Pickering Town beat Parkgate 3-1 at Mill Lane (From Gazette & Herald)

Pickering Town beat Parkgate 3-1 at Mill Lane

4:28pm Wednesday 25th November 2009

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PICKERING Town made it five straight wins in league and cup when beating Parkgate 3-1 at Mill Lane.

Manager Mark Wood’s men are now 10th in the Northern Counties East League premier division – with games in hand on most of the teams above them in the table.

The Pikes were in total command of the match but had to wait until the second half before they got the goals to match their dominance.

David Thompson shot wide on 17 minutes and, a minute later, Parkgate goalkeeper Liam Copley made a brilliant save to prevent Christian Fox scoring with a 20-yard shot.

Copley also denied Chaz Wrigley and Liam Salt twice, who then had a goal ruled out for offside.

The second period saw the Pikes continue to keep control, despite worsening conditions with the wind picking up, but their overall play was not as good as in the first period.

The opening goal of the game came on the hour mark. Wayne Aziz won a free kick 30 yards out and Fox floated the ball into the crowded box. Salt followed up well but it was Rob Eeles who scored from eight yards.

In the Pickering goal, Kevin Martin had his first save to make on 62 minutes when he stopped a 30-yard effort by Andrew Gascoigne and he was forced to intervene four minutes later to keep out a Joe Purkiss effort.

The visitors equalised after 71 minutes when Adam Fretwell scored with a 30-yard free kick which crept into the Pikes’ goal from the left wing but Wood’s warriors piled on the pressure again and were rewarded 11 minutes from time with a penalty.

Awarded for handball, Salt stepped up and put it to the ’keeper’s right. The victory looked more comfortable when, in the last minute, Darren Clough outpaced the visitors’ defence as he ran on to a superb Gary Hepples through ball – beating the advancing Parkgate custodian with a right-foot shot.

Wood said: “I am very pleased with the performance it was a win which was thoroughly deserved. In the first half, we played very well without any goals. The second half, against a much stronger wind, was hard work but we got three goals to show for it and an excellent all-round performance.

“Parkgate were not an easy side to bear and last week they won 6-0. With a new manager and eight new players they were a very difficult side to play against.”

Pickering: Martin, Aziz, Hillier (Pallender 85), Eeles, Parke, Hepples, Wrigley, Thompson, Clough, Salt (Towse 90), Fox.

Pickering were playing Armthorpe Welfare last night (Tuesday) and will entertain mid-table Dinnington Town, who beat Nostell Miners’ Welfare 2-0, on Saturday.

The club host a supporters’ open forum on Friday at the Recreation Club (start 7.30pm) to discuss the immediate future and plan the way forward for the club.

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