WELLS THE HERO IN BULLS WIN
NEWLY-PROMOTED AFC
Mansfield proved their mettle with a 3-2 win over
Frickley Athletic, as a rousing second-half riposte successfully pulled them back from two goals down to earn all three points.
The Blues opened the scoring out of nothing on seven minutes, Jacob Hazel tapping into an empty net after the ball bounced past Jason White.
Another misjudgement led to a second seven minutes later, Mark Dudley’s backpass too short for White and it allowed Jack Burton to expertly double the lead.
Lynton Karkach got the comeback going just after the break when he converted a rebound from Kieran Wells’ effort and drew his side level with a firm finish on the hour.
Jimmy Ghaichem, a loyal lieutenant of Bulls boss Rudy Funk after the pair’s spell at Scarborough Athletic, laid on the winner with a fine cross converted by Brad Wells. Fourth-placed Lincoln
United’s strong start to the season continued as a late Paul Grimes penalty pushed them past a valiant Stocksbridge Park Steels 2-1.
Kevin Hemagou gave the home side the lead after only two minutes, his angled shot from long range nestling in the far corner.
Stocksbridge pressed for an equaliser and enjoyed long spells of possession in a close-fought encounter at Ashby Avenue, Liam McFadyen equalising in the second half.
Grimes must have felt his time had passed having struck the bar just after the break but after Kallum Ward was felled in the box, the striker stepped up and kept his cool to convert the spot kick.
Sheffield FC are the oldest football club in the world and it was an oldfashioned goalfest that brought their first win of the season, a 5-3 triumph over Pontefract Collieries.
Sheffield took the lead on 17 minutes as James Gregory burst down the left to cross to the back post where Marc Newsham was on hand to dive and head home.
On 23 minutes it was 2-0, Gregory the chief creator once again when he found Mitchell Dunne in the middle to sidefoot in.
Eli Hey drove home a penalty two minutes later to halve the deficit and the visitors then went on to equalise just before the break when Jack Greenhough looped a header over the keeper.
The Colls simply wouldn’t go away, falling behind to Jamie Yates’ effort but soon dragging themselves back to parity through Jake Picton’s flicked header.
Two late goals would be Sheffield’s saviour however, Andrew Gascoigne dispatching a beauty of a free-kick into the top corner and Newsham tapping home his second in the 87th minute.
Elsewhere, a pair of Martin Smyth penalties earned Gresley a 2-1 win over Tadcaster Albion in a game that was ultimately dominated by the refereeing decisions.
After a frantic opening, the Brewers conceded a penalty with Billy Whitehouse controversially adjudged to have handled the ball and Smyth duly converted.
Gresley goalkeeper Jack Livesey, on loan from League One Burton Albion until the end of the season, denied Joe Lumsden and Harry Coates with stunning second-half stops.
Livesey’s interventions meant Smyth’s second spot-kick clinched the contest, rendering Chris Howarth’s injury-time strike mere consolation. Meanwhile Marske
United claimed a brave 2-0 win over Spalding United, overshadowed by a suspected broken leg sustained by one of their players.
Leon Mettam’s ill-judged challenged saw him redcarded in the first half and set the Tulips an uphill task to avoid their first defeat of the season.
Marske took advantage, Callum Martin beating his man and pulling back for Craig Gott to rifle home an opener from 20 yards.
The spoils were then sealed on 68 minutes, Damien Stevens forging his way to the byline and delivering a perfect cross for Jamie Owens to make it two from inside the box.