League leaders Catterick travelled to Brompton to play the Unicorn on a unseasonably mild October afternoon.
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Having throwing away a 3-1 lead last weekend against the Buck, Catterick were out to start quickly and get back on track.
Five minutes in they did just that. Jez Mortimer was at the heart of it, eventually finding Tim Holland wide left. He shifted it onto his supposedly weaker left foot and thrashed it across the keeper and just inside the far post.
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Half chances came and went for both sides for the next 20 minutes.
Around the half hour mark Unicorn front man Reeves went close. After being adjudged to have beaten the offside trap he was one on one with Tim Bishop in the Catterick net. As Bishop rushed out Reeves tried a lovely dinked finish that cannoned back off the post before Stephen Fleming completed the clearance.
Catterick too saw move after move end with attackers inches away from the final touch to some excellent build-up play.
The next goal would be very import and it went to the visitors four minutes from half time.
Holland now switched to the right was tormenting the opposition and when his ball into Jez was cushioned into the path of Neil Wright, his left foot finish was swept home from the edge of the area with a level of finesse that his teammates would not normally associate with the powerhouse. Some were heard comparing him to a rhino in ballet pumps.
The second half began with Unicorn marginally on top and Catterick looking likely on the break.
It was one of those breaks that saw Jez get clipped in the area. The contact forced the attacker off balance and as he was falling his shot was smothered. The referee in the opinion of the visitors made a brave but correct call to award the spot kick.
Holland stepped up and gave Middleton the eyes before converting for 0-3 with 55 minutes gone.
Watch the penalty here:
Shortly afterwards Wright was replaced by Damian Hargreaves up top for Catterick.
One of his first involvements saw him burst clear of the Uni defence before expertly rounding the keeper. A goal seemed certain but Hargreaves could only watch as the ball rebounded back off almost the exactly the same section of the post as Reeves’ has struck for the home side first half.
After Bishop had made many impressive claims from now threatening Uni corners and set the Catterick speedsters away countering the game was becoming stretched more and more.
Fleming got one off the line for Catterick to protect the clean sheet.
Uni did get a deserved consolation goal with a shot from ten yards that was awarded despite Catterick appeals for offside but the game ended 1-3.
The game between Leyburn and Reeth started fairly slow with Leyburn creating a few early chances but nothing too threatening.
However, the deadlock was broken in the 18th minute with a nice move from Lee ‘Trunks’ Davison, who beat his man down the wing and delivered a good cross that the keeper had to parry away.
The ball then dropped to Kiefer Bottomley on the edge of the box who struck it home with a powerful strike.
Leyburn continued to have more of the possession and a lot of joy down the flanks.
In the 32nd minute Leyburn doubled their lead when Lee Davison did very well to beat two men while cutting inside. He then hit a limp shot which somehow managed to squeeze through the keeper’s legs.
In the 43rd minute Leyburn went on to score their third. The build-up play was good with the team stringing together some lovely passes.
The ball ended up with Ben Fawcett – a left back whose got a great finish. But instead of shooting he delivered a great cross field ball to Sam Lane who then put in an inviting cross which Lee Davison headed home smartly for his second of the game.
The second half started slowly from both teams with nothing really happening.
Even though Leyburn had stepped off the gas a great pass from Kiefer Bottomley managed to put James Stanger through on goal.
The shot was brilliantly saved by the keeper but unfortunately for Reeth Lee Davison was there to tap in the goal and snatch his hat trick – arguably the worst in Wensleydale League history.
Another positive for Leyburn came later on when Tom Hammond was subbed on after a lengthy injury had kept him out.
He looked dangerous straight away and nearly got his dream return goal when a 35 yard effort went narrowly over the bar.
Richmond arrived at Carperby sports field hoping to continue the improved form they showed last week in a narrow defeat to Hawes.
The side was bolstered by the return of veteran keeper, Kenny Mudd, who committed his future to the club earlier in the week.
The sodden pitch wasn’t ideal for the Richmond lads’ fluid passing game but they persevered and produced some scintillating football in the first period.
Ryan Hart returned to lead the line after making his county debut the previous weekend and caused the ageing Pickard constant problems with his direct running.
On eight minutes a well-worked corner routine found Nathan Deacon at the back but his header struck the post with the keeper beaten.
A minute later a fantastic six-man move put Bran Galloway through on the right but his low shot was pushed behind by the busy Carperby keeper.
On 12 minutes the young side got the lead they deserved, Eddie Lewington made another good run down the left and his cross was finished on the line by Galloway.
Nathan Simpson was pulling the string in midfield and on 28 minutes he picked up a loose ball and fed Hart who turned and finished from just outside the box.
On 50 minutes Lewington beat two men in the box before being felled by a terrible tackle from Tom Osborn. Galloway stepped up wanting to make amends for a penalty miss last season but once again the young winger was unable to find the net.
Academy pushed for the rest of the half but couldn’t find the goal they deserved. Simpson hit the post and Weatherall squandered three chances after his late introduction before skipper Mackintosh hit a low effort into the bottom corner that the keeper really should have done better with.
Carperby scored a consolation with the last kick of the game with a Paul Stephenson screamer from 30 yards that gave Mudd no chance.
In the league’s only other game Mavericks put nine without reply past Spennithorne, with Dave Andrews bagging a hat-trick.
