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Mark Derricott

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Mickleover (H) 14.2.23

At the end of a turbulent week off the pitch at the RACE Stadium, the Pitmen suffer a fourth successive defeat this afternoon against Coalville Town, although Danny Glover's men will feel a little aggrieved at the manner of the defeat having been in contention for most of the afternoon

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The last seven days had seen several high-profile player departures, with club captain and striker Riley O'Sullivan both having their contracts cancelled in recent days after talks with the club. There was also the news filtering through last night that co-owners Graham Jones and Hayden Dando would relinquish control of the club at the end of the campaign, leaving the Pitmen's future in doubt beyond May. On the pitch, Glover had been busy adding to his threadbare squad in the past two days with the signings of midfielder Max Brogan on loan from Solihull Moors, the re-signing of defender Mark Derricott on loan from Hereford and the permanent capture of former Alvechurch defender Ethan Patterson from Worcester Raiders. All three players came straight into the side as three of four changes to the side that had started last week's 3-1 defeat at Bromsgrove as Brogan came in for James McQuilkin, Derricott replaced Zac Hartley, Patterson slotted into the spot vacated by Ison at centre-back and Stanley Asomugha was handed a first start for the club as he replaced Kemy Agustien

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Play-off chasing Coalville - sitting in fifth place in the table ahead of play today - had already beaten the Pitmen twice this season in the league and the F.A. Trophy and would have been feeling confident about making three in a row against their quickly sinking hosts. Manager Adam Stevens made one change to his side from the one that had started their last game, a 3-0 win over the Pitmen's wooden-spoon rivals AFC Rushden & Diamonds as former Accrington Stanley striker Billy Kee replaced Ashley Chambers up front

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On the mildest afternoon of 2023 so far, the Pitmen looked to shake off their recent woes with a strong start to proceedings, pushing their more experienced opponents back into their third of the pitch. Patterson looked to make an immediate impact on his debut with a first-minute effort as Brogan picked up a free-kick kick from Derricott wide on the left, dribbling along the byeline before cutting the ball back to the centre-back, whose sidefooted effort was saved by Jake Laban in the Coalville goal down at his right-hand post

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The hosts were rewarded for their enterprising start to the game with the opening goal of the afternoon in the fifth minute - and what a strike it was too, as Brogan marked his debut with a brilliant opener for the hosts. A free-kick was won by Glover twenty-five yards from goal after a push from Chris Robertson, allowing Brogan and new skipper Steph Morley to place the ball down. The Solihull man took responsibility with his right boot, whipping in an unstoppable curling ball over the Ravens wall and beating Laban for pace to his right, finding the top corner of the net in the process

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The Pitmen almost doubled their advantage from the restart as an inswinging corner from the left from Todd Parker was headed just wide of the post by a flicked Ben Kaninda header at the near post

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Sixty seconds later, on-loan Jordan Graham went close to making it 2-0 to the hosts as he made a marauding run into the box to latch onto Derricott's pass but could only fire into the side netting from a tight angle

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Brogan was proving a tricky customer for the visitors in the withdrawn striker role behind Glover, finding pockets of space to move into and drag the Coalville defenders out of position in the process. On twelve minutes, he made a delightful run down the left wing, taking on Herve Pepe-Ngoma before pulling the ball back across the face of the Coalville goal, where no one in white could get on the end of the teasing ball as it flashed across the six-yard box

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Morley was a little lucky not to pick up the game's first yellow card on sixteen minutes as he brought the dangerous Tim Berridge down on the Coalville right to stop the livewire forwards from getting in behind him, earning himself a ticking-off from referee Mr Billingham. Berridge delivered the ball into the box but some excellent, calm defending from Ben Kaninda saw the on-loan youngster head back to Luke Jackson in goal for the hosts ahead of the dangerous Kee

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It was the portly Kee who was to earn the game's first caution off Mr Billingham shortly before the midway point of the first half as he was booked for a late and clumsy challenge on Patterson inside the Hednesford half

