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Fightback not enough against Notts

Coalville Town 3 North Notts 5 

Bodykraft East Midlands Premier Division

Coalville put up a brave fight against a powerful North Notts side in their opening Bodykraft East Midlands Premier Division game of the season - but it was not enough to secure any points.

County Drains-sponsored Town started brightly enough but fell behind from North Notts first attack when the ball was cut back and a player met the ball inside the dee to steer it into the far corner of the Coalville goal.

Town were now up against it and things soon got worse when another sharp pull back saw North Notts centre forward expertly deflect the ball high into the top corner of the goal to make it 2-0.

But Coalville showed some fight and soon went close on a couple of occasions to getting back into the game. Liam McArthur had a shot well saved by the North Notts keeper, while Chris Vernon saw a shot fly across the face of goal.

Coalville were now having a good spell, with Phil Sign and Mark Newman gaining control in the middle of the park, and the ever tricky Brian Robinson on the flank posing problems for the North Notts defence. 

Robinson burst forward down the right and played the ball across the area for Newman, who then slipped it into the path of Ryan Mason. Mason held the ball up and tried to take it past a defender, before producing a trademark reverse stick strike that flew into the top corner of the North Notts goal to bring Coalville back into the game.

Seconds before the interval, though, Coalville were picking the ball out of the back of their goal again when North Notts again unlocked the door and a forward managed to round keeper Paul Marston and fire home to make it 3-1.

Coalville came under pressure from the restart, after Adam Barnett was sinbinned for speaking out of turn to an umpire, and Marston was soon being forced into a string of good saves to keep the visitors out, including one treble save and another bravely at the feet of a North Notts striker.

But there was nothing the Coalville keeper could do about North Notts fourth. Coalville conceded possession cheaply from a hit out and a player picked the ball up and raced into the dee before blasting a ferocious strike that whistled into the top corner of the Coalville goal.

Coalville again showed spirit, though, and were soon pressurising North Notts. Town won a string of penalty corners, but failed to convert any of them. Eventually, though, Sign slipped the ball to Vernon and, although he was denied at the first attempt, the Town striker followed in and lifted the ball into the goal to make it 4-2.

This gave Coalville hope, and those hopes were raised even further when Vernon struck again with a well hit shot into the bottom corner of the goal to make it 4-3 with about five minutes left. Ill-discipline then struck again as James Woodard received a yellow card for arguing with an umpire, but despite that Coalville poured forward.

But when another penalty corner broke down for Town and North Notts hit Town on the counter. Marston made a good save to deny the first effort on goal, but the rebound was turned home from a tight angle to seal a 5-3 win for North Notts.

Town face a busy weekend this time, with a trip to newly promoted county rivals Leicester Westleigh on Saturday followed by a Harrod UK Trophy Round One game at home to West Midlands Premier Division side Stratford on Sunday (1pm start) at King Edward VII College. Town will be hoping a big home support will be on hand to cheer them into Round Two.