Official Frickley Athletic Website 

The Blues finally got their first home win of the season under their belts after coming from behind to take the three points. In truth the margin of victory could have been much greater as Carl Fothergill, Graham Lewis and Sinisa Savic all had good chances to add to the scoreline.

With Soner Zumrutel crying off with flu Gary Marrow brought back Sinisa Savic into the side with Fothergill replacing Gary Duffty. Savic partnered Andy Evans up front whilst Lewis played down the left.

Trinity had the first chance of the game with Chris Petite putting a 25 yard shot just wide of Wilkinson's left hand post but the Blues hit back with Savic beating two challenges as he ran at the defence and laid the ball off to Fothergill on his right but he shot wide of the right hand post from 16 yards. The miss was to prove costly as shortly afterwards, in the 12th minute, Trinity took the lead. Paul Watts had a close range shot which Wilkinson did well to block. The ball was fired back in and Wilkinson again block, this time with his legs with the ball ricocheting out to the right. The ball was played back into the box where Watts forced it past Wilkinson from about 5 yards. However, five minutes later the Blues were back on level terms as Lady Luck finally came down on the Blues' side. Lewis put over a dangerous looking cross from the left which Savic missed but it fell to Trinity's Jason Whitlam who turned and fired into the roof of his own net, presumably losing his bearings as he tried to put it out for a corner as he was under little pressure with Fothergill being the nearest to him about 6 yards away. This spurred the Blues on to play some of the best football at home that they have done for a while. A minute later Fothergill sent over a cross from the right which Savic met with a powerful header straight at Gary Ingham whilst on 22 minutes Savic, who was causing the Trinity defence problems, turned brilliantly on the edge of the box and fed Andy Evans who shot inches wide of the right hand post from 12 yards. Watts then went agonisingly close for Trinity as he beat Wilkinson to a through ball and lobbed it over him towards goal but Mark Ogley did well to get back and hook it off the line. On 28 minutes Fothergill ought to have given the Blues the lead as he met Lewis' cross from the left with a close range volley but could only shoot straight at Ingham. The game died a little until just before half time when Wilkinson was forced to pull off a great save to deny Watts again.

The second half saw Frickley continue with the pressure they forced for long spells in the first half. On 49 minutes Lewis ran at the defence before being brought down some 25 yards out. Simon Collins stepped up to take the free-kick but saw his rising effort sail over the bar. Three minutes later a long ball from the back was flicked off a Gainsborough defender's head to Evans on the edge of the box but his angled drive was smothered by Ingham. Then on 53 minutes Lewis came close to scoring a wonder goal when the ball fell to him some 35 yards out, about 10 yards in from the touch line and he hit a first time left footed shot which Ingham could only watch come back off the far post to safety. The Blues pressure continued with Evans turning in the box 16 yards out and shooting towards the top right hand corner but Ingham flung himself to his left to push it round the post. Then on 58 minutes Evans challenged Neil Allison for a high ball on the right hand side of the box only for Allison to blatantly handle in front of the referee who had no choice but to award the penalty. STEVE PRICE stepped up to confidently put the penalty away via the underside of the bar. Six minutes later Savic had a golden opportunity to increase the lead as he squeezed past the last defender to leave himself one on one with Ingham. His shot was partly smothered by the keeper but rolled goalwards only for a defender to scramble it clear off the line. By now Gainsborough were showing very little up front but Blues' supporters were longing for a third goal to relax more easily. On 66 minutes Savic was again involved as he ran at the defence before releasing Lewis on the edge of the box but he dragged his shot inches wide of the right hand post. Lewis then beat Danny Brown down the left before cutting inside and shooting wide from 18 yards but then on 79 minutes the all important third goal came. Fothergill sent over a cross from the right which was deflected off a defender to PRICE who hit a low right footed drive into the bottom left hand corner from the edge of the box.

The goal and subsequent win was no more then the Blues deserved as they gave a much improved all round display and. another win on Saturday will put us in a much better position in the League.

Frickley Athletic : Mark Wilkinson, Simon Collins, Gowan, Hanby, Ogley, Jones, Lewis, Price, Evans, Savic, Fothergill. Unused subs. Duffty, Scott Collins, Marsh

Gainsborough Trinity : Ingham, Brown, Whitlam (Guest 74), Allison, Appleby, Petite, Stanhope, Hurst, Ellington, Watts, Bassinder. Unused subs. Watson, Tittley

Attendance : 256

Referee : Richard Hewitt (Scarborough)