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The visitors had shown none of their usual power on the counter-attack, with the likes of Luke Shaw, Tom McGlinchey and Kee all kept in check by the young, inexperienced loanees at the back for the Pitmen. On twenty-five minutes, a quick break from the Ravens down the left saw Eliot Putman send over a low cross into the penalty area that was just too far in front of the incoming Kee but found Shaw, who could not get enough purchase on the ball and saw it run out for a goal kick

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Glover was left a little frustrated with the assistant referee on the Wimblebury side of the ground two minutes later as he raced onto a flick-on from Graham but was pulled back for a tight offside call from the assistant in the build-up

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Coalville went agonisingly close to levelling the game once more just after the half-hour mark as they hit the woodwork through skipper Joe Doyle-Charles; Laban's long punt forward was flicked on by Kee and into the path of Berridge, who took the ball down the left and pulled it back into the box for the incoming Doyle-Charles, whose rising shot came back off the underside of the crossbar and back into play. The away side recycled the ball well and played it back into the path of McGlinchey, whose angled shot from the left beat Jackson but was hacked off the line by Patterson

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The hosts felt that Putman should have been shown a card of some colour on thirty-four minutes as he deliberately stamped on the lively Asomugha right in front of the assistant referee on the Wimblebury side of the ground, prompting players on both sides to clash. Mr Billigham took advice from his assistant but elected to talk to both players only rather than show any cards, much to the frustration of the home supporters who felt that Putman was deserving of at least a yellow card for the stamp

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Asomugha was enjoying his full debut for the Pitmen, making several tricky runs down the right and testing the positioning of another one of Coalville's more portly players, Putman. He made a brilliant run to latch onto Derricott's pass on thirty-eight minutes, ghosting into the box but pulling his cross straight into the grateful arms of Laban at his near post

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A neat pass from Tom Thorley sent Brogan away once more on forty minutes, only for the midfielder to have his pocket picked by Robertson at the last minute as he shaped to shoot on the edge of the Coalville penalty area

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The Pitmen finished the half in the ascendency, with another fine free-kick from Morley on forty-four minutes that looked for the head of Glover at the far post but was nicked away by the head of Robertson at the last minute

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Considering the backdrop to this afternoon's game, the Pitmen could be mightily pleased with their first-half performance at the break, having taken the game to their more experienced opponents and played with a freedom and expressiveness we have not seen much of this season. Brogan, Asomugha and Glover had been a constant threat to the Ravens defence, whilst Derricott, Kaninda and Patterson had done well to keep the Coalville attack at bay

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The hosts continued to press with aplomb at the start of the season half as an early free-kick from Morley was floated into the Coalville penalty area and into the head of Glover, whose flick-on towards Asomugha was cleared by Putman

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A nervy moment at the back from the Pitmen on forty-nine minutes saw Patterson play a risky short backpass to Jackson that was very nearly intercepted by Berridge but was claimed at the last second by the on-loan Sheffield Wednesday stopper right on the edge of his penalty area

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Back came the visitors, who started to see more of the ball after the Pitmen's early salvo and pressed their young opponents' defence with some powerful, probing play. Connor Smith made a probing run down the right on fifty-two minutes before pulling the ball back into the danger zone, only for no one in mint green to make a late run into the box and Derricott could clear once more

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Three minutes later, Brogan found himself in space on the edge of the penalty area as he worked the ball onto his right foot, shooting at goal but seeing his effort deflected behind for a corner by Robertson's tackle

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Stevens had seen enough from his misfiring side and made a double change on fifty-seven minutes as the prolific Ashley Chambers replaced the disappointing Kee up front and George Wilson came on in place of Smith, who had struggled to get into the game

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Good wing play from Asomugha again on fifty-nine minutes saw the former Alvechurch man break quickly down the right before pulling the ball back into the path of Graham, whose shot was deflected behind for a corner kick by Pepe-Ngoma's timely block

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From Brogan's resultant corner kick, Patterson rose highest to meet the ball on the penalty spot but saw his looping header clear the crossbar by a matter of inches

