Amaranth Edged Out In Close Encounter Of The Sherburn Kind

Match report below from last Sunday's 3-2 defeat at home to Sherburn. You can view some photos and a video of the late drama when Daz Cooper's shot was saved onto the post on the Amaranth Manstonians FaceBook page HERE.

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Sherburn Vets 3 Amaranth Manstonians Vets 2

A second fixture switch in as many weeks turned an away fixture into a home one for Amaranth and saw another gritty performance from which ultimately went unrewarded against a fitter, stronger side from Sherburn in Elmet.

Forced into another raft of changes due to injury and unavailability, Amaranth were missing top scorer Pugh, midfield marvel Heaton, defensive kingpin Milsted and recent returnee Gabbidon. In came Hallam, after finally settling his club contract dispute, Palenzuela, Danny Mannion and Bentley for his first league start in two seasons after his nightmare period of illness and injury.

It was therefore somewhat of a surprise that the first chance of the game fell to the team in purple with Andy Mannion finding himself within 25 yards of goal in space with the ball sitting up kindly ahead of him. He spotted the Sherburn goalie off his line and wasted no time in pulling the trigger, looping an excellent volley over the keeper only for the ball to fall agonisingly wide of the right-hand upright.

That fast start was no indication of what was to come for the next period of the game as the away side soon gained control and were putting Amaranth under some real pressure, forcing some desperate defending including some crucial challenges from the outstanding Pearce and solid Wood. There was also the usual series of outstanding saves from their ever reliable goal custodian O’Brien.

Eventually, Sherburn’s superiority paid off when they went ahead in the 18th minute and other than a fine raking pass over the top from Bentley that Cooper ran onto, his shot being blocked for a corner that came to nothing, Amaranth never looked like getting back in the game. That was until five minutes before the interval when Smith won a throw in down the right, Mannion picked out the foraging Palenzuela and under-pressure, he produced one of his special toe-bunger cross/shots that drifted over the keeper, hit the far post, ricocheted back off COOPER’s shoulder and into the onion bag for an unlikely leveller.

HT 1-1

Sherburn appeared after half time like a team on a mission, aggrieved at only being level after their dominant first half showing and playing with a confidence and belief that seemed missing from their hosts who were working overtime to quell the pressure and struggling to put any passes together to get them up the pitch. With little over ten minutes on the clock in the second half, Sherburn scored two quick fire goals to finally put some daylight between themselves and their hosts.

Amaranth failed to deal with a series of crosses into the box and eventually, the ball was smashed home by an unmarked Sherburn player just outside the six yard box. Two minutes later and the home defence failed to deal with a ball forward, it was picked up by Sherburn’s speedy frontman who turned past his marker and buried an excellent left foot strike beyond the despairing O’Brien.

Sherburn also hit the post and forced more fine saves from O’Brien who was having a busy afternoon.

Midway through the half, Andy Mannion wasted a glorious chance to get Amaranth back in the game. Latching on to a ball over the top, and for the second time in the game he lobbed the ball over Sherburn’s keeper, judging the height to perfection but not quite getting his angles right. The ball ended centimetres the wrong side of the left hand upright to groans of disbelief from the home fans who thought it was destined for the back of the net.

However, the persistent striker seemed determined to get his name on the scoresheet and the next time a chance came along, he took it with aplomb. Sherburn’s keeper made a hash of trying to clear a free-kick pumped forward to the edge of the penalty area and Smith managed to get a boot on the ball to propel it high over the keepers head towards goal. MANNION, with his back to goal managed to keep his eye on it as it came down with snow on top and executed an exquisite bicycle kick that flew into the net.

As Sherburn started to panic in the closing stages, The Ammers threw Wood forward in a desperate attempt to salvage something from the game. The home side were almost rewarded when Andy Mannion’s free kick 30 yards out was only parried into the path of the on-rushing Cooper on the right edge of the six yard box. His low angled right foot drive was somehow turned onto the post by Sherburn’s stopper and behind for a corner which the hosts failed to trouble Sherburn from.

F-T 2-3

Team (4-4-2): O’Brien; Pearce, Wood, Palenzuela, Slightholm (Stephenson HT (Spence 75)); Bentley (Hallam 55), Smith, Hallam (Jinks 30), D Mannion; Cooper, A Mannion.

Man of the Match: Rob Pearce – All action performance: non-stop running, defending, tackling and jockeying.

Goals: Daz Cooper, Andy Mannion
Assists: Ciri Palenzuela, Phil Smith

MOM Votes: Rob 9, Tony 4, Andy Mannion 2

See you next Sunday,

Rick