Settle United 3 v 6 Mill Hill (East Lancashire Premier League)
Settle United returned to action this weekend in the East Lancashire Premier League as they welcomed an unbeaten Mill Hill Football Club to Bridge End. The visitors have been scoring at will in the previous two games, scoring twelve goals with a 6-1 win over Rock Rovers and a 6-0 away victory at Rimington Football Club.
The summer finally arrive at the weekend with hot and sunny conditions for the second home game of the season at Bridge End. I can’t mention Bridge End without making a passing comment on playing surface, which is in outstanding condition and is a better surface than some current Football League pitches.
Settle United started the stronger of the two sides and were on top in the opening thirty minutes of the match. The home side were controlling possession and keeping the ball whilst playing some excellent football and passing the ball through midfield, including some longer balls in the channels.
Settle United took the lead early in the first-half, when Nathan Bullock collected the ball in the left-back position before running passed the Mill Hill right-wing and into the visitors half of the pitch. He then made his way towards the Mill Hill area before cutting inside and laying the ball off to George Gowland who fired the ball low and hard passed Whittingham in the visitors goal to make the score 1-0.
The visitors then caught the home side on the counter attack and had a two against one as they reached the edge of the box, but a foul lead to a free-kick just outside the Settle area but the effort hit the wall and the ball came back to Curtis Poole but his shot when through about four defenders before going just wide of Sam Arrowsmith’s left-hand post.
On fourteen minutes, Settle United extended their lead as Danny Bathers collected the again on the left-wing before crossing the ball into the Mill Hill penalty area, were James Howarth arrived from the back of the box to beat the defender to the ball before sliding the ball passed Whittingham into the net to make the score 2-0.
Settle United continued to put the visitors under pressure and should have extended their lead even further which would have put the game to bed. But despite all the possession and the crosses Settle United couldn’t find the final touch to extend their leading. Mill Hall then made a few tactical changes after twenty-five minutes, which had a massive impact on the performance as they started to get back into the match.
Mill Hill pulled a goal back just after the half-hour mark, when a close range shot was well saved by Sam Arrowsmith who could only push the ball into the six yard box which lead to a massive scramble. After a couple of shots the hit defenders the ball was finally put into the net by Ethan Gough to make the score 2-1.
The visitors then broke on the counter attack again after around forty minutes, when a flick on from Louis Almond found Ethan Gough who went through on goal one on one with Sam Arrowsmith, but the home goalkeeper made a good save and blocked the ball which was then cleared to safety by the defence.
Settle United had the final effort of the first-half, when an excellent run and deep cross from the right-wing found David Worthington at the back post on the edge of the 6 yard box. However, his header whilst under pressure from the centre-back went just wide of James Whittingham’s right-hand post to leave the half-time score 2-1.
Mill Hill joint managers Ben Singleton and Daniel Metcalfe must have given an excellent teamtalk at half-time as the visitors came out for the second-half like a different side. This was definitely turning into a game of two halves and the visitors had the upper hand as the second-half got underway.
Mill Hill drew level on the hour mark, following an excellent flowing move with a number of passes from the back which lead to a long diagonal ball to the left-wing. The ball was then crossed into the Settle penalty area which was headed clear to the edge of the box, before Mill Hill collected the ball before side footing a right footed shot from the penalty spot passed Sam Arrowsmith into the net to make the score 2-2.
Despite the visitors drawing level, you could see the home side get their second wind as they looked to get themselves back in front. Just five minutes after conceding, the home side regained the lead again following some excellent passing in midfield before the ball was slid through to Dave Worthington on the right-hand side of the area. He controlled the ball and drove deep into the area before firing a shot from a tight angle on the corner of the six yard box passed Whittingham into the far corner to make the score 3-2.
The big decision came around the seventy-fifth minute, when a ball over the home side defence was found the Mill Hill forward who looked in an offside position just inside the Settle Penalty area. The forward lobbed the ball over the out rushing Sam Arrowsmith before he tapped the ball into the empty net as Arrowsmith tried to get back to make the block, but the visitors were level again at 3-3.
The second equaliser and the manor in which the goal was conceded seemed to deflate the home side, as the defenders shouted at the linesman who was a member of their own squad saying that he should have raised the flag for offside. At this point in the game and with the score level you could see all of the fight and belief drain out of the Settle United players and from that point there was only going to be one side win the match.
Mill Hill took the lead for the first time midway through the second-half following an excellent run down the right-wing, the winger then cut inside before going down whilst under pressure in the box. The referee pointed straight to the penalty spot and Louis Almond slotted the ball passed Sam Arrowsmith to make the score 3-4.
Mill Hill extended their lead shorty after the penalty with another excellent move, the visitors made around ten passes in the midfield before sending a defence splitting pass through to the striker, who twisted and turned a couple of times to get around Sam Arrowsmith before firing the ball passed the defender on the line to making the score 3-5.
The visitors added a sixth goal when a defence splitting pass found Louis Almond at the edge of the box, he took control of the ball before sliding the ball passed Sam Arrowsmith into the bottom left hand corner of the goal for his second goal of the match, making the full-time score 3-6.
Settle United will next weekend travel to Burnley to take on Prairie United in the East Lancashire Premier League as they look for their second victory of the season.
Match Details
Settle United – Arrowsmith, Stapleton, Bullock, Howarth, Whieldon, Airey, Gowland, Stephenson, Bathers, Cardus, Worthington (Subs) Holmes, Askew, Quintas, Kilburn
Mill Hill – Whittingham, Brooks, Beech, Clifton, Newton, Hayhurst, Gough, Evans, Gillbrown, Poole, Bulcock (Subs) Almond, Narbeel, Hindle
Goals – (Settle United) Gowland, Howarth, Worthington (Mill Hill) Gough, Evans, Gillbrown, Poole, Almond (2)
Attendance – 30
Chadwick Media 