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Saturday 30th October - Frickley Athletic 1-1 Ossett Town

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With Gary Marrow away on business over the weekend Mark Ogley took control of team affairs and he was without the services of Chris Fawcus who was serving a one-match suspension resulting from his sending-off against Bishop Auckland. Calum Selby took Fawcus' place at left full-back with James Cotterill coming in at centre half. Simon Collins started alongside Alex Higgins in midfield with Lee Pugh moving out to the right in place of Richard Tracey. Paul Bradley replaced Adam Russell up front. 

The Blues came desperately close to taking the lead after just 3 minutes following a well executed move down the right. Steve Robinson's throw-in was returned to him by Adam Oldham and when Robinson's initial cross was cut out it the ball came back to him with Robinson sending over a pin-point cross to Matt Moran whose angled right foot volley from 18 yards came back off the underside of the crossbar and bounced out. Collins launched himself at the loose ball but his header from 8 yards was easily caught on the line by former Frickley 'keeper Jon Hood. Ossett missed a golden opportunity minutes later when a cross from the right found the unmarked James Nestor in front of goal but he headed well over the bar. Nestor went close again on 11 minutes when he cut in from the left before letting fly from 18 yards but Gary Ingham pushed the ball around the post. It was Ossett's turn to hit the crossbar following the corner. The flag-kick was chested down to Steve Price whose scuffed 16 yard shot was deflected against the bar by an outstretched Ossett leg from just 2 yards before Robinson hacked the ball clear. Two minutes later another Ossett corner saw Nestor head in at the far post but the referee had already blown for an infringement. On 19 minutes it was the Blues' turn to threaten when Calum Selby won the ball on half-way, advanced forwards and played a good through-ball for Bradley but, with both Ossett centre-halves beaten, Ben Dixon came across to intercept in front of Hood. Nestor then threatened to break clear but was brought down by Steve Kennedy and Price's 22 yard free-kick was comfortably saved by Ingham. On 29 minutes the Blues took the lead in rather fortunate circumstances. Alex Higgins played the ball into the path of Collins whose miss-hit shot from 25 yards trickled well wide of the penalty area but BRADLEY retrieved it and sent over a curling cross which drifted over Hood and just inside the far post. Just before half time James Walshaw weaved his way inside the Blues' box to unleash an angled shot but Kennedy threw himself in front to block the shot for a corner.

The second half saw less goal-mouth action than the first, although Nestor broke into the Blues' box within a few minutes of the restart and theatrically threw himself to the ground when challenged by Kennedy and was rather fortunate not to earn himself a booking. The game turned on an incident on 61 minutes. Bradley won the ball cleanly on half way from price but the referee decided to stop play and award a free-kick. When the kick was launched into the box the Blues' defence failed to clear leaving the ball to be played to Nestor who picked his spot with an angled shot from 10 yards. On 64 minutes Lee Pugh teased the Ossett defence down the right before playing the ball back to Collins. Collins and Pugh then played a 1-2 before Collins fired just wide from 20 yards. The Blues' then got the benefit of a bizarre refereeing decision when Nestor sent over a cross from the right which Walshaw laid into the path of Alex Callery but, as Callery fired past Ingham the referee awarded the Blues a free-kick and disallowed the goal. On 75 minutes Moran fed Bradley who got away from his marker brilliantly down the left before sending over a deep cross which  substitute Adam Russell couldn't quite reach. As the game entered the last ten minutes Pugh chipped the ball in between Hood and the Ossett defence for Bradley but Bradley couldn't quite stretch far enough to make contact. Ossett almost snatched a winner at the end when a corner was flicked on to Walshaw but his header went inches wide.