A mild evening in West Yorkshire saw Keighley’s Cougar Park - the new home of Eccleshill United, and a ground more used to the highs and lows of rugby league - treated to a thrilling game of football between two sides both hungry for a win. After a stunning victory against Beverley Town in their last league game, Tadcaster were hopeful of a repeat success, which would put them at the top of the NCEL standings.

The grim determination for victory made for a start to the game that seemed almost punishing for the players - a brutal tackle by Albion’s Andrew Shepherd in the 10th minute made those who might not have been concentrating collectively jump five feet in the air - they were paying attention now. Shepherd would be booked just 5 minutes later for a lunge in the midfield.

Possession ebbed and flowed with serious attempts from both sides - chances like Albion’s Charlie Thompson’s attempted cross in going just wide in the 14th minute, and a shot from United’s Alhassane Keita kept out by Tadcaster keeper Ally Hughes 26 minutes into the match kept tensions high throughout the first half.
But it would be the away team who scored the first goal - a moment of drama at the Eccleshill end in the 43rd minute, the ball bounced around in a mad scramble on the goal line, as fans struggled to follow where exactly the ball was going. Through the chaos, the ball deflected off of Charlie Owen and headed straight into the net, giving Tadcaster the lead at the end of the first half. 0 - 1

The second half began like the first had never happened - the energy remained high and play maintained the aggressive fire that had captivated fans earlier in the game. Just 3 minutes into the second half Eccleshill’s Max Davies was shown a yellow card for a nasty foul against Olly Green.

Tadcaster’s first substitution was made 52 minutes into play with Shepherd leaving the pitch and number 15 Matthew Mulhearn coming on, but fresh legs didn’t stop the next goal going to the home team, with a rebound off of the crossbar being headed into the goal by United’s number 4, Mohammed Farhan Subhani.1 - 1.

Having equalised, the confidence of the Eccleshill players grew, but that didn’t stop a great chance by Green only a minute after the goal was scored, letting the crowd know that the Brewers were still in the game.

With a change of players for Tadcaster (Desmond Okoro substituted for Alex Clark), Mason Wilson being booked and a decent chance for Eccleshill all happening within minutes, the pitch was starting to feel more like a battleground. Yet it would be the Brewer’s perseverance on the pitch that would see them scoring their second goal - a neat cross from Clark was a gift-wrapped present for Green to tap nicely into the corner of the net. Tadcaster were back on top 68 minutes into play. 2 - 1.

After going down hard in the 74th minute, Albion captain Owen was substituted for number 17 Rob Guilfoyle. From then an uphill struggle commenced to keep the ball away from Tadcaster’s goal, as Eccleshill’s Keita launched the ball over the crossbar in the 76th minute, and an equaliser was narrowly kept out being blocked twice on the goal line 82 minutes in. Fans were on the edge of their seats as the game began to draw to its nail-biting close.

Final substitutions for the brewers in the 85th minute saw Green and Thompson replaced by Nathan Heaton and Bailey Wilson for a final burst of energy against the onslaught of close calls for the away team. The last minutes of the game saw drama at the Tadcaster end of the pitch, as the Eccleshill number 11 Mark Ferguson launched two impressive long throws dangerously close to the goal. However, the home team’s search for a last minute equaliser remained unsuccessful.

The final whistle blew and the Brewers let out a collective sigh of relief, but it was one of triumph as well. Their yellow shirts were stained with grass and mud; a sign of a battle hard-won. With this, Tadcaster rise to the top of the league standings, and hopefully will continue what has been an excellent start to the season.

Attendance: 156

Hughes, Pilkington, Senior, Sheperd (Mulhearn), Hudson, Green (Heaton), Harris, Okoro (Clark), Owen © (Guilfoyle), Thompson (B Wilson) M. Wilson

Report from Annie Roberts, Photos Courtesy of John Clothier