Pateley were a bridge too far for a dire Menston Rangers side

Menston Rangers slipped to fourth in the league as they finished the year with a dire performance which gifted a win to the visitors from Nidderdale.

Failure to do the basics defensively cost Menston as they found themselves three down within the first half hour. First Pateley worked the ball down the Menston left before a pull back found the visitors lining up to finish from the edge of the box with goalkeeper Simon Wintle rooted to the spot.

A ball over the top then caught the Menston defence napping and with Wintle slow off his line left an easy finish. Menston were compounding their problems by overplaying the ball at the back putting themselves under more pressure.

A third followed in depressingly similar fashion. A Pateley forward drifted wide, was given plenty of time to decide what to do and found an unmarked colleague who was hauled down for a penalty which was well despatched.

At this point strikers Ryan Dyer and Richard Wintle had barely seen the ball. A ball over the top from Menston gave Richard Wintle a chance, but his stab at goal was put behind for a corner.

A period of Menston pressure followed, although it looked as if this would come to nothing when Ryan Dyer could not get the ball out from under his feet. Still Menston pressed, and eventually a goal was pulled back when Chris Cooper sneaked a header inside the far post.

Menston now had a sniff of a chance but with half-time looming conceded a fourth. A clearance hit a Menston player and ballooned up in to the path of a visiting striker. Craig George slid in to tackle, and in doing so stabbed home in to his own goal.

The second-half saw Menston come in to the game more, with Richard Dickinson linking up well with Ryan Dyer and substitute Gerald Haughihan. Despite pressing Menston never really looked like getting the goal that could let them back in to the game. Substitutions were made and Menston moved to a 3-5-2 formation in a bid to chase the game.

However, it was Pateley who made the game safe when one of their players was allowed to turn on the edge of the box and fire home.

Menston pulled a goal back with ten minutes remaining when Harry Bond saw his touch squirm home. Their day was summed up when substitute Darren Myers was carried off the pitch with a recurrence of a knee injury, leaving Rangers to play out the game with ten men.

All in all this was a thoroughly disappointing end to the year. The performances will have to pick up quickly if Menston are to maintain a promotion challenge.

On Saturday they travel to second placed Boroughbridge, before playing back to back fixtures against long term league leaders Thirsk Falcons. With a difficult cup match against Sherwood to round off the month, January could be make or break for Menston's season.

The squad for Saturday's game should meet at noon at The Regent, Guiseley.

Squad: S Wintle, S Bond, C George, R Metcalfe, C Cooper, R Dickinson, C Wood, H Bond, S Warbrick, R Dyer, R Wintle, G Haughian, P Kennedy, R Turnbull, T Duffissey, J Senior, R Garnett, M George.