10. Moving on Up

 

M People V Festival wikipedia creative commons Drew de Fawkes 

Morley Town have reached the top of the Yorkshire Amateur Premier League season and only a Keegan-style implosion can stop them from promotion to the Yorkshire Amateur Supreme Division.... 

Match 17 Morley Town v Nostell Miners Welfare Reserves

This is the only team we have not played so far, but on paper should be an easy win, although these games against reserve teams can be a potential banana skin. The visitors lie in 8^th, while we are of course top. Nosa Iyamu is back from injury but is kept on the bench as a precaution, with Pamment retaining his place after impressing against Woodkirk Valley. Payne is preferred to Graham on the right wing and Cowgill steps into central defence for Ben Clappison, who is laid up with a virus.

Team: Reay, Busfield, Cowgill, Cyrus, Alasttal, Agbozo, Wright, Payne, Ellis, Rowe, Pamment

It is the visitors in their Borussia Dortmund style yellow kit who make the early running in this one, but it is us who have the first chance when Ellis slips in Pamment whose fierce shot is tipped over the bar at the near post. Another slick moves sees Sam Wright’s brilliant through ball seized upon by Ellis, but the keeper saves well when one on one. Sanchez Payne has looked lively and he cuts inside before fizzing one just over. Then, the deadlock is finally broken. Farris Pamment intercepts the ball after their right back dallies on the ball. His incisive low cross is turned in by Louis Rowe to give us the lead we deserve. Then history repeats itself, this time Sam Wright dispossess their midfielder before surging forward and feeding Payne down the right. His low cross is turned home by Gabriel Ellis to double our advantage. Into the second half and Sam Wright is toying with our opponents. He bursts forward again past two to the byline, before finding an inch perfect cross which is volleyed home by Rowe with a deflection off the defender to make it 3-0 Morley. We have chances to add a fourth, while Nostell threatened little at the other end. A good solid 3-0 home win which solidifies our place at the top.

Final Score: Morley Town 3-0 Nostell Miners Welfare Reserves

Rowe 41, 56

Ellis  45

Board & Supporter Confidence Update

To summarise they think I’m doing a bloody brilliant job!

Match 18 Leeds City Reserves v Morley Town 04/02/23

Sweet revenge is on our minds after their shock 2-1 win over us at Glen Road earlier in the season. Iyamu is out suspended while Clappison is feeling a lot better and in contention for a start. We are overwhelming favourites for another three points to further strengthen our grip at the top of the table. The hosts are in the relegation zone and are fighting for their lives. I name an unchanged starting XI.

Team: Reay, Busfield, Cowgill, Cyrus, Alasttal, Agbozo, Wright, Payne, Ellis, Rowe, Pamment

Match Action

We get an early penalty.. Up steps Busfield and.. dinks it straight into the keeper’s arms for the worst penalty in the history of football. I have officially deleted him off the penalty takers list because that was pathetic. What the hell was that? An attempted Panenka in the Yorkshire Amateur League.. Who the ‘ell d’ya think thee are lad?  was the sentiment among the Ultras. Then to make matters worse they go and flipping score. Poor closing down from our midfield lets in Ian Richards to fire one into the top corner.. They look up for this, we look like were playing with a hangover. Winfarrah nearly doubles their lead after more good work from the dangerous Richards. Meanwhile at the other end we sky any chance we have miles over the bar.. This is pathetic. Then Richards gets down the left and crosses for Winfarrah who is upended by Cowgil. Penalty.. The striker gets up and shows Busfield how to do it by sending Reay the wrong way. 2-0 at half time I throw the water bottle and read them the riot act. That was comfortably the worst half of the season. Second half and I introduce Graham and push Payne up front to form a three pronged attack. They are still dominant though and almost increase their lead when Richards is allowed to run through on goal, only to be thwarted by Reay who tipped his fierce effort over the crossbar. We still look lethargic. Then in a much needed moment of quality, Ellis retrieves the ball on the left flank and plays an intelligent half volleyed low cross to Sam Wright on the edge of the area who toe ends the ball hard into the top corner from 20 yards. He runs back to the halfway line with the ball tucked under his arm. Leeds City Reserves stick to their guns though and right winger Whitestone stings the palms of David Reay. Then from a throw in, Ellis tuns and slips in Kieran Graham to equalise....Graham must score!..no he skies it horrendously over the bar.. three points to Jonny Wilkinson.., The same player is through on goal again after an enormous goal kick from Reay but again he fluffs his lines and mis-controls the ball into the keeper’s grateful arms. Grrrr!! We are destined to yet again lose 2-1 to Leeds City reserves. This result sends out a clear warning that we must not cave in to complacency! Our lead at the top has been cut to four points and second place Beeston Juniors have a game in hand. Furthermore it’s the Asquith Avenue Derby next at Glen Road against The Old Boys of Gildersome...

