Hednesford move to within a point of league leaders Warrington Rylands this evening after a late double strike seals all three points over Bamber Bridge at a rainy Keys Park
 
It had been a week since the Pitmen’s last league outing – a 2-1 win over Hyde United – with manager Gavin Hurren electing to make only one change to his in-form starting XI as Jermiane Hylton returned on the left wing ahead of Dan Turner
 
Bamber Bridge made the journey down from Preston off the back of some mixed form, sitting in seventeenth place in the Northern Premier League standings. Manager Jamie Milligan made three changes from the side that had started their last game against Morpeth Town ten days ago as Nathan Okome came in for Adam Dodd, Michael Potts replaced the suspended Chris Churchman and forward Emmerich Poilly was preferred to Billy Bould
 
Despite the miserable late autumn weather, the Hednesford public once again backed their side in large numbers as another 1,200-plus crowd packed into Keys Park. The away side looked to start off on the front foot through Poilly in the first minute, with the former Clitheroe forward stepping inside from the left before striking a tame low shot at goal from eighteen yards out that was easily fielded by Tony Breeden
 
The visitors continued their bright start with some pragmatic play down the right in the fourth minute; Poilly and Isaac Abankwah linked up well, with Poilly’s deep cross just evading Ewan Bange in the middle as it drifted across the face of goal and away from danger
 
Two minutes later, Poilly looked to take advantage of a rare slip from Jamie Morgan as he got in behind the right-back down the flank, pulling the ball back into the path of the incoming Bange - his first-time effort skipped across the slick turf and was saved by Breeden on his goal line
 
Ryan Wynter was the first Hednesford player in the wars in the eleventh minute, requiring a lengthy spell of treatment after an accidental clash with team-mate Joe Doyle-Charles midway inside his own half as the pair went for the same ball
 
Former Guiseley man Kofi Moore was proving a slippery customer for the Hednesford defence to deal with on the right, with the striker driving into the box on thirteen minutes and pulling it back to Bange, who did well to hold off Ollie Harrison before turning and striking a tame low shot straight at Breeden from twelve yards out
 
Dom McHale looked to get the Pitmen onto the front foot after a sluggish start to proceedings, making one of his patented surging runs in from the left on seventeen minutes before striking a low angled effort at goal from twenty-five yards out that goalkeeper Aidan Dowling saved with ease at his near post
 
Two minutes later, a brilliant reverse pass from McHale sent Montel Gibson away, getting goal side of the experienced Nat Knight-Percival but seeing his shot blocked by the defender; the ball eventually ran to Hylton, whose surging run into the box was checked by Abankwah
 
Chris Hussey’s resultant ball in was partially cleared by the Bamber Bridge defence as far as Dan Trickett-Smith, whose half-volley from the edge of the opposition penalty area was a little too high and dipped just over Dowling’s crossbar
 
The Pitmen got their noses in front on twenty-three minutes as the first piece of quality play so far this evening opened up the Brig defence; McHale’s quick-footed one-two with Gibson on the edge of the box saw the Magic man take the ball into the penalty area and pull it back into the path of Harrison, who showed great composure to turn the ball past Dowling from twelve yards out. A superb poacher’s finish from the big centre-back, his second goal of the season to add to his strike at Leek Town back in September
 
With the cushion of their goal lead, the Pitmen started to play in a more relaxed manner on the counter-attack. Hylton made another forceful run down the left on twenty-six minutes, darting past three players in yellow before taking a tumble just inside the Brig penalty area. Despite his pleas, referee Mr Walker was unimpressed and gestured to the former Ross County winger to get back to his feet
 
A minute later, McHale was left in a heap as he clashed with Knight-Percival midway inside the Bamber Bridge half, holding the side of his head and prompting a lengthy spell of treatment for the playmaker. After manfully trying to get back on the pitch, McHale eventually had to admit defeat on thirty-two minutes, with Turner coming on to replace him

Harrison went agonisingly close to doubling his tally for the evening on thirty-four minutes as a Hussey corner was cleared as far as Morgan, who swung in a delightful cross back into the box that Harrison volleyed inches wide of Dowling’s left-hand post from ten yards out
 
More good delivery from Hussey on the right on thirty-six minutes saw the veteran defender swing in a fine ball to the far post, where Wynter looked to turn the ball back across goal but could only divert the cross behind for a goal kick
 
Turner showed his quality on the ball with six minutes of the first half remaining, making a forceful run past Jack Baxter and into the space behind the full-back - his cross low into the box was aimed at Gibson, who was beaten to the ball by the covering Okome to concede a corner kick
 
Hussey’s corner kick from the right was another delightfully delivered ball right onto the head of Wynter at the far post – his header back across goal was perfectly flighted into the path of Gibson, who somehow failed to find the net as he headed narrowly over the crossbar from close range. A great chance missed by the in-form striker
 
Bamber Bridge finished the half strongly, with Abankwah earning the visitors a free-kick right on the edge of the Hednesford penalty area on forty-three minutes as Harrison brought him down in full flight. The left-footed Baxter took responsibility for the kick and curled his shot over the Hednesford wall but straight onto the end of Breeden’s fist as the stopper punched the ball away from danger
 
In the second of five minutes at the end of the first half, Turner was the first player to have his name taken by Mr Walker for taking his complaints over a challenge on Gibson just inside the Bamber Bridge half that wasn’t given in the Pitmen’s favour
 
