In the reverse encounter at Dennyfield, Thackley had been denied a deserved victory by a last gasp penalty which earned our visitors a draw. Thackley’s team for this fixture had the bulk of the players that have elevated the team to fifth position in the league but a notable addition was young Tom Storey who was making his first team debut at right back. There were also notable absentees, Kris Hargreaves was injured and Luke O’Brien and Daniel Broadbent were not available.

The pitch looked patchy and hard. Smooth flowing football was going to be difficult for both sides and this proved to be the case in the opening encounters. Thackley were winning many of the midfield battles but the play was scrappy interspersed with long balls which forwards often chased in vain. Gradually Thackley began to gain more control with Whiteley and McGuire beginning to shine. They consequently exerted more pressure and started to create some shooting opportunities. Luke Robinson was making a nuisance of himself against the tall Worksop central defenders and the first real chance fell to him as he swivelled in the box from a ball played down the side and the goalkeeper Kennedy pulled off a magnificent save. Shortly after this attempt Kennedy saved Worksop again as he tipped over a glorious strike from Farrell. Next it was Worksop’s turn to threaten Thackley’s goal when the visitors went to sleep from a short corner and a shot destined for the net was miraculously cleared off the line by Bentham. Worksop’s main thrust seemed to come from the left flank with Rickards looking to take on defenders but young Tom Storey was excelling himself and was negating the threat with sharp tackling and effective distribution. The half time whistle signalled stalemate with no goals for either side.

Half time: Worksop Town 0 Thackley 0

The second half began with Thackley in the ascendancy again. They immediately put the Worksop defence under pressure. Matt Broadley beat his opposing full back with ease and his accurate cross was directed towards the bottom corner by Mike Garrod but once again the goalkeeper made an amazing reaction save to flick the ball away. The front four attacking players were now beginning to cause serious problems for the Worksop defence and Whiteley and McGuire were winning good possession in the midfield. Worksop were beginning to flag as an attacking force and Thackley continued to press forward but the elusive decisive strike was being thwarted by the excellence of Kennedy. Then half way through the second half Thackley finally secured the vital goal that their dominance deserved. Farrell won a flick on and with Kennedy caught in no man’s land Luke Robinson was able to lift his lob over the stranded keeper and into the net. This spurred Worksop into concerted action and they made two attempts on goal both of which were high and wide. They were given a chance by the award of a free kick on the edge of the box but, again, they did not find the target. The match was effectively settled in the eighty fifth minute when Garrod found himself in the clear, was not signalled off side, for once, by the linesman and converted the opportunity with precision. In the final two minutes Thackley introduced two of their substitutes, Harrison McPhee replacing Luke Robinson and Andy Patterson for Broadley.

This was a fittingly impressive end to Thackley’s season and was representative of the performances that the team have consistently produced throughout the season. It also ensured that Thackley had amassed more points in the Premier Division than they had ever done before. Every player has been outstanding for Thackley throughout the season but on this occasion, I think special mention should be made of Tom Storey who was very impressive on this, his debut appearance.

Worksop Town: Kennedy, Hodder, Weston, Waddle, Lawrence,Wankiewicz, Parkin, Rickards, Loftus, Jordan, Slew. Substitutes: Pickersgill, Murdock, Gee, Husbands, Birch.

Thackley: Wilson, Storey, White, McGuire, Bentham, Snowden, Farrell, Whiteley, Robinson (L) (McPhee), Garrod, Broadley (Patterson).

Official: Kenwyn Hughes. Assistants: Scott Sperring, Kelvin Wilson.

Scorers for Thackley; Luke Robinson 68, Mike Garrod 85.