Match report by Cayden Sands

A late surge from Thackley proved decisive as they picked up a 3-1 victory over Frickley Athletic at the Meridian Stadium at Dennyfield, with the match for both teams being heavily impacted by the strong winds.

There were two changes from the 5-1 victory away at Eccleshill United last week, with Antony Brown and Matty Dempsey both unwell (the latter able to take a spot on the bench), Harry Parsons and Chris Jancevski came into the starting XI.

Prior to the game, both teams and the supporters observed a minute's applause for Barton Town goalkeeper James Hitchcock who sadly passed away earlier in the week, with the Thackley AFC players wearing black arm bands.

From the very start, the Dennyboys were quick to establish a level of superiority in the game, with Ben Grech-Brooksbank coming close a number of times, only to be stopped by cases off bad luck that included last second clearances off the line and hitting the crossbar, all within a short period of time.

However, these woes would soon turn to delight in the 10th minute when a corner from Lewis Sugden was delivered excellently into the box before a fantastic header from Liam Hudson flew past the crowd that had gathered inside the box and into the net to give Thackley a deserved lead.

The momentum would remain in the Dennyboys’ corner following the goal, with Grech-Brooksbank again having opportunities to add to his tally for the season, whilst Slater Barnes was taken down inside the penalty area after 33 minutes, but the resulting appeals would be turned away.

As half time got closer, the visitors managed to assert some pressure of their own for the first time in the game, with Alhassane Keita being played through on the 37 minute mark and finding himself in a one-on-one tussle with Luke Wilson, but the keeper would make a decisive save after an attempted dink from Keita to keep Thackley ahead.

Unfortunately for the Dennyboys, this save would prove to be in vain after a 44th minute corner for Frickley managed to go over everybody inside the box before falling to the feet of Callum Brook, who tapped the ball into an empty net to level the game right on half time, with Thackley no doubt feeling they could have been further ahead at the break, if not for the missed opportunities earlier in the half. Luke Wilson looked to have been fouled as the corner came in, but the referee waved away the appeals of those in a red shirt.

HALF-TIME: Thackley AFC 1-1 Frickley Athletic

The second half saw the Dennyboys in control from the beginning, with a chance almost immediately after the restart that saw the ball move across the face allowing Barnes a good chance to restore the team’s lead, but he was unable to reach the ball in time he could only watch as it rolled out of play.

It would be the 60th minute before any more big moments would come following a quiet period of the game after the early chance, but this moment would provide promise for Thackley, with Sugden and Hudson once again combining in a moment that saw the goal scorer almost double his tally with another header, but an excellent save from Harrison Davison-Hale prevented this at a crucial time as the Dennyboys kept pushing to re-gain the lead.

Davison-Hale continued his strong display with another save from a Finn Donovan effort not long after in the 64th minute, before Donovan was substituted for Tawheed Ahmed, with the latter seeing a fantastic opportunity of his own both deflected and saved on the 76th minute.

The visitors’ resistance would finally be broken in the 81st and in some style thanks to Sugden, who continued his set-piece heroics from the previous fixture away at Eccleshill United with a corner that was perfectly delivered before landing straight in the net, restoring the team’s lead in the process and to give the Dennyboys a deserved lead going into the final period of the game.

The icing on the cake for Thackley would be added just three minutes later when Grech-Brooksbank managed to control a long ball and get the better of his markers by rounding them and managing to chip the ball over Davison-Hale to finally get his goal and confirm another exciting victory for the Dennyboys as they look to keep up with the pack at the top of the NCEL Premier Division.

FULL-TIME: Thackley AFC 3-1 Frickley Athletic

Following the Christmas period, Thackley will return to action on Saturday when they make the trip to Golcar United in perhaps one of the biggest games of the season in the division, with the Dennyboys now just 3 points off the opposition who occupy top spot with Thackley in 3rd position.

Thackley AFC team: Wilson; Rhodes; Bodle; Jancevski; Hudson; Sugden; Donovan (Ahmed 67mins); Mitchell; Grech-Brooksbank©; Parsons (Tektas 75 mins); Barnes.
Unused Subs: Gibbon; Dempsey;Tate

Frickley Athletic team: Davison-Hale; Elkin-Sheppard; Butchart; Booth; Brook; Mannings; Keita; Spencer; Guilfoyle; Chipamunga; Rowley.
Subs: Clegg; Tomlinson; Dillion; Haigh; Claisee.

Thackley AFC scorers: Hudson (10 mins), Sugden (81 mins), Grech-Brooksbank (85 mins).

Frickley Athletic scorers: Brook (43mins).

Man of the Match: Finn Donovan chosen by Match Sponsor, Ray Killick & Guests

Photo: A minute's applause for Barton Town goalkeeper, James Hitchcock, who tragically passed away on Wednesday 18 December 2024, with the Thackley team wearing black arm bands.

Attendance: 196