It was an afternoon to forget for Dronfield Town as visitors Glasshoughton Welfare took all three points away from a wet and windy HE Barnes Stadium with a comprehensive 0-4 win. Glasshoughton belied their foot of the table status and solid performances from new signings Connor Glavin, Nathan Perks and Wayne Hughes were key to their success. Dronfield must now pick themselves up once again ahead of a midweek visit to Armthorpe Welfare.
Dronfield had the best effort of the opening exchanges. Matty Ord’s left footed drive from 20 yards was tipped away to Glasshoughton keeper Samuel Riches’ left for a corner. That was about as good as it got for Town as the visitors began to take command.
New signing from Emley, Wayne Hughes saw his back header tipped over the bar by Lewis Naylor on 17 minutes and one minute later, the same player blazed over the bar with the goal at his mercy after Dronfield failed to clear a Nathan Perks shot.
Persistent rain played it’s part too as a Josh Corbett 20 yarder was tipped up on to the bar by Naylor off the skiddy turf after 25 minutes.
Glasshoughton broke the deadlock on 31 minutes. Mark Ferguson’s tame looking shot from distance evaded the entire Dronfield rearguard before hitting the far post and creeping over the goal line to make it 0-1.
The visitors doubled that advantage five minutes later. A Glasshoughton corner on the left hand side again saw Dronfield fail to clear and it was left to the tall figure of Hughes to poke home from close range.
Dronfield withdrew Tom Gladwin for Connor Chapell at half time but it was Glasshoughton who continued to press.
Five minutes after the restart, Ferguson went down in the area under pressure from Dronfield’s Charlie Stewart but the referee waived away their claims for a penalty.
Ferguson’s low cross from the right wing on 60 minutes was met by the livewire Perks, who thundered the ball against the near post from six yards out.
Town finally got the ball down and produced a fine passing move that ended with Chapell’s cross from the left evading everyone after 64 minutes but the game effectively ended as a contest ten minutes from time.
Dronfield failed to clear Perks dink into the penalty area and Ferguson was on hand to comfortably fire home from 12 yards out to make it 0-3 and claim his second of the game.
The final nail was hammered home on the stroke of full time when the busy Perks squared for substitute Connor McLauchlan who made no mistake from the edge of the six yard box to complete a 0-4 success for the visitors.
While conditions were far from ideal, Glasshoughton put up a display that made a mockery of their league position and deservedly the win lifted them off the foot of the NCEL Division One table. For Dronfield, the focus must return to the type of displays that served them well against Retford and Worsbrough in their two previous games. Town make the journey to managerless Armthorpe on Wednesday evening; the side that sit one place and three points below them in the league standings.
Dronfield Town: Naylor, Bebbington, Stewart, Gladwin, Fairweather, Pugh, Mawbey, Willis, Wood, Savage, Ord. Subs: Wright, Flower, Chapell, Fereday.
Glasshoughton Welfare: Riches, Lalousis, Cunliffe, Corbett, Hughes, Gray, Ferguson, Nelson, Glavin, Perks, Bell. Subs: Youel, Milner, Dixon, Tonkinson, McLauchlan.
Attendance: 121
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