Worksop Town 6-0 Retford United (Friendly) 27.07.21

Sandy Lane certainly witnessed a friendly of two halves on Tuesday night as Craig Parry’s Tigers, welcomed Liam Kay’s Badgers, for the universally known, local affair, of ‘El Bassico.’

A goalless first half was in sharp contrast to that in which the second half offered, and, although both sides had a number of opportunities in the opening 45 minutes, both ‘keepers held firm, Tom Crosby, the visiting shot-stopper, pulling off several, top quality saves, the first from a Zayn Hakeem header, the second after Ben Tomlinson let loose from range.

The Badgers had early chances, Liam Frost rattling the crossbar, and Brandon Kane, he tried his luck from halfway, but his effort sailed over the home goal, the Tigers meanwhile, they would also see an effort fly over, theirs coming from Aaron Sennett-Nielson, whilst Liam Bateman would see his effort blocked on the line.

As much as the first half was even, the second was pretty much one-way traffic, in favour of the hosts, with the visitors being put down to ten men, because of violent conduct with twenty remaining, and six, unanswered goals.

Both of Parry’s substitutes, at the start of the second period, would find themselves among the goals, Connor Smythe opening the scoring within six minutes of coming on, he netting from the edge of the box minutes after Hakeem had found the side-netting.

A devastating, ten-minute spell, after the hour mark, and before the dismissal, put the game out of the site as one quickly became four.

Hakeem would register twice, in quick succession, his first coming off a James Baxendale cross which looped over Crosby and into the goal, whilst his second, and the Tigers’ third, came on the back of a goalmouth scramble.

With a little over twenty minutes remaining Smythe would turn provider, this time Ben Tomlinson the beneficiary, he getting on the end of the cross and firing home before, minutes later, the visitors would see themselves reduced to ten men when their substitute ‘keeper, who’d only been on the field a matter of minutes, and was on trial with the club, was dismissed for violent conduct.

Ify Ofoegbu, who came on with Smythe at the start of the half, then got himself amongst the goals when he added number five, neatly finishing off Baxendale’s cross with twelve minutes to go, and, just a minute later, the rout was completed when Aleksandrs Starcenko added number six, he driving through the heart of the visitors defence before finishing well.

Worksop’s next friendly is at home to Gainsborough Trinity on Saturday (31 July) afternoon, whilst Retford United, meanwhile Retford will look to bounce back quickly when they travel to Denaby Main on the same day.

Worksop Town: Trialist, Liam Bateman, Deegan Atherton, Lewis Gibbens (Smythe), Jack Broadhead, Ben Turner, Aleksandrs Starcenko, James Baxendale, Aaron Sennett-Nielson (Ofoegbu), Zayn Hakeem, Ben Tomlinson.

Retford United: Tom Crosby (Trialist), Jason Paling, Tom Brook, Danny Abdulla (Blagg), Danny Booth, Oliver Lawrence, Mason Barlow, Brandon Kane, Kosi Nwobi, Jonathan Fusco, Liam Frost.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @LewisPickersgi1 the two teams walking out at Sandy Lane.