Harworth Colliery 1-3 Retford United (Central Midlands League Premier Division North) 26.10.21

Retford United travelled to Doncaster in midweek, for what was the second, of three, consecutive away matches in the Central Midlands League, again registering three goals, and with it, striker Mark West’s twentieth goal of what is becoming an industrious for him, and the Badgers.

In visiting Harworth Colliery’s Jones & Co Recreation Ground, it would be Liam Kay’s high-fliers that took an early lead, in each half in fact, hitting the hosts quickly, and in devastating fashion.

Just a couple of minutes was on the clock when West fired the opening salvo, putting the third-placed Badgers into a commanding position with a volley in front of a crowd swelling at 250 plus.

The lead could have been doubled a little over ten minutes later however, a free-kick from Brandon Kane was sent whistling over the cross bar, the equaliser coming on 18 minutes, the hosts finishing off a well-worked move.

Harworth’s joy was short-lived however for, just as quickly as they’d equalised, the Badgers had restored their lead, this time Liam Frost headed home with twenty minutes on the clock.

As the game headed towards the interval, that man, Igor Mlynarski, a Badger threat throughout the first half of the season, goes for goal himself; working his way up the left flank he then cut inside before unleashing a goal-bound effort which, fortunately for the hosts, misses the target, the visitors heading in at the half with a 2-1 lead.

The second period started just as well as the first had done, this time, the goal that was scored, within three minutes of the restart, effectively killed the game off.

Again Mlynarski would prove to be a threat down the flank, and so it proved on this occasion, he releasing a pin-point cross to which Aaron Fell would be on hand to smash home the visitors third of the game.

That duo, Mlynarski and Fell, would combine on a number of occasions throughout the game, doing so as the game headed towards the final ten minutes.

Dancing past two Harworth players, Mlynarski, who else, released another cross for Fell, but this time the effort was skied over the hosts’ crossbar, then Frost fashioned an opportunity for himself, holding up the ball before turning, and shooting wide.

The score remained at 3-1, but it was another, vital, three points for the Badgers which mattered the most and, as they travel to Sheffield Reserves on Saturday (30 October) afternoon, there’s just the two points splitting the top three sides.

Club Thorne Colliery lead the way as we close in on the half-way mark of the season, with Newark Town nestled into second place, before Retford United, who’ve played a game more now than the top two, maintain third.

Retford United: Tom Crosby, Jay Paling, Daniel White, Daniel Booth, Stuart Ludlam, Mason Barlow, Igor Mlynarski, Aaron Fell, Brandon Kane, Mark West, Liam Frost.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @TomRoberts the Retford United players celebrate at Harworth.