NCEL - Play-Offs Semi-Finals
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19/04/25 - Wombwell Town vs Ilkley Town
It was all to play for as a crowd of 603 waiting eagerly for the action to begin, some still waiting outside the ground as, for the time in Wellers history, the queue went out of the ground and partially up the hill on Station Road. As the game began it didn't take long for the Wellers to put the ball in the net. Eddie Agnew though found his goal disallowed for a push on Jay Harris in the box. The early set-back seemed to knock some confidence out of the Wellers and it was Ilkley who took the lead on 14 minutes from an undealt with corner. The ball travelled to the front post where Eliel Maville-Anku was free to tap home with no-one guarding the near post. Ollie Fearon came close on two occasions to level the score before half time, with both efforts going wide of the target, but the best chance fell to Agnew on 40 minutes as an Owen Sykes free-kick eventually fell to the striker whose effort was blocked away for a corner by the desperate, outstretched leg of George Pearson. Half Time: 0-1 With a place in the play-off final waiting for the victors it was Wombwell Town who turned the screw and pressured the Ilkley defence to breaking point. However, it was Ilkley who had the best chance of the opening second half exchanges, forcing Sebastian Malkowski to a save down to his right to deny his side going two-nil down. Malkowski was the hero again on 65 minutes as he denied the visitors once more. This effort spurred on the Wellers who equalised just two minutes later. It came via the most dangerous throw in the league as Sykes launched the ball into the box from the right to find the head of Ollie Fearon who directed the ball towards goal for the poacher Agnew to make sure the ball was fired into the net from five yards out. Cue an uproar from the crowd as the frustration of the opening hour of the game was put behind them, and there was no looking back. The next meaningful attack gave the Wellers the lead. With a quarter of an hour remaining Agnew was involved again as his initial effort was cleared as far as top scorer Jordan Kershaw who riffled the ball into the roof of the net over Tim Edney who was shell-shocked. Kershaw raced to the crowd and was buried under his teammates who all jumped on top of the striker knowing the win was in sight. Fearon almost put the game in more safety just three minutes later as Edney denied the striker the team's third from a header that he had to tip over the bar. A late surge from Ilkley in the dying minutes forced Malkowski to step up once more, but not even the eight additional minutes could give the Bah'tatters an equaliser to take the game to penalties. Wombwell Town progress to the play-off final where they will host Dearne & District on Saturday 26th April. Wombwell Town - 2 Eddie Agnew 67 Jordan Kershaw 75 Ilkley Town - 1 Eliel Maville-Anku Attendance: 603
Images from this season can be found on the Gallery page.
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