Ten Man Ollerton Comfortably See Out A Point

Report by Will Lavelle

An eventful lower division clash between Ollerton and Armthorpe saw a barrage of chances, a goal in each half and even a red card, but the goals were spread evenly at 1-1 as a ten man Ollerton side clung to a crucial point.

The game was closely contested in the early stages but it was Armthorpe who came closest to making the breakthrough as Luke Williams reacted quickest to a parried save from Joey McCormack but wasn’t able to convert past Ollerton’s returning shot stopper.

Armthorpe went close again as Christopher Simpkins was set through on goal but McCormack came out on top once again as his save took the pace off the ball allowed Reece Conroy to clear the goal ward effort.

The home side continued to threaten as Josh Dodd’s sliced volley fell to Simpkins just outside the six yard box but he couldn’t find the right contact as he fired just wide of the Ollerton post.

Ollerton finally troubled Armthorpe goalkeeper Alfie Stevens-Neale when Lewis Bingham slid a ball into the path of the marauding Aaron Sennett-Neilson but he came out second best in the one on one.

The early Armthorpe dominance continued with Liam Redford charging forward and cutting the ball to Josh O’Neill but another miscued strike kept the game all square.

After a confident opening half an hour from Armthorpe, Ollerton were sent into an unlikely lead when Lewis Bingham wriggled down the left wing and cut the ball back towards the league’s top scorer Gav King who smashed the ball past Stevens-Neale.

Ollerton finally began to look switched on in the final fifteen minutes of the half and arguably should’ve found the second goal before half time. King was played in down the right wing and precisely cut the ball back to Sean Dickinson but an unfortunate miscue saw the creative midfielder fail to make contact with ball from close range.

Ollerton’s strong end to the first was instantly washed away at the start of the second half as a poor clearance fell to edge of the box where Dodd fired home on the half volley against his former club to draw Armthorpe level.

The home side looked to build on the early equaliser with Ollerton showing vulnerability down the right hand side following a change in shape at half time but Williams’ shot to the far post flew just wide. Armthorpe then struck the woodwork in the aftermath of a corner just minutes later with Ollerton firmly against the ropes to start the second half.

Ollerton began to settle into the second half but were hit with a hammer blow as Brandon Shaw received his marching orders for clipping the heels of Williams while he was adjudged to have been clear through on goal.

Armthorpe then came within inches of taking the lead as an inswinging cross from the right hand side was met by Craig Aspinall but he couldn’t find the right contact to direct it past McCormack.

Winter’s men almost stole back the lead against the run of play once again as Lewis Price, who had shown glimpses of his ability throughout, struck a low drive from the edge of the box which found the outside of the post.

The hectic pace of the end to end affair remained throughout the second half with two Armthorpe penalty appeals being waved away in quick succession late on. In another abrupt break from the Armthorpe pressure, a brilliant Ollerton counter ended with a free header for Dickinson at the back post but he once again couldn’t find the right contact in front of goal.

The ten men of Ollerton were forced to withstand the final waves of Armthorpe pressure in a tense ending to the match, but a spirited second half performance saw Winter’s men hold strong for a hard earned point to go ten points clear of the relegation zone.