No Hats off for Hatfield

A questionable performance from the officials but Nomads come away with a hard earned point.

Nomads 2-2 Stapenhill.

Nomads travelled out to Stapenhill to kick-start 2017, our last game was an embarrassing lost to local rivals Barrow Town and Nomads were looking to set things right by attempting the shock another of EMCL’s title chasers, as thoughts cast back to how we held off South Normanton at 1-0 (who since have struggled to regain momentum,) the Anstey Nomads curse could affect the Staffordshire side.

With the game on the way both teams set out to gain an early lead, a loose midfield for both sides allowed for early chances but the defensive line held strong and the keepers were on hand to stop any ambitious efforts.

20 minutes in and Joe Hartopp finds his way onto the end of a lofty ball and makes a dash for goal, out comes the keeper to close out the shooting angle as Joe stretches out wide, drawing the keeper further out of his goal before laying the ball off for Daz Taylor who coolly slotted Nomads into the lead.   

Stapenhill had their turn to attack but dangerous play draws a foul and Stapenhill have a free kick. As the Ref marks out the ten yards and the defense mark their men, a moment of madness for Stapenhill as their man elbows Ollie Preston and is red faced and red carded, at-least he had the honour to admit his violent outburst. The Swans couldn’t gain much from their freekick and the game remains fairly balanced.

As the last 10 minutes of the first half draw in, hosting Stapenhill poured the pressure on the Nomads but we held strong and quality defending and good reflexes meant Nomads would go into the break with the lead, it could have been a 2-0 one as well as Daryl adds to the attacking options with a great run up the wing beating the defence and cutting inside but he couldn’t decide whether to cross or shoot and the hybrid of the two meant the ball drifted a yard the wrong side of the post.

Second half on the way and Nomads came out the gates hungry for more and we would get another goal but it was disallowed as the Ref seems to have saw some pushing on the keeper. Down at the other end the Ref was happy to give back to the game after disallowing the goal but he gave to the Hosts a free kick with a beautiful view of the goal, for the price of winning the ball but catching the player slightly after doing so.

Despite the questionable decision from the Ref, nobody in the ground was going to dispute with the lad taking the free kick that a shot would be a bad idea, he stepped up with the confidence to score and a quality curled, yet driven attempt levelled the game up at 1-1.

Stapenhill would continue to get plenty of late Christmas gifts from the man in charge, Nomads unable to even win the ball or intercept for that matter without the ref punishing us. Perhaps the funniest was Ollie Preston cleaning snatching away the ball from a winger running straight at him, Ollie then moved the ball around the side of the player, who somehow got his laces caught or something, then did a mighty impression of Tom Daley and fell to the floor. Ollie continued as it looked like the ref would simply go back to book the player. But half a minute later the ref stopped play, for what we in the stand assumed was giving us a free-kick as there was little advantage to go with, however the Ref gave Stapenhill the free-kick, madness! And the linesman was just as useless as he simply bowed out to the refs wishes.

Mr.Linesman later caused problems when an offside was left unflagged until after a foul was given which meant the ref was a bit confused as to why he hadn’t simply flagged in the first place, good job it was not a serious foul else that would have been very dubious.

As the clowns dominated most of what was happening in the second half there wasn’t much to take note of, to be honest Stapenhill would of done better with less free kick, they have a strong passing game so could of really worked our defence and perhaps taking the lead, however they would take the lead after they get another questionable free kick (which came after a Stapenhill player was unbooked for going studs first into our poor Ollie who really did get a beating today.) Nomads too busy protesting to organise efficiently and the ball in from the free-kick lead to a goal putting the Swans in front with only injury time to go.

We had half expected the game to end their and then but the Ref obviously sensing the anger in the stand allowed one last effort from the Nomads who moved the ball around well past the already celebrating Swans, with the box flooded with white shirts it would be Mark Foster who would secure a goal and the point for efforts.

Full Time: Stapenhill 2-2 Nomads