RailWAY 2

Pool 1

AFTER the Christmas lay-off, Harrogate Railway were the last team that Pool wished to face. With seven points separating these top two teams and the chasing team Pool with a game in hand, this was always going to be a closely contested battle.

Both teams started in a sprightly fashion with Harrogate playing a crisp passing game but Pool took a grip of this game and Railway found themselves on the back foot. Firstly, Wilson came close when he found himself on the end of a Staniforth through ball but was denied by a quickly advancing 'keeper.

Pool felt that this tie was well within their grasp and found themselves 1-0 up when Staniforth played another inviting through ball to which Joyce latched onto and slotted home with the minimum of effort.

Railway responded well with a smart move down the left leaving the Pool defence in tatters and the striker with a clear-cut opportunity that to Pool's relief was struck firmly against the crossbar.

The game began to even itself out with both teams feeling as though scoring would be an impossible task against two well-organised defences.

It was Railway, though, under somewhat fortuitous circumstances, found themselves pulling one back. As the ball was only half cleared Pool found themselves in no man's land, leaving the Railway striker a clear sight of goal and managed to squirm the ball in.

At half-time Pool felt they could go on to win this game but the second-half proved to be a different story. The service to Joyce and Wilson dried and any possession that Pool had was cut off at the stem by a well-organised Railway midfield. Railway found it no easier with the ever-present Studds keeping the strikers at bay.

With 15 minutes left Railway began to pump hopeful balls in the heart of the Pool defence. As luck would have it one of these balls found Dave Spen, who weaved his way through and finished from an acute angle.

This was a game that could have swung either way and Pool will feel disappointed that they didn't come out with a point. Match Point was shared between Staniforth and Studds.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.