Report by North Derbyshire Radio’s David Bell
Dronfield Town beat further adverse weather conditions but not the opposition in their latest United Counties League Division One fixture. The new 3G facility at the Hickings Lane home of Stapleford Town saw Dronfield go down by 3-1 to their hosts, completing back to back losses for the Derbyshire side. Town were under the cosh from the start thanks to early goals from Max Taylor and Joel Howes and matters became worse at the start of the second half when David Olatomide made it 3-0. Dronfield got a consolation from Dan Shelbourne three minutes from time but it wasn’t enough to stop them from falling one place in the table down to fourteenth. Next up for Chris Millington’s side is the visit of twenty-first ranked Shirebrook Town to the Stonelow Stadium next Saturday.
Dronfield were under pressure from the start. The first minute saw Stapleford skipper Joel Howes granted a free header at the back post that he managed to place over Lewis Naylor’s crossbar.
It wasn’t long before Stapleford did take the lead however. Jahred Russell’s shot was well saved by Naylor but unfortunately, the ball rebounded gratefully to Max Taylor, who was on hand to tap home with just five minutes gone.
The hosts were far more adept on the 3G surface and doubled their lead on 14 minutes. A good cross from the right hand side was met by a stooping header from Howes to put the Nottinghamshire side ahead by 2-0.
Dronfield’s first shot in anger came after 21 minutes. A skidding effort from 20 yards out by Charlie Stewart only just evaded Stapleford keeper Danny Brown’s left hand post as the visitors sought a way back into the contest.
Stapleford continued to take the game to Dronfield. From another left flank delivery, Russell ghosted in at the back post forcing another solid low stop out of Naylor.
On the stroke of half time, a Dan White half volley was batted away by the Stapleford defence and from the subsequent corner, Luke Walker headed against the goal post but in truth, it only really masked a relatively poor 45 minutes for Dronfield.
Stapleford began brightly in the second half too. Aaron Lamb’s left wing cross fizzed across the face of goal only for the referee to inexplicably award a corner when no player had clearly touched the ball.
Town’s Chris Simpkins almost took matters into his own hands, carrying the ball the length of the pitch before hitting a rising left footed strike that cleared the crossbar.
Stapleford’s third came after 55 minutes. With the Dronfield defence at sixes and sevens once again, home substitute David Olatomide cheekily backheeled the ball into the net to make it 3-0.
Dronfield introduced all their substitutes and the performance level did increase somewhat but not before Ben Cassady’s right wing cross again zipped across the area without being converted.
Town did get a consolation three minutes from time. A delivery from the left was met by a fierce header from Dan Shelbourne that flew past Brown in the Stapleford goal but it was too little, too late as another three points slipped away from the men from S18.
Dronfield fall to fourteenth in the UCL Division One table as a result, ahead of the visit of Shirebrook Town to the Stonelow Stadium next Saturday. Despite their current 21st placing, Shirebrook were 2-1 victors over Dronfield back in August so again the North Derbyshire side will be out for a reversal of fortune.
Stapleford Town: Brown, Clough, Lyon, Kruk, Howes, Cassady, Lamb, Harrison J, Taylor, Harrison G, Russell. Subs: Graham, Hughes, Messom, Phillips, Olatomide.
Dronfield Town: Naylor, Reardon, Simpkins, Ord, White, Mawbey, Appleyard, Stewart, Rhodes, Walker, Pashley. Subs: Bancroft, Chapell, Bovill, Shelbourne, Gladwin.
Attendance: 89
