Then Pitmen finally chalk up a long-overdue league win at Keys Park this afternoon as they comfortably and comprehensively beat struggling City of Liverpool

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Coming off the back of their fine win at Newcastle Town and that rarest of things - a week without a midweek game - the hosts reconvened at Keys Park still without a new manager in place, despite rampant speculation that the club had secured the services of their new man at the helm this week. Martin Hunter, Junior Lewis and Andy Turner remained in charge for today's game and made two changes to their XI from the one that had started against Newcastle with Jack Rose restored in goal ahead of Ryan Brown and Manny Duku coming back in up front as Rob Stevenson missed out

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Twenty-first placed City of Liverpool had also made a managerial change early on in the campaign, moving Paul McNally on after a poor run of results last month and appointing Kevin Lynch in his place last week. Lynch made three changes to his Purps side from the one that had started Tuesday night's 2-0 defeat at Mossley as Xenon Bahula, Eoin Hogan and Lancaster City loanee Aaron Fleming all came in ahead of Simon Wills, Andy Owens and Sam Sheen. There were two familiar faces amongst the City of Liverpool squad in the form of forwards Michael Howard - a former loanee at Keys Park back in 2018-2019 - and Eden Bailey, who was with the club towards the end of last season

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The crowds at Keys Park continue to rise rapidly, with nearly 1,300 in attendance for today's return home; the hope had been that many of the neutral fans that had attended the F.A. Cup epic against Gainsborough Trinity would have been tempted to give Hednesford another look in this international break looked to be proving true

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Dom McHale looked to continue his rich vein of form with a good chance to open the scoring in the very first minute, bringing the ball in from the right flank and tying left-back Arthur Lomax-Jones in knots but ultimately fired into the side netting from six yards out with an angled shot on his wand of a left foot

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In the fourth minute, Dan Trickett-Smith swung in a corner kick from the right that was met by the head of big Ollie Harrison, whose effort dipped wide of the post under pressure from Evan Smith

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The Pitmen's bright start to the game was rewarded with the opening goal of the afternoon in the seventh-minute courtesy of a penalty kick; Ollie Harrison's long pass was flicked on by Duku to Jack Bearne down the left, with the winger pulling the ball back into the box where Trickett-Smith was upended by Finlay Heath before he could get his shot away, leaving referee Mr Lambert with no choice but to point to the spot. McHale spotted the ball up and sent Blackburn Rovers loanee goalkeeper Adam Khan  the wrong way from twelve yards out to register goal number nine of the season for the playmaker

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Back came the visitors, winning successive corner kicks on ten minutes forcing Jack Rose into action as he managed to punch away an inswinging cross from the right from Fleming as skipper Adam Roponey lurked at the far post

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Three minutes later, a quick counter from the Purps saw Callum Schorah play Bahula through down the inside left channel with a clever ball with the outside of his left boot, only for the diminutive former Marine forward to blast over the crossbar from fifteen yards out with only Rose to beat

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The visitors were certainly giving the Pitmen plenty to think about, pumping the ball into the box at every opportunity; Howard took a free-kick out on the right on eighteen minutes and played it into the six-yard box, forcing Harrison to head behind for a corner kick at his near post

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From the resultant corner kick, Rose came off his line and got enough purchase on the ball to once again punch it away from danger, with Dan Sparkes eventually completing the clearance

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The hosts extended their lead midway through the first half in slightly fortuitous circumstances as Duku broke through the City of Liverpool defence down the right, picking up McHale's through ball and drilling in an initial shot from twelve yards out that was saved by Khan. Duku picked up the rebound and turned the ball goalwards with a low angled drive, watching on as his effort firstly struck the body of Khan before being turned into the net by Purps right-back Smith, who attempted to clear the danger but sliced the ball into the empty net from close-range

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The Pitmen were rampant, looking like a threat every time they entered the City of Liverpool third of the pitch. Bearne's skill down the left on twenty-four minutes saw the winger zip last the hapless Smith and cross deep to the far post, only to get a little too much on the ball as it sailed over the heads of the incoming Duku and McHale

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Rose was very much in a punching kind of mood this afternoon, rising highest once more on twenty-seven minutes to clear the danger again after a corner kick was played in from the left and aimed towards Rooney at the far post

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A timely challenge from Kory Roberts dealt with Howard's threat on the half-hour mark, blocking the former Hednesford loanee's low shot after he had made space for himself on the edge of the penalty area after good work from Bahula

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Bahula had been lively for the visitors, making regular runs in and around the penalty area as he looked to chase down the long punts forward. A run across the box on thirty-four minutes saw the winger get goal side of Harrison momentarily as he latched onto a Heath pass, only for Roberts to once again spot the danger and clear the ball with the help of Blaine Rowe's presence

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Harrison has started to settle into the Hednesford defence after a somewhat shaky first couple of games for the towering centre-back, heading Howard's cross from the right away from goal at his near post after City of Liverpool looked to swing the ball in following a corner kick on thirty-six minutes
 

A minute later, Rose produced a wonderful save down to his right as Hogan seized upon Elliott Johnson's partial clearance twenty-five yards from goal and fired in a rising shot that the experienced stopper pushed away from danger for a corner kick

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Bearne went close to adding to the Pitmen's advantage in audacious circumstances on thirty-eight minutes as Rose's long ball forward was flicked into the path of the winger by Duku, with Bearne attempting a first-time lob over the head of Khan from eighteen yards out that dipped inches wide of the post. What a goal that would have been

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Rowe made a wonderful driving run deep into the City of Liverpool penalty area a minute later, pulling the ball back towards Duku but seeing his cross turned behind for a corner kick by Musa Jobe. Sparkes took the resultant kick with his left boot but saw his curling ball in headed away by Rooney

