Blidworth Welfare continued their promotion drive with a 5-0 success away at Kimberley Town on Saturday. However, the score line suggests this was an easy victory which was far from the truth. Blidworth gave Kimberley the respect they deserve despite being the bottom club in the Supreme Division and it took a hard workman like performance from every Blidworth player to ensure the three points came their way. Manager Brett Marshall had to shuffle his pack due to suspensions and players being unavailable. The side were once again without striker Dean Rick as he completed his two match suspension. Gary Armstrong was promoted from the reserves to start the game in the middle of the park alongside Ricky Chambers who was given the task of marking Leon Aikman considered to be Kimberley’s main play maker. In fact Chambers made an excellent job of his task throughout the game.
Tom Higginbottom had the first strike at goal for Kimberley in the first minute but he shot well wide. Ricky Chambers made some space for himself inside the Kimberley box but his shot was blocked and the ball cleared. Simon Ellison had a deflected shot easily saved by Kimberley keeper Simon Dye. Carl Haslam had a good chance to score on nine minutes as Nathan Hollingsworth’s long pass put him through on goal but he shot wide of the goal as Dye came out to meet him. Kimberley’s Leon Aikman should have done better with a free header from a corner but could only guide it wide of Paul Stanhope’s goal. Haslem had another opportunity as Dye dropped Tom Mallinson’s free kick at his feet but his shot was blocked on the line and the ball was cleared out for a corner. Simon Ellison found himself free inside the area with only Dye to beat but could only manage to shoot straight at him. It could so easily have been one nil to Kimberley on twenty five minutes. The impressive Liam Pride’s back pass to Stanhope fell short and the Blidworth defender could only look on in horror as Higginbottom ran through on goal unmarked but fortunately Stanhope managed to block the strikers shot with his foot and then saved Aikman’s follow up attempt. Blidworth finally managed to convert one of their chances on thirty two minutes. Haslem tackled and won the ball off Aikman on the half way line and ran through with a number of Kimberley defenders in his trail to shoot underneath Dye and score. Jason Edwards should have made it two nil a minute later as Simon Ellison’s pass put him through on goal but he shot wide. However Edwards made amends on thirty six minutes. Haslem’s corner was cleared by the Kimberley defenders out only as far as Mallinson who headed the ball back into the penalty area for Edwards to head home from close range. Haslem made it three nil on thirty nine minutes. Gary Armstrong played a neat one two with Mallinson who played a good ball over the top for Haslem to race through and blast past Dye into the net. Dye was then called into action to save Edwards shot after he had been put through on goal by Hollingsworth’s pass. The same Blidworth player was again denied by Dye as the Kimberley keeper managed to fist away his fiercely struck shot. Both Simon Ellison and Chambers had further opportunity’s to increase the lead before half time as first Ellison controlled Haslem’s cross in front of goal but blasted the ball over the bar and then Haslem’s short corner went to Chambers whose shot at goal went well wide. The only attempt from Kimberley came from left back Josh Havenhand whose effort from the edge of the box flew well wide.
Straight from the kick off Chambers tried to do a David Beckham from the half way line and it was a good attempt as his shot just cleared Dye’s crossbar. Blidworth started were they had left off at half time. Haslem was fouled just outside the penalty area and Edward’s fiercely struck free kick hit the top of the cross bar and went over. Hollingsworth’s pass gave Simon Ellison a great chance to score as he ran through on goal unchallenged but he shot wide of Dye’s goal. Haslem completed his hat trick and Blidworth’s fourth on fifty six minutes. He ran at the Kimberley defence with the ball beating a number of players before driving the ball past Dye into the bottom right hand corner. On sixty two minutes Armstrong’s curling shot on goal was well saved by Dye. Simon Ellison made it five nil on sixty four minutes headed home Haslem’s corner from close range. Blidworth manager Brett Marshall decided to give his substitutes an opportunity at this stage of the game as Carl Gould replaced Simon Ellison; Kieron Wells for Mark Ellison and Steve McGurk came on for Hollingsworth. In his first attempt on goal Wells had a shot which was saved by Dye. In a rare Kimberley attack Jake Liddell shot high over the bar from outside the area. Dye pulled off a great save to deny Haslem as the Blidworth striker’s trickery put him in a good position to score. Haslem had another attempt on goal but after beating a number of players he could only drag his shot wide. On eighty minutes Armstrong’s excellent pass freed Haslam on the right wing and his cross found the unmarked Wells who really should have hit the ball first time but his delayed effort was blocked by a defender and the ball went out fo a corner.
Blidworth’s next fixture is at home to Kinsley Boys on Tuesday 12th April KO 7.45pm.
Kimberley Town: Simon Dye, Courtney Bentley, Josh Havenhand, Liam Edge, Tom Davey, Tristan Spencer, Jake Liddell, Adam Lovell, Tom Higginbottom, Leon Aikman, Rob Brown. Subs: Steve Reed, Zidon Matthews and Jack Harrison.
Blidworth Welfare: Paul Stanhope, Tom Mallinson, Nathan Hollingsworth (Steve McGurk 68), Lee Bowler, Liam Pride, Gary Armstrong, Jason Edwards, Ricky Chambers, Simon Ellison (Craig Gould 65), Mark Ellison (Kieron Wells 58), Carl Haslem. Subs: Craig Gould, Steve McGurk and Kieron Wells.
Officials: David Styles, Andy Richardson and Stuart Walker.
Regards
Alan Whitworth Chair
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