Sandy Lane Wednesday, October 16th, 2013   Northern Premier Division Attendance: 196         Worksop Town 5-0 Stafford Rangers
2013 /14

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Worksop Town put on a dominant display to record their biggest win of the season as they defeated Stafford Rangers 5-0. The 196 hardy souls in attendance witnessed the Tigers best home performance of the season so far, a display which nearly saw them take the lead after only 12 seconds as Muldoon flashed a shot just wide of the post. The Tigers forced 6 corners in the opening 20 minutes, but it was from open play that they came nearest to opening the scoring when Jonathan Brain saved with his feet from Leon Mettam. Rangers first real threat came just before the half hour mark when Joseph Guest’s shot was deflected into the path of a Stafford attacker only for Chris Salt to make an excellent last gasp tackle. Minutes later Danny Quinn managed to get in behind the Tigers defence only to poke his shot just wide of the post. Worksop were soon in the ascendancy again, Mettam finding space down the right but instead of squaring the ball to unmarked colleagues his shot from an acute angle was off target. The Tigers finally took the lead on 33 minutes. A quick throw-in found Conor Higginson in space who cut the ball back to Tom Denton who celebrated his 50th start for the Tigers by firing home into the bottom corner. With three minutes of the half remaining Worksop doubled their lead. Mettam creating the chance as he chested the ball into the path of Higginson who took the ball round Brain, sliding it into the empty net. Rangers had the first chance of the second half when Guest saw his shot deflected wide. However, just before the hour mark Worksop made the game safe. A quick free kick set Phil Roe free down the left wing: superb interchange play between Roe and Muldoon set up Muldoon who curled a sublime shot into the bottom corner to put the Tigers 3-0 ahead. Stafford nearly hit back immediately. Hesitation from Salt allowed a long clearance out of defence to be collected by James McCarthy who had a clear run on goal only for Ben Gathercole to make an excellent save with Laurence Gaughan deflecting Quinn’s follow up shot for a corner. Minutes later Stafford went close again as Daniel Cope’s shot from 30 yards out clipped the outside of the post. It was the Tigers though who were to extend their lead further. Denton flicking Roe’s throw-in into the path of Higginson who squared the ball to Mettam at the far post to slot the ball home for his first goal at Sandy Lane this season. Cope tried his luck from outside the penalty area again but Gathercole was alert to the danger producing a fine fingertip save. Worksop were unlucky not to extend their lead even further 15 minutes from time when an excellent cross field ball from Denton found Mettam on the right who went past his marker with ease before delivering an inch perfect cross to Denton, whose header clipped the outside of the post. With the Tigers pressing Lucan Spittle cleared a cross from Mettam off the line. Whilst at the other end Jordan Lemon cleared the ball off the line following a flick on from Cope’s corner. Fittingly it was the Tigers who had the final word. Roe curling a superb 30-yard free kick over the wall past a stationary Brain into the corner, for his third goal in four games. Worksop Town Gathercole, Lemon, Roe, Davies, Salt, Gaughan, Muldoon, Clarke (Wall 86), Denton (McKenzie 81), Mettam (c), Higginson (Adams 75) Unused subs: Pursehouse, Cottingham Goals: Denton (33), Higginson (42), Muldoon (59), Mettam (69), Roe (88) Bookings: Clarke (51), Higginson (72) Stafford Rangers Brain, Dacres, Davies, Steadman, Bullock (c) (Spittle 46), Johnson, McCarthy (Lees 62), Guest, Quinn, Toner, Sheldon (Cope 56) Unused subs: Bell, Langston Bookings: Johnson (14), Guest (68) Referee: Mr A Hull Assistants: Mr J Oldfield & Mr C Ward Att. 196 MoM. Clarke