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Two minutes later, more intricate wing play from McHale saw him drift inside once more from the right before laying the ball off to the unmarked Trickett-Smith, whose left-footed effort skipped just wide of Khan's left-hand post

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With just ninety seconds of the first half remaining, City of Liverpool were presented with a good chance to reduce the deficit as Schorah's deep recycled cross from the right was met by the head of the lanky Jobe, whose effort beat the reach of Rose but also cleared the crossbar from close-range

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Despite the comfortable-looking scoreline, the Pitmen had had to work for their lead in the first half, with City of Liverpool testing Rose on numerous occasions in a bid to get themselves back into contention. However, the home side had been prolific in front of goal and could probably have scored more themselves with a little more composure from some of their attacking four

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The Pitmen looked to have put the game beyond City of Liverpool with the first action of the second half as the excellent Trickett-Smith got himself onto the scoresheet, turning home McHale's cross from the left from twelve yards out after the in-form midfielder had picked the pocket of the dawdling Heath twenty-five yards from goal and clipped the ball into the path of the incoming playmaker, who finished with a first-time effort that Khan got a hand to but couldn't keep out of the net

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Rowe picked up the game's first booking of the afternoon from referee Mr Lambert on fifty-three minutes for a foul on Lomax-Jones to prevent the left-back from going beyond him

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Duku probably should have put the game beyond doubt for the hosts on fifty-seven minutes as Bearne picked up a loose pass in midfield and sent the Dutchman away in behind the City of Liverpool defence. The striker elected to take the ball around Khan rather than shoot and was forced wide before seeing his effort deflected behind for a corner kick

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The visitors looked to change things up with a double change of personnel on fifty-eight minutes as veteran former FC United of Manchester man Astley Mulholland and Ethan Jones came on in place of Heath and Smith

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Despite the scoreline, there were still moments of concern in the Pitmen's penalty area as Roberts had to be alert to clear the danger on his own line on sixty-two minutes after successive corner kicks from the Purps on the right were played right down the throat of Rose and his defenders

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City of Liverpool made their third substitution of the afternoon on sixty-seven minutes as Lynch brought on Bailey for his return to the Keys Park pitch in place of the hard-working Bahula

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Bailey was straight into the action with a good chance on seventy minutes as a cross from Howard on the right was headed into the path of the substitute by Rooney, although his follow-up header lacked power and was easily pushed over the crossbar by Rose for a corner kick

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Rose made another excellent stop to protect his much sought-after clean sheet on seventy-four minutes, making a flying save to his right to push Schorah's dipping free-kick from twenty yards out over the crossbar for a corner kick to the Purps

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The Pitmen's first change of the afternoon came with thirteen minutes remaining as Joel Taylor came on in place of McHale, who was afforded generous applause from the home crowd after yet another fine display. Taylor's introduction down the left saw Bearne move to the right flank to cover for McHale's departure

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Holness followed Rowe into the referee's notebook with ten minutes remaining for a blatant shirt pull on Schorah to stop the talented former Chorley forward from making progress

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Zidan Sutherland was given a much-needed - and much-called-for - run-out for the hosts on eighty-two minutes as the pacy striker was brought on in place of Duku

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Within two minutes of his introduction, Sutherland drew a save out of Khan as the substitute rose at the near post to nod Taylor's cross from the left goalwards, forcing the young stopper into a flying save low down to his right to turn the ball away from goal with his right leg

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It was left to Trickett-Smith to put a gloss finish on the afternoon with five minutes remaining as Jobe's attempted clearance was picked up by Johnson, whose pass to Bearne was brilliantly laid off by the winger into the path of the former Leek Town man, who brilliantly and coolly chipped the ball over the onrushing Khan and into the net with an exquisite first-time finish from eight yards out. Lovely stuff

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This was to be Trickett-Smith's final involvement in the game as he was replaced by Jacob Gwilt two minutes later, also allowing him a well-deserved reception from the home crowd for a fine display

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There was still time for Roberts to go within a whisker of adding a fifth goal to the tally on eighty-nine minutes as Trickett-Smith's corner kick from the left was met by the head of the centre-back, who diverted his header across goal but inches wide of the far post

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Before the game could restart, City of Liverpool made their final change of the afternoon as young Hungarian midfielder Partik Frakas - on loan from Blackburn Rovers - came on in place of Hogan

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This was followed by the Pitmen's final change of the game as Holness was taken off and replaced by Sion Spence for the remaining few minutes of added time

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In the final of the four added minutes, Bearne played a free-kick into the box from wide on the right to the far post, where Harrison was on hand to head towards goal but saw Khan equal to his effort with a fingertip save to turn it away for another corner kick to the whites

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A satisfying and well-worked three points from the Pitmen, who record back-to-back wins in the Northern Premier League West for the first time since the opening week of the season, moving them up to fourteenth in the table in the process and within five points of a play-off place with at least three games in hand on every side above them in the table. With the likelihood of a new managerial appointment in the next few days, this could well have been Martin Hunter's last game in charge of the side, with the experienced coach leaving the side in good nick for the next man at the helm after signing off with two wins in a row. Tuesday night sees the Pitmen make the long trip up to Bower Fold to face Stalybridge Celtic, who sit just above them in the table in eleventh place

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Hednesford Town: Rose, Rowe ▆, Sparkes, Johnson ©, Harrison, Roberts, Trickett-Smith (Gwilt 87), Holness ▆ (Spence 90), Duku (Sutherland 83), McHale (Taylor 77), Bearne    Sub Unused: Brown

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City of Liverpool: Khan, Smith (Jones 58), Lomax-Jones, Jobe, Rooney ©, Heath (Mulholland 58), Bahula (Bailey 68), Hogan (Farkas 89), Howard, Schorah, Fleming       Subs Unused: None

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