on with still plenty of time on the clock for a winner.
Heanor won a series of corners as the game entered the final 5 minutes, but a combination of good keeping and solide defending kept out the rampaging Lions. Until the 42nd minute that is. Another corner, but this time all Hassis could do was punch the inswinger into the air. When it came down, a mad scramble ensued that ended when that man NATHAN BENGER stabbed home to complete not only his personal treble, but also a remakable comback victory for the home team. Wow, what a game!!! F-T 4-3
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| 3 goal Nathan Benger |
Some of the true "hoppers" won't do revisits - we're not really "hoppers" and you can bet your bottom dollar we will be back at the Town Ground again - very soon!!
Admission £5
Programme £1
Attendance 85
