Frickley Athletic 1-1 Mickleover

Frickley Athletic 1-1 Mickleover
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 5th September 2020

This was an entertaining, combative and at times feisty pre-season encounter which ended in a draw as Nyle Blake and Mason Warren got on the score-sheet for their respective sides.

Frickley, who play one division lower than Mickleover, will probably feel disappointed they didn’t get the win considering they went ahead early on and were up against 10 men for a lengthy spell after James Butler was red carded following a late, ill-judged lunge on Brad Grayson just before half-time.

The hosts then had more possession in the second period - partly down to Mickleover giving the ball away much too easily at times, but they couldn’t turn their ‘dominance’ into clear-cut chances as things ended all square.

Having browsed the fixtures for today, this was always my stand-out choice due to all the players mentioned so far, plus the fact Jonny Margetts (someone I rate highly) is also on Frickley’s books nowadays - as were both Conor Green and Brad McGowan (two other sound lads) up until recently. 

Although there was a good tempo about proceedings, it should be said that the uneven, bobbly and bloody horrible pitch prevented what was a decent game from being an even better one.

The surface didn’t stop Frickley from hitting the ground running, however, as they took the lead in just the second minute when a sloppy pass from a Mickleover player was intercepted by Blake who burst forward and finished at the second time of asking after his initial shot was only parried by the ‘keeper. 

Both sides then had periods when they were on top in the first half-hour or so, but the game was largely a tight, intriguing and combative midfield battle with only one noteworthy chance as such occurring when Frickley ‘keeper Tom Nicholson casually saved a low shot with his feet during a spell of Mickleover pressure. 

The visitors were soon presented with a perfect chance to get back on level terms when a striker invited a challenge and went to ground inside the box. Despite groans from the few home supporters near to me, there was contact and the attacker was perfectly within his rights to go down so it’s hard to criticise the referee for this decision. 

Mason Warren was ultimately left with responsibility from 12 yards and the ‘ice man’ looked cool, calm and composed as always under pressure - sending the ‘keeper the wrong way with a left-footed finish to make it 1-1. 

Back on level terms, Mickleover may well have fancied their chances at this point, but the tide quickly turned against them in what was one of the game’s major talking points. 

Just a minute or so after being caught for pace, centre-back James Butler, signed earlier this summer from Stoke, was left exposed once again as Brad Grayson was able to get a run across him and latch onto a pass - thus forcing the defender into a late, badly-timed, reckless and poor tackle which infuriated everyone. 

Butler expected the inevitable which, following a short delay whilst the officials sorted out the subsequent pushing and shoving, he duly received. Although some of his team-mates (and boss John McGrath) felt the punishment was harsh - given it was only a pre-season game, it’s hard to argue against the fact it was a straight red card offence. 

Surprisingly, it was Mickleover who then had the only chance in the final few minutes before half-time when Warren picked up possession and let fly with a sumptuous 25-yard strike which went just a whisker wide of the woodwork, Had it gone in, it would have rivalled his goal from the halfway line when he was a YT at Rotherham, many years ago! 

Both teams made substitutions at the break and amongst the new faces was Ricky Ravenhill - the tough-tackling former Football League midfielder, who is now possibly the only person in the world to have appeared at Juventus (where he played in a game for Notts County) and at Frickley. 

With a one-man advantage for the entire second half it’s perhaps not surprising that Frickley dictated play and had more possession, though Mickleover were often architects of their own problems as they gave the ball away too cheaply, too often at times - especially when playing from the back. 

The hosts struggled to muster up meaningful chances, nevertheless, with James Hugo curling an effort over the upright around the hour mark, Brad Grayson having two scuffed shots kept out and Nathan Jarman firing over. 

Jack Wightwick also enjoyed a decent opening with what proved to be the last action of the game but he dragged his attempt across the face of goal and wide of the target when he perhaps could have done better. 

Ultimately, the result doesn’t mean too much with it being pre-season though it’s worth reiterating that the pitch had a negative impact on the game which was a shame. 

Of the players I specifically wanted to watch, I was impressed with Nyle Blake who posed problems, used his ‘directness’ well at times and took his goal well. It’s a shame I wasn’t able to see him at Mansfield (where he came through the ranks with his old brother) but as first impressions go this certainly wasn’t a bad one. 

Brad Grayson had an okay game, albeit not his best, but what I’m really looking forward to is seeing him perform with his partner in crime, Jonny Margetts, at some point in the future. The dynamic duo once ended up in the Sunday Mirror due to their exploits and I’m sure they’ll terrorise a few defences this season to raise their profile! 

On Mickleover’s team, it’s the first time I’ve seen James Butler in a while. He’s got okay potential - came through a good youth set-up at Stoke with a lad called Jake Dunwoody (another player I rate), and if he can learn from this experience; just position-wise at least to not be at a point where he needs to make a tackle to win the ball because his runner has got across him, the red card might not be a bad thing in the long-term. 

Finally, I could talk for hours about what Mason Warren can offer on a pitch with his fantastic left-foot. At times today, especially early on, he seemed to get caught in possession a few times and wanted to hold onto the ball a bit too long. The poor pitch didn’t help him (or anyone), but he showed his skill and technique a few times - none more so than in the closing stages with a sharp, nifty turn to put two Frickley players on their arses and then again about a minute later when he brilliantly skipped what could have been an otherwise nasty challenge.

There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s in the right team currently where his talent will shine and that John McGrath and Ricky Ravenhill will help get the best out of him, so I hope he absolutely smashes it this season because that left-foot is something special!

I mentioned his goal in his youth team days at Rotherham earlier in this post so for anyone who wants to see it, just have a look at the video below. Quality!