Yorkshire Amateur’s new management’s opening fixture got off to a dream start, leading after four minutes, before eventually turning into defeat at Penistone Church.
Newton Conde’s in-swinging corner from the left was parried by Church ‘keeper Harry Ambler into his own net as Ammers took the lead at The Parker Roofing Memorial Stadium.
Tom Charlesworth equalised seven minutes before half-time before Ryan Hallsworth gave Penistone the lead within four minutes of the restart.
Nahom Tesfagerigish made his debut off the bench whilst management duo Jake Boyd and Casey O’Reilly decided on the returns of Kenneth Effah, Birama Diallo, Mitchell Fox, Ousainey Juwara and Kadeem Morton to the starting line-up.
Diallo lept immediately on Juwara’s header down and attacked the Penistone high defensive line, before playing a through pass ahead of Adam Fowler down the right.
The forward’s drilled cross found only Conde on the opposite wing but he had the ability to win a corner.
The new management team’s first goal scored came just four minutes into the match as Harry Ambler parried into his own net.
Conde’s inswinging corner was confidently met by Ambler, advancing off his goal line but his palms pushed the ball inside his near side-netting.
Oliver Ford was tested in the opposite goal, from distance, parrying the initial effort before smothering the follow-up.
Cameron Simpson spearheaded the hosts’ trio in a counter on ten minutes, running to the far touchline and drilling his cross down the corridor without any partner to divert to goal.
Fowler on another break down the right, this time lofted his cross towards strike partner Toby Harris but unable to reach his target with the pass, it’s headed clear.
A double block by the group of Ammers defenders inside their own box twice denied Nathan Keightley latching onto a cross from the left, initially slightly behind the forward, forcing him further away from goal with his shooting position.
Ryan Hallsworth tried form the other side instead, deeper, evading several Penistone forwards throwing themselves goalwards but missing the delivery.
Harris’ poke of the ball forward went one way, Harris the other side of Jack Roberts, wide right on the half-way line.
The immediate cross looked for Fowler running behind the high Penistone defensive line but the pass was cut out.
Both side’s eagerness to attack meant Alfie Wilkinson running into a challenge midway in his own half saw Penistone supported by numbers in attack instantly.
Wasteful, Conde instead raced forward through the middle, he himself stopped by a second interception from the hosts in quick succession.
Tom Charlesworth was denied by the post in his attempt to utilise the recovered possession, advanced from right-back, shooting across goal, the ball rebounding out.
He was to equalise inside the final seven minutes of the half, however, combining with fellow full-back Jack Roberts.
The cross from the former’s left-hand side dropped at the opposite post and onto Charlesworth to head in.
Roberts’ success encouraged him to try a second attempt, the near post direction being his downfall as Ford gathered.
Penistone were frustrated into shots from distance thereafter until entering half-time level.
The Church took the lead as quick in the second-half as Ammers had done in the first, Hallsworth past the grounded Ford.
The Ammers ‘keeper dived low to his right to save Jack Coduri’s initial shot from the edge of the box, across goal but the ball was parried into the run of Hallsworth to poke inside the left-hand post.
Ford instead got the better of the Penistone attack, three minutes later.
A break down the right was crossed low into the centre but Ford’s pressure gave the forward just about enough space to place his shot, denied by Ford’s legs.
A through ball aimed at Charlesworth was left by the full-back due to his own suspicions of being offside. Keightley instead looked to receive the pass, Ford leaving his goal to see the ball out amid shouts for a penalty from the home fans after Keightley’s fall.
Fox’s pressure in his now wide-left base gained him access to the box but the path of his cross was blocked.
Penistone were adamant to go direct, behind the Ammers’ backline, eventually setting Keightley off behind Gibbon down the Penistone right. As the game entered the final fifteen minutes, Keightley entered the box before shooting across goal and wide.
Ford was again equal to the test of a wayward Penistone cross from the right which directed straight at the ‘keeper to parry away.
At the other end, Wilkinson’s strike diverted away from goal, volleying under pressure on the edge of the box, unable to recover the 2-1 defeat by full-time.
It’s a second successive away trip for Ammers, visiting Winterton Rangers in the NCEL Premier, 3pm kick-off.