CLIFF ELLIS TROPHY SEMI FINAL AT TIBSHELF COMMUNITY
5 JUNE 2021 --- 2PM
A superb all round team performance saw Pilsley march on to the final in another remarkable result this time overcoming third placed Tideswell not bad for the team holding up the league, who had last week overcome mid table Calver in a dramatic penalty shoot out.
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| SHANE MARRIOTT CELEBRATES THE FOURTH GOAL FOR PILSLEY |
Another red hot day would certainly have an impact on the players in this extended season that has seen the Hope Valley League persist, successfully so far, with completing its cup competitions. So another Saturday and it must be a trip to a Pilsley 'home' game in neighboring Tibshelf and today it would be Tidsa at Tibby. A great effort had been invested in last weekends victory to reach the semi final for the home side and also by the blog who mistakenly wore a coat on a very warm day this weekend there would be no repeat with a shirt the order of the day.
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| TIDESWELL ON THE BALL |
Nothing much would change on the route and a decision to avoid the five pits trail the correct one with sight at its junctions of runners, mountain bikers etc overloading some of the more narrow parts of the walk. Through Pilsley and onwards cutting through the local estate to the back of the Coop this time and arriving once again as one of todays assistant referees Dr Mike Douglass checked in much like last week, the league had correctly put three officials on the game and this of course added to the occasion.
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| BLUFF GETS A SHOT AWAY |
Talking of occasion the pitch had been freshly cut and marked although some of the whitewash was of dubious variety in the straightness stakes. Tideswell arrived with a small gathering of supporters and with a few more on the Pilsley side of the pitch supporting the lads in tangerine a good but tough game was in prospect.
For the home side there was a concern of sun stroke affecting reality by 35 minutes with their heads telling them they were 3 goals to the good but in fact there was no need to call a Doctor they actually had achieved this.
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| PILSLEY EARLY AERIAL ATTACK |
Firstly on the quarter of an hour mark Harry Dudley whipped in a tantalising cross off the right that flew in over the defender on the far post and when he lashed home his and the home sides second shortly afterwards the dreams were getting beyond the wildest of. But wait things could only get better when Chris Bluff nipped in on a high bounce that took the ball over the head of the visiting keeper to slot home despite the despairing dive of the defender on the line.
Get through to half time with their goal intact and Pilsley were thinking this is in the bag but of course a dangerous thought as failing to clear their lines from a corner allowed the ever dangerous Sam Brown the chance to drive the ball home to get the visitors right back into the game right on forty five.
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| EARLY OPENER FOR HARRY DUDLEY FLOATS IN OVER THE DEFENDER |
The break would provide a rallying call for both sides with Pilsley needing to redouble their efforts and Tideswell now sensing a comeback so the second half was more than set up for both sides and the neutral.
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| HARRY DUDLEY RECEIVES THE PLAUDITS FOR HIS SECOND GOAL |
If the opening half an hour of the second half had been a boxing match on possession alone the referee would have stopped it as wave after wave of Tideswell attacks came but remarkably Pilsley through sheer determination repelled them all. On another afternoon the visitors would have overhauled the scoreline but this was not another afternoon. The sheer work rate of Pilsley in closing down the Tideswell player in possession was something to admire and the more they denied the more their confidence grew they could get through this ninety minutes and that belief was further enhanced with fifteen minutes remaining. It was time for, the once again impressive, captain Shane Marriott to drive home a loose ball from distance and when that found the back of the net Tideswell must have felt so deflated.
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| CHRIS BLUFF [BY POST] MAKES IT 3-1 |
After a brief spell of despair Tideswell found the resolve to amazingly get back into the affair with five minutes remaining Brown got his second with a wonderful move beating three defenders on the inside left before firing low across the home keeper into the far corner of the goal. The arrears were further reduced in the fourth of ten added minutes stoppage time allotted by referee Daryl White when Jamie Gibbs rose majestically to had home a well placed long throw and how the nerves jangled now for Pilsley.
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| SAM BROWN OF TIDESWELL IMPRESSIVE THROUGHOUT |
The closing stages saw a caution for a visiting player for a sharp looking foul on a Pilsley player and referee White also had to issue a red card to a member of the travelling club on the touchline I guess for a comment about the incident. The only other caution in the game well controlled was for a home player kicking the ball away.
On the final whistle there was relief, exhaustion and excitement at what Pilsley had achieved from its players and supporters on a fantastic afternoon of high octane football that had seen Tideswell push them all the way. It would be the three goals lost in the opening stages that would prove the visitors undoing.
For Pilsley its onwards to the final now at Baslow against Bradwell based Stretfield Sports the league winners with 105 goals and a reputation that puts them forward for challengers in the Premier Division of The Hope Valley League next season. For Pilsley though it looked on paper a slim chance to progress against Calver and even harder to move forward against Tideswell and they did on both occasions so keep on believing and enjoying.
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| WONDER GOAL IT WOULD HAVE BEEN |
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