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Chambers was presented with a great chance to equalise just three minutes after coming on as McGlinchey's threaded ball from midfield sent the former Kidderminster Harriers man away on goal, only to be denied a certain goal by the instincts of Jackson as he smothered the striker's shot from sixteen yards out with his legs

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Shaw - a constant threat for the Coalville down the left flank in the previous two meetings between the sides this term - was off-target with a free-kick on sixty-two minutes, lifting his curling effort over the Hednesford wall and over the bar from twenty-five yards out

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This was to prove to be Shaw's final contribution to proceedings as the flying winger was replaced by Coalville on sixty-four minutes with the introduction of Zimbabwean midfielder Tendai Chitiza

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Berridge went close to equalising for the away side a minute later as he got on the end of a deep cross from McGlinchey but volleyed his effort wide of Jackson's right-hand post from twelve yards out

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Chambers followed Kee into the referee's notebook on sixty-nine minutes as the substitute took an embarrassing and blatant dive just outside the Hednesford penalty area as he looked to take the ball around Kaninda, earning him a well-deserved yellow card for simulation

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You felt that the Pitmen were doing just about enough to hang on, but had started to hand more and more territory to their powerful visitors and at this point you just hoped that the footballing gods were smiling down on the Pitmen as we entered the final twenty minutes of play

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The Pitmen's only substitution of the afternoon came with fifteen minutes remaining as McQuilkin came on to add to the midfield numbers as player/manager Glover afforded himself a rest

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With their main focal point up front now departed, the Pitmen struggled to make the ball stick in the final third and invited more pressure onto them by the Ravens. It came as little surprise, then, that Coalville grabbed themselves an equaliser on seventy-seven minutes through Berridge; Chitiza's angled ball into the Hednesford half from the right was flicked on by Chambers, catching the Hednesford defenders on their heels momentarily and allowing Berridge to nip in behind them to take the ball around Jackson and slide the ball into the empty net from ten yards out

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You felt the shift in momentum from this point onwards as the young Hednesford defence struggled to keep pace with a Coalville attack now finding their second wind. However, it was to be a controversial refereeing decision that provided the Ravens with a chance to take the lead on eighty-two minutes as Doyle-Charles broke quickly down the left and played the ball onto Chambers, who took another unconvincing trip to the ground as he and Kaninda challenged for the ball just inside the penalty area. To the amazement of the home players, officials and supporters, Mr Billingham awarded the visitors a spot-kick when many were expecting a second yellow card for Chambers for another bout of clear simulation. Putman - who missed a late penalty in November's F.A. Trophy tie between the two sides - was not to be denied on this occasion as he sent Jackson the wrong way from twelve yards out to hand Coalville the lead

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This appeared to knock the stuffing out of the hosts after such a valiant effort for the majority of the game, with Coaville adding a flattering third goal to their tally on eighty-six minutes through Chambers. Chitiza made a run down the right flank and into the penalty area before pulling the ball back to fellow substitute Wilson, whose low, driven cross was tapped home by Chambers from close range to complete the afternoon's scoring

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Jake Eggleton picked up a booking for the visitors as we moved into three minutes of added time for a clear and obvious foul on Asomugha to stop the winger from breaking down the right wing

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It had been a real tough luck story for the home side, who had led for over seventy minutes of the game and had shown great togetherness and spirit throughout proceedings before running out of steam late on against a far more experienced and powerful side who still have much to play for in their quest for the play-offs. The Pitmen remain far, far adrift of safety and are now without a win in five games as the games continue to tick away. They return to the RACE Stadium on Tuesday night when they play host to Mickleover in a re-arranged league clash between the two sides

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Hednesford Town: Jackson, Derricott, Morley ©, Thorley, Kaninda, Patterson, Asomugha, Parker, Glover (McQuilkin 75), Brogan, Graham      Sub Unused: Agustien, Portman, Hartley, Williams

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Coalville Town: Laban, Pepe-Ngoma, Putman, Eggleton ▆, Robertson, Smith (Wilson 57), Shaw (Chitiza 64), Doyle-Charles ©, Berridge, Kee ▆ (Chambers 57 ▆), McGlinchey      Subs Unused: Towers, Dean

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