Despite awful conditions this evening, Hednesford put on another fantastic show to move further ahead at the top of the UniBond Premier League tonight with a win over Cammell Laird

 

Danny Harvey's return to fitness saw him come straight back into the side at the expense of Curtis Ujah. Fellow new boy Dominic Musafiri was also dropped from the bench, with Sean Platt deemed fit enough to make up the numbers

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Cammell Laird made their first-ever trip to Keys Park off the back of a fine win at Bradford (Park Avenue) at the weekend, extending the Blues' unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions. Manager Ken McKenna stuck with the same side that had come away from the Horsfall Stadium with a fine win at the weekend, looking to move his side further away from the drop zone and into the relative comfort of mid-table

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The Pitmen have become well known for their blistering starts to games this term, and they further enhanced this reputation with a seventh-minute strike from top scorer Tyrone Barnett. Elliott Durell hit one of his trademark long-range efforts at Lairds keeper Richard Whiteside, which the visiting keeper could only parry. The ball dropped to Ross Dyer, whose ball back to Barnett was slotted home by his strike partner

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Despite this setback, the away side responded almost immediately with an equaliser. And what a strike it was, as Lairds' Ritchie Foulkes picked up a Decio Gomes clearance before unleashing an unstoppable shot past Stuart Brock from twenty-five yards plus

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Stung by this setback, the Pitmen pushed the Lairds back in search of another goal. A flowing move from the back involving Sam Hall, Anthony Maguire, Dyer and Barnett saw the ball finally fall to Durrell, but his deft effort narrowly missed the target on fifteen minutes

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Midway through the half, the Pitmen did get their reward for a sustained spell of pressure. The two front men combined brilliantly, with Barnett heading Durrell's cross down to Dyer, who fired home at the second attempt

Back came Cammell Laird, with Brock called into action to deny Mark Reed on the half-hour. This had been preceded by Alex Hay's effort two minutes earlier that just missed the post

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Barnett was causing havoc amongst the Lairds defenders, and he once again linked up with pal Dyer to fire in a shot seven minutes from the break that was blocked by Anthony Sheehan

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Right on half time, Maguire tested Whiteside with a long-range effort that the keeper easily held at his near post

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Reed was guilty of a shocking miss for the visitors at the start of the second half; he received the ball six yards out, with the simple task of knocking the ball in. However, he made an awful mess of it all, only allowing Brock to dive onto the ball

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This proved costly for the away side, as ten minutes later the Pitmen moved further into the lead. Typically, the all-action Durrell was involved, playing in a free-kick towards the back post. Defender Tom Marshall arrived right on time, volleying home from close range for his second goal for the campaign

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Fellow centre back Harvey almost grabbed a goal for the Pitmen five minutes later, heading towards goal from a Mark Briggs ball, but saw his header cleared off the line

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Cammell Laird were still battling, showing a fighting spirit they will need as we head into the winter campaign. Mike Rimmer tested Brock with a long-range shot that the Hednesford keeper held easily

Maguire's surging run almost paid dividends for the Pitmen with fifteen minutes remaining. He took the ball from halfway to the edge of the area, before playing in Dyer. As Dyer shaped to shoot, the ball was whipped away from him

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Ross Draper returned to the fold late on after serving his one-match ban at Ilkeston, replacing Briggs. There were also late run-outs for Reece Styche and Adam Burley as the Pitmen looked to wrap up the game

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It was perhaps fitting that the final goal of the night went to the best player on the park, with Durrell deservedly getting his name on the scoresheet. A simple ball upfield saw the Lairds defence far too advanced, allowing Durrell to run clear and fire past Whiteside to send the small crowd home very happy indeed

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Edwards' men are producing some great football in what has been a very purple patch for the club recently. A crowd of 307 does not do justice to the side, despite the awful weather. It is a week off league duties for the Pitmen as Saturday sees them make the trip to Stamford in the second qualifying round of the F.A. Trophy

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Hednesford Town: Brock, Hall, Maguire (Burley 90), Gomes, Harvey, Marshall, Briggs © (Draper 83), Durrell, Barnett (Styche 88), Dyer, Sheppard ( Burley 88)    Subs Unused: Stamps, Platt

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Cammell Laird: Whiteside, Ward, Lynch, Sheehan, Collins, Reed, Courtenay, Jebb, Foulkes, Hay (Cooke 65), Rimmer (Graves 70)      Subs Unused: Rendell, Holt, Brown

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