The Turf FC faced off against High Spen Bute Arms First at the Delves Lane Community Association Pitch on 18 May 2025, with the match kicking off at 10:30 am.
The Turf FC lined up in a 4-1-3-2 formation. Nick Dow started in net for the Turf, while his back four consisted of Jamie Tincknell and Jonny Thirlaway in central defence, flanked by Andy Gowland and Nathan Sterling in full-back, with Damo Freeman as a lone defensive midfielder sitting in front of them. Ahead of him, Jack Dawson and captain Lewis Sullivan were positioned to support both attack and defence, with Owen Hardy and Seb Belka positioned on the wings, while Joe Currie sat up top as the lone striker for the day.
The first half saw both teams probing for openings, but it soon became clear that High Spen were taking control of the game. The Turf never seemed to get their game started, playing too many long balls, panicking on the ball, and not playing with it on the deck. The Turf were however presented with a glorious opportunity when a fantastic ball through to Seb on the left left the goal wide open, but was deflected by the High Spen keeper, who rushed off his line to prevent the goal in an unfortunate twist in the tale.
It was High Spen Bute Arms who would strike first. As the match approached the half-time mark, they capitalised on a defensive lapse from The Turf, leaving the striker in a 1v1 opportunity against Dow in goal, finding the back of the net to take a 1-0 lead. The Turf FC struggled to respond effectively before the break, and the whistle blew with High Spen Bute Arms firmly in control.
As the second half commenced, The Turf aimed to regroup and finally find their rhythm. But as the game progressed tension began to rise amongst the two teams. With a poor challenge on right-wing Owen Hardy by High Spen's striker, Hardy responded with a shove before the attacker took a swing for him. The spat was swiftly interrupted when Gowland barged the High Spen man to the dirt as both teams erupted into chaos. Luckily, things slowly simmered and the game continued.
The fighting spirit seemed short-lived for the Turf as they found themselves on the back foot once again, as High Spen probed time and time again to double their lead, but were heroically foiled by some astounding goalkeeping by Dow to keep his team in it. Saving shots to the top corners, bottom corners, and the roof of the net as he did everything in his power to minimise the deficit.
Unfortunately, High Spen would eventually doubled their advantage due to a poo decision by the ref, allowing and offside through-ball to continue, leaving the High Spen striker to play 1v1 once again against Dow, only to slip the ball through his opponents legs to secure the second goal of the game. The Turf's defence was under pressure, and the visitors took full advantage, showcasing their attacking prowess.
Despite the mounting pressure, The Turf pushed on, but couldn't settle into the game as they continued to hoof the ball up the pitch time and time again, losing possession with little fight as legs began to tire. High Spen would eventually go on to score for a third time, capitalising off a corner ball, played into the back stick, only to be headed home by the High Spen Striker to make it 3-0 to the away side.
With tired legs and little options on the bench, two substitutions were all the Turf could do to hopefully scavenge something from this game. Jack Dawson was replaced by Hubert, filling in Hardy's position on the right, while Nathan Sterling made way for Jak Booth in the back four.
The Turf FC continued to fight valiantly, pushing forward in search of a goal, but High Spen Bute Arms held firm, demonstrating their defensive capabilities. All up until a final moment of genius by captain Sullivan, taking possession of the ball in his own half, noticing the keeper off his line, before firing a shot across the length of the pitch, sending the ball sailing over the High Spen goalkeeper before crashing into the back of the net in a screamer for the ages.
The match concluded with the visitors celebrating a well-earned victory, while The Turf were left to reflect on their performance and the lessons learned from this challenging encounter.
Goalkeeper Nick Dow was recognised for his valiant performance for his team, making a number of heroic saves for today's Man Of The Match. The Turf will have to regroup and take this defeat on the chin as a team as they go into their final match of the season against Top Club on Tuesday 20th of May.
