Yorkshire Amateur were sunk by an 89th-minute winner by Barton Town player-manager Nathan Jarman in the NCEL Premier at The Southerns Stadium, losing 1-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Jarman’s looping header for the Swans, across goal and inside the side-netting, did exactly what the forward subbed himself on for, replacing centre-back Tom Davie.
Ammers New signing Jordan Spencer was one of two debutants, alongside Kenneth Effah. Jamal Stewart, Gervas Chipasha and Alfie Wilkinson returned to the starting line-up to complete five changes.
Effah began slow, reacting late to a high cross to the near post inside the opening two minutes, allowing Ben Hinchcliffe the first shot at goal, albeit stretching round Effah and getting too much under the ball.
Stewart obliged to take the first shot at Barton’s goal, following a misplaced square pass 20-yards out.
The returning forward ran onto the ball, shielding his defender off while pushing the ball onto his right foot and curling the ball wide of the right-hand post.
Several fifty-fifty’s in the midfield eventually landed in Barton’s favour, a first-time ball finding Scott Matthews advanced from full-back.
His cross was perfectly aimed to the back post but it was an Ammers head that connected.
The ball was in the Barton goal on 15 minutes, from Stewart, behind the visitor’s defence from a through ball but the flag was raised as the forward poked under Charlie Dixon.
Aidan Smith then stopped the hosts conceding, Tom Waudby’s first-touch creating the opportunity, controlling a long, high ball forward.
The forward kept close control of the ball, allowing him to attack Smith one-on-one but the ‘keeper wasn’t fooled by the fake shot, remaining big to save the eventual effort, low to his right.
Josh Lacey’s intelligence was almost rewarded as we approached 25 minutes.
A deep cross from the defender, just inside the Ammers half, from the right, was aimed behind the hosts’ defence but Kadeem Morton covered well to head away at the far post.
Matthews’ later cross did find a team-mate on 28 minutes, Tom Waudby at the far right-hand post, heading at the centre of goal where Smith was waiting to catch comfortably.
Fialdini was then forced off just four minutes after the half-hour mark, a rib injury he picked up inside the first minute had finally caught up with our top scorer after affecting his running all game.
Had Alfie Wilkinson found the net from his volley from the edge of the box it would have been a goal of the season winner.
He shot first-time, with a dropping ball, which was blocked on Barton’s 6-yard line.
Davie also went close, his header at the back post, following a corner, was cleared off the line by a covering Ammers defender to keep the score goalless at half-time.
Davie accepted the invitation of a shot to begin the second-half, from a dropping ball on the edge of the box following a headed Ammers clearance.
The defender showed why he is just that by slicing the first-time volley well wide of the right-hand post.
Frimpong then received the ball on the left of the box after a wayward Ammers shot landed at the winger’s feet. His shot is straight into Dixon’s hands.
The winger followed it up by typically cutting onto his right, shooting powerfully inches over the far top corner on the hour mark.
Tom Waudby was arguably offside from what was, based on type so far in this game, an intentional clipped ball behind the Ammers’ defence.
Waudby’s touch also followed suit before setting Hinchcliffe to his right, inside the box, who’s shot was blocked.
Brother Will Waudby reached a low Hare cross from the right, poking to goal. But on the stretch, the forward was unable to gain any power behind the shot.
Hinchcliffe judged a bouncing ball the best to head straight at Smith after the delivery had beaten the Ammers defenders at the front of the box.
Player-manager Nathan Jarman almost did what he subbed himself on for, with a header to goal, the attacker replacing centre-half Davie.
He headed just wide of the far post after a corner from the right.
Now on the opposite wing, Frimpong cut inside once more, entering the final five minutes, shooting weak-footed but only inches over the centre of the bar.
Then player-manager Jarman snatched his own side’s three points with an 89th-minute winner.
The ball appeared to be flying away from danger, past the far, left-hand post, but Jarman found a looping header over Smith and inside the side-netting.
Short on time, Adam Shaw had the Ammers’ final chance to rescue a point after Ammers pumped the ball into the box.
The ball was cleared only to the edge of the box where Shaw was able to push the ball onto his right foot but unable to divert the ball either side of Dixon, and unable to gain his side any points.
The Southerns Stadium hosts it’s third successive fixture, on Wednesday, with Hemsworth Miners our guests.