Dronfield Town came away from second placed North Ferriby empty handed but not before once again proving that hard work and endeavour can take you a long way. Ferriby claimed an eleventh minute lead through Daniel East’s penalty in a fairly one-sided first half. However, Dronfield staged a much better response in the second half and almost snatched a point at the death through substitute Ethan Flower. Next up for the Derbyshire side is a Tuesday evening encounter against the side just above them in the table, Glasshoughton Welfare.
Late line up changes have beset Dronfield recently and this time it was regular keeper Lewis Naylor who didn’t make it to kick off with Assistant Manager Nick Siddons taking his place in the Town starting eleven.
One of Siddons first tasks was to pick the ball out of the net as the former National League side took an eleventh minute lead. Robby Start’s spin in the area saw the referee pointing to the penalty spot, adjudging the Ferriby full back to have been brought down by Dronfield’s Jake Hatton. Ferriby’s top scorer Danny East put his kick straight down the middle to give the home side a one nil lead.
Ferriby spent long periods in the Dronfield half during the opening forty five minutes and had late replacement keeper Siddons to thank that the scoreline didn’t increase.
On twenty one minutes, a long ball forward found East, who brought out a good low stop from the experienced Dronfield custodian and seven minutes later, as Josh Whiteley’s shot was charged down, Siddons pushed East’s follow up effort round the post.
Dronfield created two opportunities of note toward the end of the half. On the thirty minute mark, Callum Mawbey found himself through on Ferriby keeper Jordan Douglas but blazed his shot wide of the target.
Seven minutes later, Town’s Danny Wood put pressure on the home side’s Oliver Donald. Donald’s pass back to keeper Douglas was overhit leaving the Ferriby stopper scrambling to clear off his own goalline.
A fractious final five minutes saw Dronfield’s Owen Lester and North Ferriby’s Thomas Corner receiving yellow cards for an altercation that brought both teams together but it was the home side who kept their single goal lead at the interval.
A better second half ensued for Dronfield, playing with the stiff wind blowing off the Humber. Six minutes after the restart, Connor Chapell’s away swinging corner was met the head of Callum Mawbey, the ball just evading the far post.
Ferriby’s threat was never far away. Adam Bolder’s corner was headed over by skipper Niall Tilsley, under stiff challenge from Siddons and on the hour mark, Rick Medcalf fed Whiteley, who blasted his shot over the bar from the edge of the area.
Dronfield introduced Ethan Flower, Matty Ord and Isaac Knight to the game and spent long spells in the half of their illustrious opponents. Danny Wood drove a piledriving free kick straight into the wall as Town’s threat grew.
Three minutes from time, Donald’s left wing cross was headed over by Medcalf with the goal at his mercy but it was Dronfield, who almost snatched a point at the death.
One minute into added time, Ethan Flower’s twenty yard strike deflected off a Ferriby defender and was scrambled out of play by Douglas as the home side held on to claim all three points.
Although Dronfield came away from Humberside pointless, it was another display of guts and heart against a club once again with much greater financial clout. Similar application will be needed on Tuesday evening when the side just two places above Dronfield, Glasshoughton Welfare, are the visitors to the HE Barnes Stadium.
North Ferriby: Douglas, Tarbotton, Start, Bolder, Tilsley, Donald, Whiteley, Kirk, Corner, East, Buttle. Subs: Dennett, Exall, Shortland, Emerton, Medcalf.
Dronfield Town: Siddons, Wright, Gladwin, Lester, Hill, Hatton, Chapell, Rooke, Wood, Mawbey, Terry. Subs: Knight, Flower, Furness, Ord, Hunter.
Attendance: 333
Photo: Ken Allsebrook