It might not have been the most aesthetically-pleasing performance but Dronfield Town toughed out a first win in four games, beating Club Thorne Colliery by a single goal to nil. Tom Gladwin’s 33rd minute strike was all that separated the teams in a closely-fought contest that sent the Derbyshire side up to 16th in the Northern Counties East League Division One table. A tactical change to a 4-4-2 formation was key to the victory alongside no lack of desire and effort on the players part, ahead of a visit to league leaders Dearne & District for their next fixture.
Dronfield pushed Arran Bovill up front to partner leading scorer Max Rhodes with defender Callum Riley filling an unfamiliar right midfield berth. However, it was Thorne who made an early impact.
Kyle Simpson bundled the ball home in the opening minute but his effort was immediately ruled out for an offside infringement.
Town’s new strike pairing also made their presence felt just two minutes later when Rhodes appeared to be impeded by a Thorne defender in the area. The referee however was having none of it.
Thorne demonstrated why they managed to hold leaders Dearne to a draw last week when Jordan Buckham was put clean through on goal. Dronfield captain and stopper Lewis Naylor was equal to the task, making a valuable save with his legs.
Thorne’s threat continued on 24 minutes. A good strike from 20 yards out by Dominic Mellor rattled the crossbar as Town breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Dronfield had the better of the final fifteen minutes of the half. A testing cross from Charlie Stewart on the left was headed on to the crossbar by Riley, only for the referee to blow for an unclear foul.
Town did take the lead on 33 minutes though. A spot of pinball in the area led to defender Tom Gladwin seeing his shot on his favoured left foot charged down. However, his follow-up with his right crept inside the near post to give Dronfield a 1-0 advantage.
A second almost came four minutes later. Max Rhodes was forced wide, going round Thorne keeper Charlie Dixon-Brown but was unable to square to strike partner Bovill to get a shot off.
The opening quarter of an hour of the second half saw Dronfield under the cosh; the ball seemingly lodged in their half as Thorne continued to press.
When Dronfield did escape, it was Stewart who sat the ball up from the left for Riley, who headed narrowly over.
Thorne went to their bench for inspiration – Parr, Pugh, Stobart and Dorgan replacing Greasley, Hinton, Andrew and Simpson but all they could muster from the changes was a relatively tame half volley by Baskerville that didn’t trouble the Dronfield net.
Town could have wrapped up the encounter on 89 minutes when Rhodes charged down a defender but when clean through on goal, he went down in the box – the referee turning down his claims for a penalty.
Seven minutes of added time saw some nervy moments for the hosts, notably in the final one, Baskerville blasting over from 9 yards out when the prolific striker really should have hit the target.
While it was backs-to-the-wall stuff for long periods, it was a welcome three points for Town as the whistle blew. Confidence restored, they now head to league-leaders Dearne & District, having gone down by 4-2 to the NCEL newcomers in the second game of the season.
Dronfield Town: Naylor, Bebbington, Gladwin, Lester, Mawbey, Wright, Chapell, Stewart, Rhodes, Bovill, Riley. Subs: Thorpe J, Thorpe M, Flower, Knight, Berry.
Club Thorne Colliery: Dixon-Brown, Greasley, Mellor, Hinton, Kennedy, McLoughlin, Andrew, Brown, Baskerville, Simpson, Buckham. Subs: Stobart, Dorgan, Dawes, Pugh, Parr.
Attendance: 101
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