Official Frickley Athletic Website 

www.frickleyafc.co.uk

Saturday 17th August 2002 - Droylsden 3-1 Frickley Athletic

The new look Blues went into the opening game of the season hoping to continue with the form showed in the last couple of pre-season friendlies. With Chris Gowen suspended Ryan Williams came it down the left whilst Mark Hancock, Antony Jackson and Mark Hine made up the defence with Jon Wordsworth missing through injury. 

It was the home side who started well with them having the bulk of the possession in the opening half hour, although the nearest they came to grabbing a goal came on 9 minutes when Wael Nazha's header deceived Mark Wilkinson and looped over him but, fortunately, it bounced over the bar. The rest of Droylsden's possession seemed to result in wayward shots or poor balls into the box. As the Blues started get more into the game Lee Morris robbed Danny Warner before cutting into the box but he was beaten by a great last ditch tackle. The Blues then had claims for a penalty waved away after Kieran Darlow was climbed all over in the box but just minutes later the home side were warded penalty when Mark Hancock was harshly judged to have brought down Neil Hall in the box (even some Droylsden supporters admitted it was never a penalty!). Hall himself stepped up to send Wilkinson the wrong way from the spot. However, seven minutes later the Blues were level. A good sweeping move from left to right saw Darlow play the ball out to Pete Myers wide on the right. MYERS took the ball on a few yards before letting fly with a powerful 25 yard shot which Paul Philips looked to have saved but he let the ball out of his grasp for it to bounce down over the line despite Philips' attempts to clear it.

Half time saw the introduction of Paul Burke for the injured Craig Elkin. Almost immediately Wilkinson was called on to turn away a snapshot following a corner. Burke was inches away from scoring on 50 minutes when his 20 yard deflected shot wrong-footed Philips but the ball rolled agonisingly wide of the right hand post. On 59 minutes The Blues ought to have gone in front. Darlow robbed Droylsden's Adam Farley on the right of the box before crossing to pick out the unmarked Morris who fired over the bar from 15 yards. The miss was to prove costly as just 8 minutes later Droylsden took the lead. Darren Wright evaded a couple of challenges on the left of the Frickley box before curling a chip into the top right hand corner. Burke again went close for Frickley when he did brilliantly to get on the end of a long ball from Ryan Williams but his shot was straight at Philips. Hancock was then forced off through injury and was replaced by Paul Peel. On 81 minutes Morris' through ball to Burke was blocked by a Droylsden defenders arm around 25 yards out but, with most Frickley players appealing for a free-kick, David Jones seized on the loose ball to hit a rocket-like shot which Philips did well to turn over the bar. Then right at the death Droylsden snatched a third when Nazha shot across Wilkinson into the bottom left hand corner.

Droylsden : Philips, Rush, Warner, Farley, G. Burke, O'Brien, Hall, Porter, Nazha, Wright, Salmon. subs. Murphy, Locke, Haarhoff

Frickley Athletic : Wilkinson, Myers, Williams, Hine, Jackson, Elkin (P. Burke 45), Hancock (Peel 75), Jones, Darlow, Morris, Nesa (Marsh 67).

Attendance : 337   

Main Club Sponsor Required for 2002/03. If interested, please contact us...

Click on the 'vote' banner to vote for this site in Yorkshire's Top 100 Football Sites...