The Pitmen get themselves back to winning ways this afternoon at Frickley's Causeway Lane as they edge a poor game courtesy of Danny Glover's late, late winning goal for the visitors

 

Last week's 2-1 reverse to Nantwich Town had checked the Pitmen's progress after successive wins over Skelmersdale United and Ilkeston, on top of yet another frustrating postponement at Mickleover Sports in midweek due to a waterlogged pitch. The Pitmen's interim management team stuck broadly with the same side that had been beaten by the play-off chasing Dabbers, with Vinny Mukendi returning to the side in place of Tony Clarke and Darren Campion well enough to take his place at left-back at the expense of Callum Roberts, who had struggled in the Nantwich game

 

Frickley - well beaten at Keys Park back in October - have been in and around the relegation places for much of the season, although a decent run of form recently has seen Lee Morris's men win three and draw one of their last four, including a fine 1-0 win against Matlock Town on Tuesday night that lifted them to eighteenth place in the table ahead of kick-off and away from the relegation dogfight. Morris was forced into two changes to his side as Sebastian Malkowski and Sam Liversedge were ruled out due to injury and were replaced by Josh Diggles and Jack Burton respectively

 

George Washbourne was first to make light of the bumpy underfoot conditions in the second minute, bravely winning the ball twice before driving forwards and firing in a low shot that was diverted away from goal for a Hednesford corner kick by Ross Barrows

 

Neither side was able to settle in the opening ten minutes, in what was a poor spectacle for step three football over the period of the ninety minutes. A marauding run from Kyle Haynes on twelve minutes saw the right-back send over a deep cross for Mukendi, who failed to make clean contact with his header and headed wide of goal

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Frickley responded through a run from Luke Mangham three minutes later, skipping past Dan Brenan and lifting his shot from just outside the Hednesford penalty area over Dan Crane's crossbar

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Four minutes later a header from Barrows was only just wide of Crane's right-hand post after he had nipped in to reach a deep cross from wide midfielder Tyler Williams

 

 before Dan Crane was called upon to make his first save of the afternoon midway through the first period; neat build-up play from Langham played Joe Pugh in on goal, with Crane making a fine stop with his legs to deny Pugh the opening goal from an angle

 

A minute later, Frickley really should have been in front but were denied through a combination of Crane and Washbourne. A through ball from Jack Burton caught the Pitmen cold down the left, finding Noel Burdett free to run in goal. Crane did brilliantly to parry the striker's shot, but only succeeded in playing the ball straight to Pugh, whose rebounded shot was somehow acrobatically cleared off the line by Washbourne, who had followed the ball back into his penalty area

 

The Pitmen were struggling to put together any real play of note, although the partnership of Nat Brown and Dan Brenan was starting to bear fruit with an impressive display from the pair, aided by the enthusiastic running of the two full-backs

 

Mangham was involved once more on twenty-eight minutes for the hosts, getting on the end of a deep cross from the left but firing high over Crane's crossbar

 

Hednesford skipper Tom Thorley had recently found his scoring touch with three goals in the last month and tried his luck on the half-hour mark, driving in a shot that was deflected behind by Reece Fielding for a Hednesford corner kick. Thorley took the resultant kick and swung it in tho the far post where Brenan headed tamely wide

 

Danny Glover had cut a frustrated figure so far, with opportunities limited for Hednesford's top scorer against a resolute Frickley defence. He was limited to long-range shots in the first half, firing in a weak effort that was easily saved by Josh Diggles in the Frickley goal on thirty-two minutes

 

Glover turned provider for striker partner Mukendi two minutes later, getting down the right-wing before sending over a deep ball that Mukendi headed straight into the hands of Diggles

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The Pitmen were finishing the half much the stronger of the two teams and went close again on forty minutes as Mukendi held up a Thorley pass before supplying Washbourne, only for the winger's shot to fly past the angle of post and crossbar

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Frickley responded through a break from Williams on forty-two minutes, supplying Langham with a superb pass through the centre of the Hednesford defence, only for the Frickley man to lift his shot from eighteen yards out over Crane's crossbar

