Report by North Derbyshire Radio’s Senior Football Correspondent David Bell
A second half aberration cost Dronfield Town dearly as they went down by 6-0 at league leaders Horbury Town. The relegation-battling Derbyshire side did remarkably well to restrict the table-toppers to a solitary 35th minute Joe Angell header in a fairly even first half but two goals inside 6 minutes at the start of the second period began the rout. Substitute Jack Leach grabbed a brace on 80 and 90 minutes either side of Angell’s hat-trick that wrapped up a comprehensive victory for the Wakefield-based outfit. The defeat takes Dronfield into the bottom three on goal difference below Nostell MW who were without a game. Seven matches remain in Town’s 2024-25 season and they welcome 15th placed Armthorpe Welfare, beaten by 4-1 on Saturday at Selby, to the HE Barnes Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Dronfield set up in a formation that allowed defensive solidity and it was Horbury who suffered the early blows of losing Tom Brook and Luke Playford to injury inside 17 minutes. In between the substitutions, Arran Bovill’s shot on the turn went wide of the mark following a useful Connor Chapell free kick.
Chapell had a cheeky effort from deep catch Horbury stopper Paul Hagreen unawares but his attempt just cleared the crossbar on 20 minutes.
Dronfield’s best chance came on 28 minutes when Owen Lester played-in Max Rhodes, who turned inside his man and forced a low save out of Hagreen.
Despite Dronfield holding firm and producing the better chances, it was Horbury who took a 35th minute lead. The hosts put in a big claim for a penalty but the referee adjudged that Arran Bovill’s misdemeanour had occurred just outside the area. Gibril Bojang’s free kick was glanced home by the head of Joe Angell to make it 1-0.
The game came crashing down for Dronfield inside the opening six minutes of the second half. On 49 minutes, Sam Kyeremeh’s shot forced a good save out of Dronfield’s Jake Balme to his left but James Cusworth pulled the ball back for Abdul Asamoah to tap in at close range and double the Horbury lead.
Two became three just a couple of minutes later. Dronfield failed to clear their defensive lines in the manner they achieved in the opening 45 minutes and Angell followed up to slot home from the edge of the area and make it 3-0.
Horbury ran the rest of their bench as Dronfield withdrew Max Rhodes and Owen Lester, mindful that the upcoming games were possibly of more significance than a tough game against the league leaders.
The eightieth minute saw Horbury get their fourth of the afternoon. Bojang found himself in the clear and as his attempt to chip Balme fell short, substitute Jack Leach turned and tapped in to leave Dronfield crestfallen.
It was all Horbury by this stage and Angell completed his hat-trick in the 89th minute. Another pinpoint Bojang delivery saw the central defender guide his header home to make it 5-0.
The rout was complete on the stroke of full time as a block by Dronfield’s Billy Wright on Joe Jagger rebounded to Leach who again tapped in to confirm the 6-0 victory.
While expectations of victory were low for Dronfield at the league leaders, the six goals conceded took the Derbyshire side’s goal difference to -32, below that of Nostell MW whose stands at -28. They now sit in 20th, ten points ahead of 21st placed Appleby Frodingham and fourteen ahead of bottom side Yorkshire Amateur. Fifteenth ranked Armthorpe Welfare are the visitors to the HE Barnes Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Horbury Town: Hagreen, Swain, Playford, Angell, Travis, Brook, Bojang, Feirn, Cusworth, Kyeremeh, Asamoah. Subs: Schofield, Hobson, Leach, Jagger, Bojang.
Dronfield Town: Balme, Thorpe J, Riley, Lester, Bovill, Wright, Chapell, Thorpe M, Rhodes, Bebbington, Stewart. Subs: Wing, Siddons, Appleyard, Hatton, Gladwin.
Attendance: 190
