Yorkshire Amateur let a two-goal lead slip in a 3-2 defeat to Hallam at a wet Southerns Stadium on Wednesday evening in the NCEL Premier.
[Photo by Sean Chandler]
Winger Newton Conde was involved on both occasions as Ammers raced into a two-goal lead within 17-minutes, poking in the opener from just yards out before crossing onto Jordan Spencer’s finish on the slide.
Ollie Fearon’s double was supported by Steve Wankiewicz’s solo strike to turn the score round.
Alfie Gibbons made his debut from the start in central defence whilst Benjamin Quartey, TJ Kongolo and Matthew Hatch completed four changes to the Ammers’ starting line-up.
Jack Brownell’s shot off the outside of the post exemplified his intent on making use of Hallam’s control of possession in the opening ten minutes.
The full-back received the ball on the edge of Ammers’ box, due to a missed interception on the sodden surface, from a square pass to the right, shooting low across goal and off the outside of the left-hand post.
Ammers got their noses infront instead at the other end following a mis-placed Hallam back-pass.
Alfie Wilkinson, leading the line this evening, beat the Hallam ‘keeper to the pass back from a visitor defender, the forward rounding Hallam’s ‘keeper.
Wilkinson’s drilled cross along the face of goal initially rebounded off a group of Hallam defenders, towards goal, with Newton Conde getting the finishing touch by poking in.
Ammers were two ahead in 17 minutes, Conde involved again to assist Jordan Spencer’s finish, on the slide, at the far post.
Fabio Intumbo had to tip onto his own bar just minutes later after a Hallam effort deflected off Gibbons inside the box and into the air, needing Intumbo to gather.
Conde was almost involved in a third for Ammers in the opening 20 minutes.
His deep cross, aimed at Spencer’s run into the space behind Hallam’s defence, was read by Brownell but his outstretched leg only deflected the ball over Warhurst.
The dropping ball looked to be heading under Brownell’s own bar but landed the wrong side.
Spencer continued to enjoy the space behind Hallam, reaching a lofted pass from Mannings before drilling a cross onto Wilkinson’s toe in the middle of the box but the latter lacked power in his effort.
It proved again in Ammers’ next attacks which could have set-up number three and four with Spencer linking with Hatch on both occasions.
Initially, Hatch passed Spencer in on-goal for the converted left-winger to seemingly place into the far bottom-corner only for Warhurst to tip away at the final second.
Hatch then flicked a pass behind the Hallam defence, using the outside of his boot, into Spencer who chose to cross to Conde waiting across the box, but a covering challenge denied a shot at goal.
From previous success, Wilkinson was never going to neglect his shooting opportunity with a volley from the edge of the box, side-footed back to the near right-hand post as Warhurst watched the ball bounce wide.
Instead, Hallam halved the deficit through Ollie Fearon rebounding in at the far post.
A corner from the Hallam right was headed at goal, denied, blocked away to the far post where Fearon couldn’t miss from the goal line, seconds before the half-time whistle.
Hallam were quickly level after the break, Chris Salt’s initial header after a corner assisting Steve Wankiewicz’s headed finish
Salt, at the far post, guided the ball back into the centre where Wankiewicz finished from 6-yards.
Wankiewicz then almost gave Hallam the lead but his effort from inside the box was taken off his toe by his own team-mate.
Then a scramble in the Ammers box was almost poked in by Brett Agnew but it was blocked on the line before being cleared.
Wilkinson’s shot from 30-yards, and with his weaker foot, appeared hopeful but forced Warhurst to hurry to block the ball entering his top left-hand corner.
Kadeem Morton found Keanan Mannings with a deep Ammers free-kick from the right, edging into the final half-hour, Mannings’ jump beating the ‘keeper to the flight of the ball but his flicked-header landed the wrong side of the far post.
Hallam completed the turnaround shortly inside the final twenty minutes, Oliver Fearon shooting inside the near post following a deep free-kick from half-way.
Substitute Ras Diamond-Jnr collected the ball off Spencer’s lay-off, on the edge of the box before shooting towards the bottom left-hand corner but Warhurst dived to smother.
He was alive on the edge again minutes later, this time forced wide right before chipping his effort over Warhurst but wide of the far post.
A drilled cross along the Hallam box, entering added-time, beat two forwards in Diamond-Jnr and then Mannings and ran to Hallam’s safety, behind for a goal-kick, keeping Ammers trailing at the full-time whistle.
Ammers kick-off early at 2pm in their visit to Eccleshill United in the NCEL Premier on Saturday.