 

Glover lifted a free-kick over the Frickley wall with the final action of a first-half limited in overall quality, but his effort lacked power and was easily claimed by Diggles on his goal line

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In many ways, it had been a game typical of two mid-table sides in mixed form with both teams struggling in front of goal, with clear-cut chances very much at a premium at both ends. The hosts were forced into a change at the break as Jack Waters went off due to injury and was replaced by Macauley Parkinson

 

Mukendi's second half started with a literal bang, as the big striker required a lengthy spell of attention three minutes after the restart after a nasty clash of heads with Fielding. Despite coming off worst, Mukendi was subsequently booked for his part in the clash, much to the anger of the Hednesford bench

 

A quick break from Frickley on fifty-three minutes saw Pugh break clear and play in strike partner Burdett, but his low drive across goal was a few feet wide of the far post as Crane watched it sail by

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A run from Williams on the hour mark saw him drift past Kyle Haynes and sent over a teasing cross from the left flank that was just begging to be tucked in by one of the Frickley forwards arriving in the six-yard box. However, the ball would not sit up for either Burdett or Pugh and was eventually cleared by Brown

 

With twenty minutes of an uninspiring second period remaining, Mukendi was replaced by Clarke up front as the Pitmen looked to add more muscle to their attack

 

Glover was within a whisker of giving the Pitmen the lead a minute later, as he raced in on goal to get to a through ball but was just beaten to the loose ball by Diggles, who had advanced to the edge of his penalty area to deny the eleven-goal top scorer Glover

 

Crane and Washbourne again combined to keep the hosts out on seventy-seven minutes, as Crane saved from Pugh and Washbourne deflected the striker's rebound away for a Frickley corner kick

 

Crane was to breathe a sigh of relief on seventy-eight minutes, as he was only shown a yellow card for clattering Mangham just outside the penalty area after the Frickley man had beaten him to the loose ball. However, with the ball going wide and Brenan covering Crane, it was deemed a foul and no more, meaning Crane avoided the fate that befell him in 2012 when the Pitmen last visited Frickley - a red card for a foul outside his penalty area

 

The game entered the last ten minutes with the feeling that both teams seemed acceptant of the point apiece. Lewis Wright came on with eight minutes remaining as he continues his long road back to full fitness, replacing Haynes in a like-for-like swap at right-back

 

The Pitmen forced several corner kicks as the game ticked into the final moments, but poor delivery from both sides of the pitch saw Frickley easily field the threat and clear their lines

 

Then, in the final minute of normal time, the game crackled into life for the visitors as a ball through to Stuart McNaught saw the midfielder slip the ball through to Glover, via a deflection off a Frickley defender. Glover steadied himself before unleashing a left-footed half volley past Diggles and into the net from the edge of the penalty area to give the Pitmen a scarcely-deserved lead

 

The five minutes of added time were well played out by the Pitmen, who looked to the burly Clarke as their out ball to keep it away from their final third as the former Bromsgrove man did well in added time to keep the ball away from the blues. The goal, in truth, had knocked the stuffing out of a young Frickley side that had flattered to deceive up front all game long and had looked fairly comfortable with a point

 

Three wins in four games lift the Pitmen back to the fringes of the top ten, only four points off Spennymoor Town in that coveted fifth place. Monday night's game with Ilkeston will be a great chance for the Pitmen to extend their recent good run after last week's 2-0 win over the same side at the New Manor Ground. More severe tests follow next weekend when play-off chasers Workington come to Keys Park as the Pitmen look to go on a late run to keep their fading play-off hopes alive

 

Frickley Athletic: Diggles, Burrows, Waters (Parkinson 45), Gooda, Fielding, Valentine, Mangham, Burton, Pugh, Burdett (Fairhurst 80), Williams      Subs Unused: Lawrence, Hogg, Morris

 

Hednesford Town: Crane ▆, Haynes (Wright 81), Campion, McNaught, Brown, Brenan, Washbourne, Thorley ©, Glover, Mukendi ▆ (Clarke 70), McDermott       Subs Unused: Ransome, Hutton, Nesbitt

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