Steeton AFC 4 v 1 Salts FC (West Riding County FA Challenge Cup)
Steeton AFC welcomed league leaders Salts FC to Summerhill Lane for the West Riding County FA Challenge Cup match with a place in the Quarter-Finals at stake. The club also took the opportunity to hold a minutes applause as a mark of respect to former player and Vice Chairman Archie Airdrie who sadly passed away on the 23rd December 2017.
It was the home side that started the stronger with some excellent defensive challenges by Sam Rooke and at the other end Andy Briggs and Ben Clarkson caused the visitors a number of issues running the channels.
Andy Briggs had the first real chance of the game when a long ball over the Salts defence left him one on one with the visitors goalkeeper, but instead of chipping the ball over the keeper he went for the near post and put his shot wide of the post.
On twenty-five minutes, the home side took the lead following a mix up in the visitors area and Sam Rooke slide in to tap the ball home from six yards, to make the score 1-0.
Steeton continued to press the visitors and forced a number of individual errors in the middle of the park, just before half-time Jonah Smith took advantage of an error and his ball found Andy Briggs who should have extended the home sides lead, but he hit the post to leave the half-time score 1-0.
At the interval Salts manager Darren Bailey must have had strong words with his side as they came out fighting in the second half and got back into the game as they equalised within five minutes of the restart to make the score 1-1.
Then on fifty-seven minutes, Ben Clarkson should have put the home side back in front when is shot from twelve yards went just over the visitors crossbar when the youngster should have scored.
Steeton took the lead for the second time in the game on the hour with an excellent goal by Andy Briggs, who left the visitors goalkeeper with no chance as he fired the ball past him to make the score 2-1.
Just five minutes later, the home side extended their lead following a excellent move through midfield which found Ben Richardson free on the left-hand side of the visitors area and he slotted the ball past the keeper to make the score 3-1.
Ben Clarkson then had to excellent chances to get on the score sheet as he ran clear of the Salts back four, to leave himself one-on-one with the visitors keeper who made an great save to leave the score 3-1.
However Clarkson was rewarded in the final minute of the game when the keeper palmed a shot into his path and he tapped the ball into an empty goal to make the final score 4-1 to Steeton AFC.
Speaking after the match manager Roy Mason said, “I thought we looked very sharp to say we hadn’t played for 6 weeks, we moved the ball about very well and we created numerous chances throughout the game.
If we had taken a few of the chances that we created in the first half, then it could have been a little bit more comfortable. We have a young team that is improving all the time and we look forward to another home tie now in the Quarter-Final against last years winners, Carlton Athletic.”
Match Details
Steeton AFC – Mash, Mason, Scott, Pearson, Rooke, Hird, Holden, Smith, Clarkson, Briggs, Richardson (Subs) Morgan, Park, Jeffery, Holmes
Goals – (Steeton) Rooke, Briggs, Richardson, Clarkson (Salts)
Chadwick Media 