Report by North Derbyshire Radio’s David Bell
Three goals in a 12 minute spell cost Dronfield Town dearly as they went down to Southwell City in their latest United Counties League Division One fixture. Town held high-flying Southwell for an hour but the brief meltdown saw them leave the Centenary Ground empty handed as an Ayleal Dill brace and a Christopher Okoye strike saw the hosts claim all three points. To make matters worse, Dronfield’s Callum Mawbey saw red in retaliation to a kick he received from a Southwell player, leaving the game with just a minute remaining. Despite the loss, Town remain in 15th place in the UCL Division One table but face another tough challenge on Tuesday evening when unbeaten leaders Clipstone visit the Stonelow Stadium.
The first half was goalless as Dronfield did well to hold off the challenge of third-ranked Southwell. Two minutes had gone when Lewis Naylor was grateful to hang on to the ball with Romello Nangle ready to pounce.
It took Town some 10 minutes to organise successfully at the back but when they did, improvement in the performance came. On the quarter of an hour mark, Bailey Morgan’s inswinging corner was headed narrowly wide by a climbing Aston Thompson.
Just four minutes later, Southwell stopper Tom Ashman was called into action, stopping Callum Martin’s shot to his left hand side but Dronfield’s chances ended there as the hosts continued to threaten.
On 24 minutes, lively wide man Chris Okoye carved his way through the Dronfield defence and it took a stop from the legs of Lewis Naylor to prevent Southwell taking the lead.
Three minutes after, it was the equally-lively Romello Nangle who got a free run into the box and it took a last ditch tackle from Callum Mawbey to prevent an almost-certain goal.
To add to Dronfield’s woes, influential midfielder Alex Appleyard suffered a back injury and had to be replaced on the half hour mark by Isaac Reardon. But with the scores remaining level at the break, there was optimism for the second half to come.
That optimism was soon tempered after the interval when Southwell’s Zach Casburn got free in the left channel but place his shot wide of Lewis Naylor’s left hand post.
Dronfield came close on 56 minutes when Bailey Morgan spotted Southwell stopper Tom Ashman off his line but his effort from the half way line only just went wide of the target.
Town went behind on the hour mark. Ryan Watters was adjudged to have pulled back Nangle in the box and received a yellow card for his troubles, when in the first of a series of inconsistent decisions, the letter of the law might have dictated a red. Ayleal Dill stepped up and put the spot kick to Naylor’s left making it 1-0 to the hosts.
The second came six minutes after. A foul on Watters high in the Southwell half was waived away and with the Dronfield right full back stranded, the hosts pulled away on the fast break with Dill firing home from the angle to make the lead 2-0.
Twelve minutes of madness were capped when Southwell got their third. Dronfield lost the ball in midfield and in the blink of an eye, Chris Okoye fired home for the Zebras, giving them a three goal advantage.
Town rang all their substitutes and in a better passing move, Said Benaissa stabbed over the bar from 9 yards out but it was clearly a case of too little too late.
To add insult to injury, one minute from time, Callum Mawbey was dismissed for a straight red card. Mawbey, clearly angered by a kick he received from a Southwell player, threw his opponent to the ground and was dismissed from the field of play – his victim merely collecting a yellow.
Despite the loss, Dronfield remain in 15th in the table but face the challenge of leaders Clipstone FC next at the Stonelow Stadium. Clipstone have won all of their 8 league games so far and will undoubtedly pose another huge threat to their North Derbyshire counterparts on Tuesday evening.
Southwell City: Ashman, Johnson, Cariata, Bryant, Peace-McDonald, Armstrong, Nangle, Steer, Casburn, Dill, Okoye. Subs: Newton, Gangotra, Hussain, Gardner, Warner.
Dronfield Town: Naylor, Watters, Stewart, Appleyard, Thompson, Mawbey, Worrall, Morgan, Rhodes, Bebbington, Martin. Subs: Chapell, Ord, Reardon, Benaissa, Walker.
Attendance: 70
