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David Bell

REPORT: Dynamic Dronfield take down title favourites


Dronfield Town began the 2020-21 season in the best possible fashion, taking down highly-fancied Skegness Town on the Lincolnshire coast. An outstanding second half display of passion and determination gave Chris Millington’s men all three points against the side who were poised in second place when coronavirus called a halt to the previous campaign. Goals from Willis, Chappell and Wood finished off the seasiders ahead of a return to the HE Barnes Stadium on Tuesday evening.


Dronfield appeared to set up to nullify the clear threat of the Skegness forwards in the early stages and did so to good effect as it took 21 minutes before Broughton’s deflected attempt was the first effort of the game.


The home side began to find their feet as the half wore on. Acar saw his attempt cleared from the line on 22 minutes – Dronfield’s only real effort of note being a Callum Mawbey ball in from the left hand side that was cleared before Chappell could reach it.


The dangerous Acar produced a delightful flick on 36 minutes that found Petronzio in space; his attempt well saved by Lewis Naylor in the Dronfield goal.


Skegness did take the lead on 39 minutes. Jamie Willis and Lewis Naylor collided at the top of the penalty area and the ball bounced nicely for Acar to head into the empty net.


Despite a solid 45 minutes marred by one lapse of concentration, Dronfield came out with greater purpose at the start of the second half. A Callum Mawbey header five minutes after the restart just going wide from Matty Ord’s near side corner.


A curling left wing cross met by the head of Broughton brought another decent save out of Naylor but that was as good as it got for the home side.


On 59 minutes, persistence on the right hand side saw Matty Ord manage to stab the ball through to Jamie Willis despite being on the floor. Willis made no mistake with the finish to put Town on level terms.


Dronfield withdrew Mark Fereday for Danny Wood and Willis for Tawanda Rupere as their confidence began to grow.


Belligerent work by Rupere on 76 minutes down the left hand side saw the ball find Connor Chappell. The attacking midfielder wriggled this way and that way before producing an outstanding finish past Lambley in the Skegness goal to give Dronfield a 2-1 lead.


And the bandwagon became a juggernaut as on 83 minutes Callum Mawbey’s ball out of midfield found Danny Wood in acres of space and the substitute finished with aplomb past Lambley to make it three.


One swallow does not make a summer but Millington and his charges must have enjoyed a display full of growing confidence against undoubtedly one of the better teams in the NCEL Division One.


There were excellent performances from the returning Tom Fairweather and Tom Gladwin, who both excelled on the defensive side of things, Lewis Naylor pulled off a number of vital saves and Connor Chappell was tireless as the attacking part of the midfield diamond.


Local rivals Swallownest are the visitors to the HE Barnes Stadium on Tuesday evening as Town play their second game of a marathon twelve game run before the end of October.


Skegness Town: Lambley, Petronzio, Field, Davison, Wressell, Hobbins, Acar, Sawyer, Trott, Usher, Broughton Subs: Rayner, Nichol, Morrall, King, Brooks.


Dronfield Town: Naylor, Bebbington, Stewart, Gladwin, Fairweather, Pugh, Chappell, Willis, Fereday, Mawbey, Ord Subs: Bvute, Rupere, Wood, Siddons.

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