Dronfield Town put together the complete performance to take down second-placed Campion AFC on a bitterly cold night at the HE Barnes Stadium. The game was delayed to 8.20pm following the late arrival of the visitors, who had no answer to possibly Dronfield’s best display of the season. First half goals from Danny Wood and Callum Mawbey gave the points to Town, who now look ahead to a local derby with Hallam on Saturday.
Most of the Campion side took to the field with virtually no warm-up and despite this had the first effort on goal when Lewis Naylor saved low to his right from Leon Hurles-Brook. That was about as good as it got for the West Yorkshire men as Dronfield proceeded to dominate the rest of the half.
Town took the lead in the thirteenth minute. Declan Lambton could only parry Danny Wood’s free kick and in the ensuing melee, Wood stepped up to fire home and give the home side the advantage.
Dronfield had the ball in the net again eleven minutes later. A neat move involving Mawbey and Ord ended with Rupere finding the target but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Hurles-Brook found the side netting after being freed by Ponter on the half hour mark but it was Town who extended their lead five minutes before the interval.
The ball was well controlled in the middle of the park by Mawbey, who fed Wood. His ball up the line found Mawbey once again, who slipped his marker and finished comfortably past Lambton to make it 2-0.
Campion finally got into gear in the second half but were well matched by some outstanding defending from Dronfield. Ponter turned his flick come shot into Naylor’s hands two minutes after the restart and the Town stopper pulled off an excellent double save first from Foley and then with his feet from Campion top-scorer Qasim.
Danny Wood had an appeal for a penalty waved away after his goal-bound glancing header appeared to be handled by Hall and on 74 minutes, Rupere’s shot came off a Campion player to skim the bar.
Daniel Facey’s shot across goal summed up Campion’s evening, evading all their attackers in the 88th minute but nothing could take away from a Dronfield display where they defended and attacked with equal intensity and were fully deserving of their win.
Dronfield remain in 13th place in the Northern Counties East League Division One but have a chance to potentially climb as high as 10th should they be successful in Saturday’s local derby against Hallam.
Dronfield Town: Naylor, Rawson, Stewart, Sezerano, Pugh, Hill, Wood, Chappell, Rupere, Mawbey, Ord.
Campion: Lambton, Carney, Bodle, McCreadie, Hall, Foley, Cusack, Ponter, Facey, Hurles-Brook, Qasim.
Attendance: 68
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