Frustrated Quorn have to settle for share of the points after penalty miss
UHLSPORT UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION NORTH
QUORN 1 MELTON TOWN 1
IN THE opening match of the league season, Quorn shared the points with Melton Town in their home encounter on Saturday at the Farley Way Stadium.
Coming on the back of the previous Saturday’s 5-1 FA Cup win over divisional rivals Selston FC, Quorn were looking to carry on the same form into the league, but that was not the case as it was the visitors who were the more dominant team in the first 20 minutes.
Melton took the game to Quorn, and within 40 seconds of the kick-off home goalkeeper Max Culverwell had to be alert to hold on to Paul Anderson’s low driven cross. In the fourth minute Henry Dunn’s low dipping volley went just over the crossbar, Culverwell struggling to get near the ball.
The pressure by Melton paid off however, when in the eighth minute Anderson’s centre from the left found an unmarked Zak Munton who headed home to give the visitors a deserved lead.
Munton burst between two Quorn defenders in the 12th minute but miscued his lob. Two minutes later a header on from a Melton throw in found Latham Hammond, who scuffed his shot in the Quorn penalty area.
Quorn’s first shot of the match came in the 29th minute, following a good run by Leavi Oshungbure who found Tawanda Mangondoza, but he shot well over. Back came Melton and Anderson, unmarked from a throw in, saw his shot turned by Culverwell onto a post.
After this point however, Quorn started to claw their way back into the match, with Varney becoming more prominent, and an equaliser arrived in the 31st minute. Sloppy defending saw Melton concede a throw in, and Quorn retained possession around the edge of the penalty area a ball in from the right found Mangondoza, the home number 10 forcing the ball home.
This gave Quorn a boost and it was the home side who were the prominent of the two teams as half time approached, although long throws by Melton’s Muggleton continued to give Quorn’s defence problems.
The second half saw Quorn dominate large periods, a bad back pass set up Chib Chilaka, but Melton goalkeeper Rob Peete produced a fine save. Varney then picked up on scrappy defensive work by Melton to fire his shot into the side netting, then make Peete work in the 62nd minute with a header which Peete tipped over.
The next chance fell to Quorn, and it came via a foul in the visitors’ penalty area. In the 75th minute Varney went down under a tackle by Leon Fray, Referee John Stevens pointing to the penalty spot. Varney took the penalty kick himself and went for power but hit the crossbar.
If Quorn had gone ahead then it would have been a fair reflection of the match, but that was not to be.
In the 80th minute Cam Smith got in behind the Quorn back line and earned a corner, from which Muggleton’s shot was saved by Culverwell for another corner, which Culverwell cleared with an impressive punch.
In the closing stages of the match Munton had a free header, which he placed straight at Culverwell. The five minutes of added time saw both sides trying to take all three points but to no avail.
Next up for Quorn is a home Emirates FA Cup tie on Saturday (August 21) with Ilkeston Town from the Pitching In Northern Premier League. This also sees the return of former Quorn Manager Martin Carruthers, now Head Coach at Ilkeston.