CHARLIE Owen was the hero for Tadcaster Albion as his last-gasp winner proved enough to defeat Frickley Athletic. Frickley had given the Brewers a wake-up call with a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture in August, but Mick O’Connell’s side have now leapfrogged their opponents up to 14th place in the NCEL Premier Division table. Conditions were good at Westfield Lane, where the sides were met by a wintery chill.
Frickley fielded two ex-Tadcaster players in their line-up, goalkeeper Harrison Davison-Hale and Rob Guilfoyle up front. The visitors started on the front foot and looked for an early break when Elliot Andrew picked up Oli Norman’s through ball, but faced with four defenders, he could not get his shot away. Norman almost set up another opportunity a minute later, but his pass was too heavy for Kieran Greenway and instead sailed through for a goal kick.
Frickley made their first meaningful foray into the Tadcaster half on six minutes but shot well wide. Instead, it quickly became a midfield battle, and though the Brewers were edging the play, they could not break through the back four. The hosts meanwhile began to look dangerous on the break.
The first corner of the match went Frickley’s way midway through the half but was headed clear. Their pressure though continued with Dan Thirkell’s dubious header back to Sam Green, but the shot-stopper read the danger well and punched the ball away to safety. At the other end, Sam Kitchen looked to be through one-on-one w.
