Match Report: Emley AFC 0-0 Redcar Athletic

Emley become the only team in the league to not be beaten by us. An impressive stat for both the Steelmen and the Pewits

There are now just two away games left for your title-winning Steelmen…well, 3 if you include the Boro Rangers cup match.

The first match of April, though, saw us travel to Emley, where we were held to a goalless draw.

A winding drive to the West Yorkshire village prefaced a very windy match against a side hunting for not just a play-off spot, but the lucrative one that means they remain at home.

However, this match ended up being a display of defences, with the Steelmen barely able to get a shot on target, let alone a goal.

Welcomed onto the pitch by a very generous guard of honour, and with a box of beers left in the dressing room, too, it was a very gracious welcome from our hosts.

We did start on the front foot, though many of our chances were dealt with before they could develop, and an offside Bosh was halted by the flag in the 20th minute.

The wind got stronger, and Owen Burns had a strike that looped out of the ground, much to the bemusement of the fans.

Emley’s fans were vocal about their thoughts on our league positioning, but they weren’t proving themselves to be as strong a side as they have been this season, either, as Mazfari spent most of the match untested.

We were forced into an early change as Bryan Taylor’s hamstring issue flared back up following a slight issue against Bradford Park Avenue, and so he was brought off for Nathan Guru.

As we approached half-time, there was a magical moment, though it was not an attacking one for us.

Blessed by some slight deflections, Emley’s striker managed to get into the box and leathered a shot towards goal that Mazfari pushed over. The following corner saw the ball ping about before one of the home players had another strike that looked destined to go in.

However, a fantastic stop from Josh Mazfari meant the scores stayed level, and both sets of fans were left in a stunned state as we had to come to terms with what we just witnessed.

The half-time whistle followed soon after, meaning that the break was spent gushing about Josh’s goalkeeping

The second half resumed in windy conditions, and we again had some decent chances early on.

Owen Burns looked to be through, but he was beaten to the ball by Emley’s goalkeeper.

A passing move between Nathan Guru, Oscar Fletcher and Brad Fewster ended when Nathan’s attempted cross was deflected behind, and we couldn’t make anything from the resulting corner.

Louis Johson saw a cross bend towards goal, forcing Emley’s shot-stopper to tip it over, and we passed the hour mark with the scores the same.

Emley were having some chances too, and as we approached the end, they did start to have more chances too, though Danni Lay and Kev Burgess were both putting in some great tackles and blocks to keep them at bay.

Louis Johnson received a booking too as he barrelled back towards our goal to halt an Emley counter-attack, wiping out one of their players to do so

We brought on Curtis Round, John Howard and JJ Bartliff for Owen Burns, Oscar Fletcher and Brad Fewster, and whilst they all had moments on the ball, none of them could get us a winning goal.

The final few minutes were a lot quieter, and the full-time whistle did come with the Steelmen being held to just our second 0-0 draw of the league campaign.

Up next is the trophy lift as we welcome Bridlington to the Hollou on Monday afternoon

Yes, you are reading that right, we play again tomorrow. Hectic stuff, but the league is nearly done, and that is when we can all rest…until it restarts

FanZone will open at 12 pm, with live music before and after the match, and we will also be screening the Swansea vs Boro match too!

Hope to see you there, and up the Steelmen!