Dronfield Town gave the gift of three points to the people of the North Derbyshire town with a 2-0 pre-Christmas victory over Yorkshire Amateur. A header from top-scorer Max Rhodes and a debut goal for new signing Kenan McKenzie-Grey late in the encounter sent Town up to seventh in the Northern Counties East League Division One table. A relentless bombardment from Dronfield was repelled for long spells by Ammers stopper Jack Viles with the Leeds-based visitors finding their greater successes on the break. The two late strikes set Town up for a Boxing Day visit to 21st placed Armthorpe Welfare, shock victors over leaders Wakefield AFC on Saturday.
The opening half hour was all about the men from the HE Barnes Stadium. A succession of chances began in the 6th minute when Max Rhodes scissor kick went narrowly wide of the target and his strike partner Nick Benson saw his left foot shot gathered by Amateur’s goalie Jack Viles two minutes after.
The bombardment of the Ammers goal was relentless. Sam Bebbington chased a lost cause on 11 minutes; the ball falling to Callum Mawbey who saw his shot blocked by the visitor’s rearguard.
One minute later, Bebbington’s rising shot was saved by Viles and the same player saw his header saved by the busy stopper on 14 minutes from a Charlie Stewart corner.
Viles continued to keep his team in the game. Stewart lifted the ball into the area on 16 minutes as Viles pulled off another save from Benson’s header and then proceeded to gather a decently struck Max Rhodes free kick.
The overworked Ammers custodian pulled off his best save yet on 23 minutes, pushing the ball out to the left from Mawbey’s eighteen yard half-volley.
Yorkshire Amateur threatened on the break inside the last fifteen minutes of the half. Kaiden Cheetham placed his shot wide from the edge of the area on the half hour mark and a Cyrus Rowe glancing header from a left flank delivery just missed the target two minutes after.
Little changed in the second half. Arran Bovill stabbed the ball past the post in the opening minute for Dronfield and that man Viles blocked a Connor Chapell effort on 48 minutes, Max Rhodes just unable to claim the rebound.
Patient build-up from the right hand side ended in a Mawbey attempt going wide on 55 minutes before Town decided to shake things up – Kenan McKenzie-Grey coming on for his debut alongside James Lindores in place of Nick Benson and Matt Thorpe.
There was no let-up in the Dronfield pressure however. An almighty scramble in the box ended in Lindores shot being charged down and a minute later, Viles continued his ludicrous run of saves, this time from Chapell after a McKenzie-Grey cross.
Town didn’t have it all their own way. The lively Wilfred Frimpong cut in from the left to force a quality save out of Lewis Naylor to his right hand side but the latter stages of the game finally saw Dronfield get the win their pressure had deserved.
McKenzie-Grey struck the post on 77 minutes but it only took a further minute for Town to take the lead. Charlie Stewart’s corner was met by the head of leading marksman Max Rhodes to make it 1-0.
And the lead was doubled on 80 minutes. Sam Bebbington’s delivery from the left was met at close range by Kenan McKenzie-Grey to put Dronfield two up.
Amateur had one final riposte. An excellent Crossfield ball by Frimpong was well struck by substitute Marcio Da Silva to the extent that it rattled off the post but few could argue that on volume of chances, the three points were well worthy of staying in S18.
Next up, Dronfield travel to Armthorpe Welfare on Boxing Day. The Welfare currently reside in 21st spot in the table but were shock winners at leaders Wakefield AFC in Saturday’s round of fixtures.
Dronfield Town: Naylor, Fereday, Riley, Stewart, Bovill, Mawbey, Chapell, Thorpe M, Rhodes, Benson, Bebbington. Subs: Lindores, Knight, Townsend, McKenzie-Grey, Thorpe J.
Yorkshire Amateur: Viles, Sternberg, Tweolde, Kongolo, Boyd, Morton, Rowe, Korbel, Cheetham, Wade, Frimpong. Subs: Arif, Campbell, Sila-Conde, Da Silva.
Attendance: 157
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