Seven goals, heated exchanges, a penalty save, missed chances, keeper errors and a wonder volley – all in 90 minutes as Tadcaster Albion edged out Sheffield FC 3-4 at the Coach & Horses.

The Albion chiefs rang the changes after the disappointing opening day defeat to Carlton Town as Michael Ingham, Jason Mycoe, Josh Barrett, Corey Roper and Joe Lumsden were all handed starts.

Both sides were coming into the second matchday of the season looking for not just their first points of the new Evo-Stik East League campaign but also their first goals. However, it didn’t take Albion long to get off the mark, just four minutes in fact had surpassed when Billy Whitehouse’s hopeful clip in behind was misjudged by goalkeeper Josh Turton allowing Aiden Savory to flick the ball into the empty net.

It was a free-flowing an open start to proceedings with gaps in behind for both sides to exploit and the hosts almost levelled before 10 minutes had gone. Andrew Gascoigne drove at the Albion defence before sliding Mitchell Dunne in on goal only for the huge Norther Irishman Michael Ingham to come up trumps and stop the tame effort.

Nevertheless it was a drastically improved display from the Brewers as more desire, more intensity and more ideas were shown in the first fifteen minutes with Joe Lumsden and Aiden Savory frightening the life out of the Sheffield defence.

Having said that, the home side did equalise soon after, Andrew Gascoigne the provider again, Waide Fairhurst the scorer sliding past Ingham in a carbon copy of the earlier chance that Dunne squandered.

Taddy continued to look menacing on the front foot though with Joe Lumsden going close to netting his first competitive goal for the club after sending a vicious volley rippling into the side-netting.

Renowned striker Lumsden was getting into some great areas as his movement caused Sheffield more and more problems. With the break approaching, Aaron Hardy clipped a lovely ball in behind to Lumsden who peeled off his marker but the shot was dragged wide of the mark.

Chances were coming thick and fast for Taddy but they weren’t being taken, the best of the lot came when Casey Stewart dispossessed Daryl Winter’s weak pass to burst clean through on goal but the Albion forward was denied by a brilliant save from Turton. Teammate Joe Lumsden was square in support and fuming with Stewart’s decision to go alone but take nothing away from the FC stopper.

With the match at 1-1, you knew that it definitely would not end that way as a flutter of opportunities at both ends saw out the half. Michael Ingham did well to push Gascoigne’s rasping drive from distance away before on loan full-back Ifi Ofoegbu showed off his blistering pace to beat two man and pull into the box but Dunne couldn’t quite stretch enough to turn goalwards.

Sheffield persisted on playing with a high defensive line despite the Brewers breaking in behind time and time again. Lumsden was played through again, this time by Billy Whitehouse but just as the striker attempted to go round Turton, he made a crucial touch with his foot to clear the danger. If it wasn’t for Josh Turton’s eager anticipation to fly off his line then the hosts could have been in trouble.

Lumsden continued to threaten in the second half and went close again but his touch just allowed Turton to smother after Casey Stewart played a lovely disguised ball in behind.

It’s rather remarkable how certain football scripts are written as an incredible sixty seconds saw Albion inches away from retaking the lead but it was in fact Sheffield that netted the third goal of the ever-bubbling match.

Aiden Savory blocked a clearance and slid across teeing up Joe Lumsden only for Josh Turton to shine again making a miraculous goal saving stop from close range. Sheffield were growing in confidence after surviving a couple of scares as they went up the other end to turn the contest on its head. Ingham could only parry the lively Ofoegbu low drive which gave Mitchell Dunne the simplest of tap-ins from five yards out.

After a number of positives for Taddy, they were now up against it as the World’s Oldest Football Club started to try and run the clock down, a plan that would in the end back-fire.

There were plenty of big moments in this early season match but none other than in the 75th minute when experienced goalkeeper Michael Ingham won the mind-game battle and saved Waide Fairhurst’s penalty kick. The curse of the stutter run-up strikes again, Eden Hazard this was not.

This proved to be incredibly costly for the home side as the Brewers netted two goals in two minutes to snatch the lead back from their opponents. Football can look a simple game at times as Billy Whitehouse’s chipped cross to the back stick was nodded down by Aiden Savory and poked carefully through a body of players by Casey Stewart. The drama was well and truly on!

And Tadcaster were in front on 81 minutes, another Billy Whitehouse cross from the right caused problems as another misjudgement from goalkeeper Turton saw the ball drop to the feet of Joe Lumsden to prod home from close range.

Nine minutes to go and there was still more emotions to endure for the 240 watching on spectators who certainly got their money’s worth. Straight from kick-off Sheffield equalised again scoring the best goal of the game by a country mile. The usual long ball forward from the restart culminated in Mitchell Dunne scoring his second of the night with an exquisite volley over Ingham and off the underside of the bar.

The ascendency was still with Tadcaster though as Sheffield looked desperate at the back. Aiden Savory came close to finding the net again after skipping past the last defender only for Turton to thwart well. The young goalkeeper certainly had an up and down evening in between the sticks making two key errors leading to goals along with several very good saves.

However it was indeed the Brewers who had the last laugh as Joe Lumsden was just too strong and powerful for Winter who failed to clear his lines allowing for the hungry forward to bare down on goal and delicately touch the bouncing ball past Turton into the back of the net. Cue more celebrations from the travelling Taddy fans.

Full-Time: Sheffield FC 3-4 Tadcaster Albion

Sheffield: Turton, Ofoegbu, Eagle, Winter, Lawrence, Kay, Wakefield, Gascoigne©, Dunne, Fairhurst, Wright
Subs: Osborne, Mohammed, Newsham, Mackie, Gregory

Tadcaster: Ingham©, Whitehouse, Hardy (Walters 72), Mycoe (Baker 72), Coates, Barrett, Stewart, Roper, Lumsden, Davidson, Savory
Unused: Langton, Barkworth, Howarth

Ref: Martyn Fryer