Dronfield Town put in a thoroughly hard-working performance to claim all three points away at third placed Wombwell Town. A 26th minute Charlie Stewart strike sent all three points back to North Derbyshire for the visitors, who also had skipper Lewis Naylor to thank for saving a first half penalty. The win sees Dronfield up to the dizzy heights of seventh in the NCEL Division One table in advance of an all-Derbyshire clash with Staveley MW on Saturday.
Freezing temperatures and an uneven surface greeted both teams after the pitch passed a mid-afternoon inspection given the wet weather of recent times. Despite the conditions, Dronfield began brightly with two early forays into the Wombwell half.
Long-time leaders Wombwell began to show why they have been so successful in their first season at this level on 10 minutes. Belper Town loanee Anthony Mackie beat the Dronfield offside trap but then curled his shot past the post when he really should have hit the target.
Dronfield’s Sam Bebbington and Wombwell’s Edward Agnew both collected yellow cards as Dronfield began to press.
The 19th minute saw Callum Riley’s right wing cross claimed by Wombwell stopper Alec Hanson, who was under pressure from Bebbington and dramatically, it was Dronfield who took the lead 7 minutes later.
As the hosts failed to clear their lines, Town’s Charlie Stewart turned on the ball just inside the area and rifled the ball into the roof of the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Naturally, Wombwell were never going to lie down on their home territory. Just past the half hour mark, recent signing Joe Jagger cut inside to the edge of the box and unleashed a drive that Naylor finger-tipped over the bar.
A minute later, Agnew’s backheel put prolific striker Gavin Allott in the clear but his shot was straight at Naylor, who again came to Dronfield’s rescue.
The Wombwell pressure came to bear 7 minutes before the break. The referee adjudged that Jake Hatton had brought Wombwell’s Kane Reece down in the area and pointed to the spot. Allott stepped up with the penalty, which was saved to Lewis Naylor’s right hand side as Dronfield maintained their lead. Allott left the field immediately through injury as the rest of the half passed without incident.
The second half saw Dronfield get their rewards through solid defending and an immensely strong work ethic. They almost made it two in the opening sortie of the half as a Callum Mawbey right footed effort was tipped on to the angle of bar and post by Hanson.
A frustrating evening for Wombwell was compounded when Assistant Manager Jason Dodsworth was sent from the dugout by the match official.
Dronfield had the woodwork to thank for a couple of Wombwell efforts. Jagger’s rising strike in the 59th minute just brushed the outside of the angle and then 7 minutes after, Mackie cut inside from the right only to see his shot hit the base of the post and go out of play.
The Dronfield rearguard was well summed-up by the immense block put in by Bebbington following Reece’s left footed shot but Town weren’t without their opportunities too – Max Rhodes’ sidefoot going over the bar from Stewart’s corner over on the far side.
The final blow to Wombwell came when substitute Harley Wilson was sent to the sin bin with nine minutes remaining. Dronfield saw James Lindores and Tom Gladwin pick up bookings in an attempt to manage the game to its conclusion but the final whistle brought about a mixture of relief and satisfaction at a very hard-working display.
Next up at the HE Barnes Stadium on Saturday are Derbyshire neighbours Staveley MWFC. The Trojans were penalty shootout victors over Dronfield earlier in the month in the Derbyshire Cup after a game that ended 4-4 over 90 minutes. Kick off is 3pm.
Wombwell Town: Hanson, Paling, Sykes, Reece, Paylor, Woodward, Agnew, Kiwanuka, Allott, Jagger, Mackie. Subs: McDermott, Egan, Lycett, Good, Wilson.
Dronfield Town: Naylor, Riley, Gladwin, Stewart, Hatton, Bebbington, Thorpe M, Pearson, Rhodes, Mawbey, Lindores. Subs: Benson, Siddons, Thorpe J, Fereday
Attendance: 102
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