MARSHAL TYRES sponsored Pocklington Towns Humber teams run of bad results continued last Saturday when despite dominating possession and turning in another improved performance, they were again punished for their mistakes to remain winless in November. Pock should take a lot of heart from their effort on the day as they started the game brightly and on 4 minutes, good interplay between Chris Saltmer, James Haigh and Martyn Day saw Saltmer bring a routine save from the Hessle keeper.

 

Another good passing move in the 7th minute involving Day and Andy Anderson saw a far post cross volleyed wide by Dan O'Connor but a misplaced pass out of defence from Sam Beales needed keeper Adam Thomas to make a great save as Hessle nearly made the most of the opportunity. Pock were continuing to press Rangers back and play the better passing game and on 15 minutes, Haigh was unlucky with a 20 yard shot from more good approach play. With Haigh orchestrating Towns game, he was unlucky not to play Dan O'Connor in for a run on goal as Town continued to play attractive passing football.

 

Hessle started to come into the game more and Town needed to be solid defensively as the visitors enjoyed a period of control with George Alport making a couple of excellent tackles to prevent shots on goal. Thomas's long kick set up Haigh to play in Dan O'Connor but not for the first time, Towns shooting failed to exert the Hessle keeper with another effort straight at him. Pock conceded the opener on 38 minutes when Dave O'Connor misplaced a clearance, setting up a Hessle counter attack that Pock failed to clear. The second ball was a far post cross that picked out a free header to undo all of their hard work but they nealry levelled right on half time when Alport broke up a Hessle attack and played in Dan O'Connor. His run set up Anderson for a superbly driven shot that just faded the wrong side of the post with the keeper nowhere.

 

Town went into the interval knowing that they needed to improve their pass completion and be more clinical in the opponetns final third and on 56 minutes, good work from Day set up Haigh for a shot that flew narrowly over but they needed a bit of good luck on the hour when an attempted pass from Jim Drewery hit another Pock player on the back and fell straight to a Hessle forward. Keeper Thomas drove the attacker wide but it needed a great recovery tackle from Drewery to clear the ball off the line as the shot was going in off a post. With both teams playing attractive passing football, Dan O'Connnor got around the back of the Hessle defence and brought a good save from their keeper but calamity struck for Town on 69 minutes when Dave O'Connor thought that he had been fouled on the edge of his own area and stopped playing when he heard a referees whistle.

 

Unfortunately there were 3 games going on at home last Saturday and the noise had come from another pitch and Hessle made the most of Pock stopping by exchanging a quick one-two and finishing into the bottom corner to make it 2-0. Despite this setback, Pock stuck to their task and were rewarded on 80 minutes when Dan O'Connor received a pass from Haigh and managed to roll his defender before letting rip with a screamer into the top corner and all of a sudden, Rangers were under pressure as Pock pressed on in search of an equaliser. Great defending from the Hessle right back blocked Saltmers effort on the line at the far post and despite a stream of crosses into the Hessle area and shots from distance, Pock conceded a third on 89 minutes when Rangers managed to break down their right.

 

Despite another reverse, Pock continue to show improvement and the last couple of weeks have started to see them get back to playing the kind of football that they are capable of. With players to come back into selection next weekend for the first of a double header against North Cave, only hard work (and a bit of good fortune wouldn't go amiss!) will see Pock get through this sticky patch, players meet at the club at 12.30 pm please.