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3 February 2007

Town give tabletoppers a scare

Coalville Town 2 Derwent 2

DTZ East Midlands Premier Division

Coalville turned in a superb performance to become only the third team this season to deny tabletoppers Derwent all three points from a game.

Town went into the game on the back of a run of heavy defeats, but were given confidence by Derwent's record in games at Coalville in the past - which included a 9-3 hammering last season.

But this is a different Coalville side, and Derwent are a much improved side from that thrashed by Town in the 2005/06 season. Town fielded five teenagers in their starting line up, and all of them stepped up to the task.

County Drains-sponsored Coalville were wary of Derwent's former national league player playing off their prolific striker, and set two of their youngest players, Leicestershire under-17 players Liam McArthur and Gareth Turner, to man mark him.

Town didn't make the best of starts, though, when Andy Newman was shown a yellow card for playing the ball with his stick over shoulder height. This should have given Derwent the initiative, but it actually had the opposite effect.

Coalville stormed down the other end, split their opponents defence, and won a penalty corner after a foul on another teenage star, Ryan Mason. The ball came out to Chris Vernon who blasted Town into a surprise lead despite being a man short.

Derwent came back after this, and Coalville needed a superb save from Paul Marston to stay in front. But when Newman returned from the sin bin, Coalville again moved up a gear.

Adam Barnett was having one of his most effective games of the season up front, holding the ball up well and on a number of occasions almost getting top scorer Mason away on goal. 

McArthur and Turner continued to frustrate Derwent's dangerman, and even when he did manage to dribble through them, either Gareth Gamble or 19-year-old Glen Marston got in the way to dispossess him.

Town were soon dreaming of a real upset when they went 2-0 up. Vernon fired the ball into the area and captain Brian Robinson got a deflection on the ball that wrong-footed the Derwent keeper and found its way into the goal.

Derwent didn't know what had hit them, but shortly before the interval they managed to get a goal back to leave it 2-1 at half time.

Coalville knew they had to step their game up further in the second half, and Town soon faced a string of penalty corners. But they defended doggedly, and continued to frustrate the visitors.

And on the break it was Coalville who looked the more dangerous. A fantastic ball from Vernon set the fifth of Coalville's teenagers, Sam Crowie, away on goal. Crowie tried to round the keeper, who made a great save with his stick to deny the Town right winger.

Mason also saw a trademark reverse stick effort turned away by the Derwent keeper as Coalville knocked on the door of getting a third for a spell. Vernon also saw a fierce shot blocked by a defender.

Coalville were still leading until five minutes from the end. For once, Coalville fell asleep and allowed Derwent's prolific striker lots of room to deflect the ball bravely under the onrushing challenge from keeper Marston and into the Town goal. It was harsh on Coalville, and other results in the division were just as harsh as Boots picked up a surprise win against South Nottingham to move two points clear of Coalville and the relegation zone.

Town must show similar spirit and resolve this weekend, though, as they travel to second-placed Northampton Saints again aiming to make a mark on the promotion race.