It had been a half of two halves in the first period, with Bamber Bridge having a couple of decent openings in the first twenty minutes before the home side stole into the lead and took the game to their opponents for the final twenty minutes of the half. Brig had looked a little short of ideas in the final third, with some of their decision-making a little laboured, which allowed the hosts to clear their lines. The Pitmen were a threat on the counter through Hylton and Gibson, but they themselves had struggled to make it count in the visitors’ penalty area thus far
 
Within seconds of the restart, Turner’s forceful forward running created a glorious chance for the hosts as he once again got past Baxter down the right and pulled the ball back towards the incoming Hylton and Gibson, who both inexplicably missed the ball as it dribbled away at the far post
 
Baxter followed Turner into the referee’s notebook three minutes later as the left-back was booked for a clumsy challenge on Morgan to stop the right-back from breaking into space behind him. Hussey’s inswinging ball into the far post was aimed at Harrison but was punched away by the lanky Dowling
 
The Pitmen were content to play bouts of keep ball for spells at this juncture, stopping Bamber Bridge from building up a head of steam as they searched for an equaliser. Poilly made a run inside from the left on fifty-three minutes, drifting past both Morgan and Wynter before another commanding challenge from man of the match Harrison just inside the Hednesford penalty area halted the Frenchman’s progress before he could get his shot away
 
The hosts looked to perk up their flagging side on fifty-nine minutes with a double change of personnel; skipper Joss Labadie was replaced by Simeon Maye and the out-of-sorts Hylton made way for top scorer Ahkeem Rose
 
More dominant defending from Harrison on sixty-two minutes saw the towering defender head away at the far post to deny Bange a great chance after Baxter’s deep ball into the six-yard box was aimed at the former Hyde United man
 
Midway through the second half, Bamber Bridge made their first change of the game as Bange’s frustrating evening came to an end as he was replaced up front by Bould
 
This was swiftly followed by the Pitmen’s fourth and final change of the evening on sixty-eight minutes as left-back Joel Taylor came on in place of Gibson, prompting a re-shuffle of the forward line as Turner and Rose both moved up front from their respective wide roles 
 
This paid immediate dividends for the home side as Rose and Turner linked up to grab the Pitmen’s second goal of the game on seventy-one minutes; Rose did brilliantly to control Hussey’s long punt forward, powering his way past Joel Bailey and into the box before unselfishly squaring the ball to the unmarked Turner, who had the simple task of turning the ball home past Dowling and into the far corner of the net from close-range
 
The visitors reacted to going two goals down by making a triple change on seventy-four minutes as Baxter was replaced by Olly Molloy, Knight-Percival was taken off for Simon Grand and Harry Benns replaced Potts
 
Two minutes later, neat approach play from the visitors saw the ball worked to Okome on the edge of the penalty area, with the former Chorley midfielder drilling in a well-struck effort that was held by the well-positioned Breeden 

Turner really should have put the game to bed with eleven minutes remaining, as he was played clean through on goal down the right by Morgan’s punt forward. After entering the penalty area, Turner looked to turn the ball past the advancing Dowling but saw his shot smothered by the stopper when he really should have found the net
 
A minute later, Turner and Rose combined once more with a clever one-two just inside the Bamber Bridge box that played Turner in on goal. However, Rose’s touch had a little too much on it and was claimed by Dowling before Turner could force the ball home from eight yards out
 
Doyle-Charles picked up a late booking from Mr Walker on eighty-four minutes as he clattered into Jamie Allen in the centre of midfield and was yellow-carded for the challenge
 
Rose's bright cameo saw him go agonisingly close to grabbing a well-deserved goal on eighty-seven minutes, picking up Breeden's long punt out and taking on Baxter before unleashing a shot from the right-hand corner of the box that took a deflection off the full-back and flew just wide of Dowling's right-hand post 

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The same player went even closer to scoring the Pitmen's third in the first of five added minutes, using his pace and power to good effect to power past Baxter on the halfway line, leaving the defender for dust as he closed in on the penalty area before sidefooting the ball past the advancing Dowling but a matter of inches past the stopper's left-hand post

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Despite these two setbacks, Rose was to finally grab goal number eleven of the season two minutes later as he and Turner linked up once more; Breeden was again the instigator of the move with another long punt downfield to Hussey, who drifted in from the left and sprayed the ball out to Turner on the right flank. The substitute played the ball into the feet of Rose - standing on the penalty spot - with the striker turning well and striking a shot that took a nick off the boot of Bailey and looped over the reach of Dowling and into the net

 

Two late goals had put something of a gloss finish to the result for the hosts, who had largely controlled the tempo of the game without really pressing their opponents. With Rylands not in action at the weekend, the Pitmen have a golden opportunity to move two points clear at the top of the Northern Premier League table if they can get the better of fellow newly-promoted side Cleethorpes Town at Keys Park and record a fifth win in a row

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Hednesford Town: Breeden, Morgan, Hussey, Labadie © (Maye 59), Harrison, Wynter, Trickett-Smith, Doyle-Charles ▆, Gibson (Taylor 68), McHale (Turner 32 ▆), Hylton ▆ (Rose 59)     Sub unused: Parke
 
Bamber Bridge: Dowling, Abankwah, Baxter ▆ (Molloy 74), Okome, Knight-Percival (Grand 74 ▆), Bailey, Allen, Potts © (Benns 74), Bange (Bould 66), Moore, Poilly       Subs unused: none

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