Cleethorpes Town 0-2 Pontefract Collieries

Cleethorpes Town 0-2 Pontefract Collieries

Northern Premier League (Division One East)

Saturday 9th April 2022

Having watched the title decider in the North-East Youth Alliance between Grimsby Town and Bradford City earlier in the day, my initial plan for yesterday afternoon was to pop along to this game afterwards and watch Fin Shrimpton in his loan spell at Cleethorpes Town.

Anyone who reads this blog even semi-regularly, however, will know my plans often don't quite work out as planned and Fin was recalled by Scunthorpe United on Friday which instead paved the way for him to make his Football League debut against Mansfield Town yesterday.

Typically, it happened after I'd booked train tickets but good luck to him because he's a quality, down to earth lad with good characteristics who isn't bad at football either (which helps!) and he long deserves his chance in the first team at Glanford Park.

Plenty of folk around the ground spoke positively about the impact and qualities that he'd brought to the table during his four appearances for Cleethorpes and it's fair to say that the Owls missed him in this game because they were beaten by a well-organised Pontefract Collieries team who were difficult to break down and produced a resilient defensive showing to ensure they got all three points.

Being a Donny lad I know all the local footballing legends and two featured for Ponte in the shape of Jack Vann (skipper and scorer of the second goal) plus Scott Brown; an ex-DRFC youth team defender who might have a similar physique to myself nowadays but his positioning and ability to read a game, along with that of Jack Shepherd (presumably not the same one who plays David Platt on Corrie - or the other one who was Inspector Wycliffe back in the day), was akin to a 'peak' Fabio Cannavaro at times!

There were a couple more Doncaster connections in Cleethorpes' line-up, too, in Harry Middleton and his younger brother, Ben Middleton, and they'll be hoping to get a promotion on their CV quite soon with the Owls having already booked their position in the end-of-season Play-Offs.

Despite being hidden away in mid-table due to what can be best described as a mediocre season, Ponte more than matched their counterparts and were decent value for the points they picked up.

It wasn't pretty and the game definitely wasn't a classic by any means but they were efficient throughout at 'did a job' - taking the lead after 20 minutes when the skipper initially won, and then whipped in, a dangerous free-kick which was headed down and inadvertently knocked into the net by a home defender.

Ponte went close to doubling their lead just past the half-hour mark when Jack Lazenby flashed a shot just over before there was action up at the other end of the pitch as Brody Robertson almost got in-behind only to be thwarted by a good covering challenge.

The referee, it could be said, didn't always have the best grip on the game. He wasn't horrendous but he wasn't the greatest either and Ponte took full advantage in the second half whenever they could to eat away a few seconds 'here and there'. In the same situation, I'd have done precisely the same!

Cleethorpes saw more of the ball but they struggled to convert that into clear-cut openings.

Ponte 'keeper Lloyd Allinson tipped over an effort by Alex Flett on the hour mark, not long after Jordon Cooke had headed over from a spell of pressure, but that save aside the visiting 'keeper wasn't tested that much, nor was he a fan of the filthy ball (pictured somewhere) which lay behind his goal for much of the second period in an effort to try and make him re-start things quickly whenever the other one went out of play behind him.

There was a half-hearted penalty appeal against Brown when he tangled with Robertson inside the box with a quarter of an hour to go, before Cleethorpes probably had their best chance as Alex Flett latched onto a long ball and lifted his effort goalwards only for Shepherd to produce a good covering clearance.

Ultimately, it wasn't to be for the home side and in the fifth minute of injury-time Jack Vann wrapped up the points for Pontefract with a brilliant 30-yard thunderbolt which deserves plenty of plaudits. A first touch to shape for a shot and then a magnificent drive with pure venom which flew beyond the 'keeper.

Whoosh! Cleethorpes 0, Pontefract 2 - and based on this performance the visitors certainly didn't look like a team who've lingered in mid-table anonymity for much of the season!

All four players who were nominated for the 'Man Of The Match' award on Ponte's Twitter feed were worthy contenders. My own choice would be Jack Vann for delivering a captain's performance before that stunning goal, and helping his team grind this one out with that bit of quality.

Long may it continue and it's a goal that's probably better than the 30 (and counting!) that his good mate Declan Howe has banged in for Staveley Miners Welfare this season!