Sam O’Hara Leaves Morley

My assistant manager, Sam O’Hara has left Morley to become the new manager of Reeth & District AC of the Wensleydale Football League. I bet there’s some very scenic grounds in that league.. Good luck with clearing all that sheep muck off the pitch before the game I joked with him on his last day...

Joe Lamplough Becomes Player/Assistant Manager

After Sam O’Hara’s departure to the Yorkshire Dales Farmers League I offered the role to one of my senior players and all round good egg, Joe Lamplough

I was sat in my office going through some admin work and setting up training routines with my U21s squad when Jeff Smith knocked on my door,

"Boss. I need to ask you something?"

"OK?"

"I need to start more games. I think I can really make a difference to the team."

 "Jeff your 42 man and were brought into the club purely as an impact player, you know that!"

"Yeah but unlike many of my teamates I have played in the football league. I could destroy this division, even at my age."

"Yes but Nosa Iyamu is also destroying this division and is much younger. I think you need to realise you are a back-up to him."

Smith shrugged his shoulders.

"I expect to play against Gildersome," he retorted and walked out.

I was a bit flabbergasted by his attitude. He was somebody who should know better. This was no stroppy 19 year old wanting his first team chance, this was a 42-year old veteran winding down his career in the non-leagues.

Match 19: Morley Town v Gildersome Spurs Old Boys 18/02/23

We need to put the Leeds City Reserves game behind us and concentrate on beating local rivals, Gildersome in the return fixture of the Asquith Avenue Derby, this time at our place. The Ultras are warming up their flares and there is a buzz around the town as the game approaches. The build up has taken over the pages of the Morley Gazette and the town braces itself for the big match.

On a footballing front, our local rivals find themselves down in 10^th place just above relegation, while our lead at the top has been cut to four points. Iyamu is back and raring to go on the left wing, while Payne partners Ellis up front and Clappison is preferred to Busfield at right back.

Team: Reay, Clappison, Cowgill, Cyrus (c) Alasttal, Agbozo, Wright, Graham, Payne, Ellis, Iyamu

Through the haze of the flares let off from all sides of the Glen Road Playing fields the two teams trundle out onto the pitch. The game lacks shape in the opening exchanges and no quarter is asked or given as you would expect. Payne has a shot easily saved. Then out of virtually nowhere we get a corner which Wright swings in. Clappison takes a tumble in the box. Penalty! Eliis steps up and sends the keeper the wrong way 1-0 Morley and his 17^th goal of the season. Alastall launches a ball forward down the channel for Ellis to run onto. He squares it for Payne to tap home, even though much to the annoyance of the visiting fans, he was clearly offside. Even Stevie Wonder could have seen that one.. but somehow the goal stands... We are all over the Old Boys now. We win a corner which is cleared but retrieved by Cyrus who plays it to Agbozo on the edge of the penalty area, who is given the freedom of Glen Road to control and dribble into the penalty area, before coolly chipping the ball over the keeper for 3-0. Too easy.  But wait! Fairclough’s balL down the right channel has Houston on his way. He outmuscles Alasttal before crossing low for John Hyland to sweep home. 3-1. Agbozo is probably having his best game in a Morley shirt and he plays a delightful through ball for Ellis to run onto. Goal number 18 is completed when he rolls it nonchalantly past the onrushing keeper, before raising his arms Cantona-style to the band of jubilant Ultras behind the goal. C’est Magnifique Gabriel!

Into the second half and the Old Boys are the better side and they pull another goal back through Hyland again. They are all over us now and this is starting to get a little worrying. Hyland gets the ball again cuts inside and unleashes a wicked curling effort which just shaves the post. Bloody hell! I go to a straight 4-4-2 and batten down the hatches. We muster a counter attack and Kieran Graham smacks the post with a thunderous effort. We see it through and run out 4-2 winners, but by ‘eck, dey gev us a game 2^nd half...

Final Score Morley Town 4-2 Gildersome Spurs Old Boys

Ellis 17 (pen) 45       

Agbozo 22                                                      Hyland 42,57

Payne 31

Table with 4 games remaining

Table with 4 games to go

1^st Morley Town  44 pts

2^nd Beeston Juniors 37

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3^rd Collegians 32

4^th Lepton Highlanders 31

5^th Greetland  29

6^th Woodkirk Valley 29

7^th Golcar Reserves 26

8^th Nostell Miners Welfare 26

9^th Shire Academics 25

10^th Leeds City Reserves 24

11^th Gildersome Spurs Old Boys 21

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12^th Ealandians 19

13^th Route One Reserves 8

With just four games left and a seven point lead, surely Morley Town cannot mess this up..

Find out how Season One concluded next time on The Ultimate English Pyramid Game! 

Read Part 11 We Are Supreme Here!