A return to action after a 21 day hiatus for Dronfield Town ended with defeat at the hands of league leaders Campion AFC. The hosts took a 1-0 lead in a stodgy first half and despite going down to ten men just before the hour mark, managed to add a further three strikes to go eleven points clear at the top of the table. Despite the loss, results elsewhere meant that Dronfield retained their tenth place in the Northern Counties East League Division One standings ahead of the New Years Eve visit of Nostell to the HE Barnes Stadium.
Dronfield set up to negate the threat of the table-toppers and did so for long periods of the first half. The better efforts of the half fell to the Bradford-based side however.
On 5 minutes, Joseph Colley played in striker Marcus Day, who brought off a one-handed save from Dronfield stopper Lewis Naylor. That was the final part Colley played in the encounter, leaving the field through injury on 17 minutes to be replaced by Ethan Crossley.
As Campion continued to press, Aiden Day’s shot from the edge of the box was deflected out for a corner by Tom Gladwin on 25 minutes and just three minutes later, the home side broke the deadlock.
Daniel Illingworth forced the ball home from close range with the majority of the Dronfield side looking to the officials for a handball call, which never came.
Dronfield too suffered early injury woes – Regan Rooke having to leave the field after half an hour to be replaced by Charlie Stewart.
Dronfield’s only real effort of the first half came on 37 minutes when a long ball forward by Naylor was met by the head of leading scorer Callum Mawbey, only to skip wide of Bradley Emmerson’s far post.
The final effort of the half came when Marcus Day was put clean through on 39 minutes, only to skew his shot wide of the mark.
The weather took a decided turn for the worst in the second half as Campion again opened brightly. Day and Sykes exchanged passes only for Naylor to save with his legs from the latter.
The game took a dramatic twist on 57 minutes. Robbie Graham’s challenge on Matty Ord and possibly his subsequent actions saw him sent from the field with a red card to leave Campion down to ten men.
Far from knocking the hosts confidence, the league leaders went on to dominate the rest of the game.
On 65 minutes, a short goal kick was given away rather unnecessarily by Dronfield as Aiden Day pounced and slotted home from a tight angle to make it 2-0.
Dronfield rang the changes with Lindores, Knight and Flower entering the contest in place of Wright, Ord and Chapell but they were always up against it as the home side found another gear.
On 80 minutes, a ball across goal from the left hand side was tapped home from 6 yards by Campion skipper Aiden Kirby for their third and just three minutes later, as Dronfield failed to clear their lines, Aiden Day’s simple header rubbed salt into the wounds at 4-0.
Joe Pearson volleyed over the bar from twelve yards deep into added time but ultimately it was an afternoon to forget for the North Derbyshire side in their first game of the festive period.
An intriguing tie awaits Dronfield in their next fixture. Eleventh-placed Nostell MW are the visitors to the HE Barnes Stadium on Saturday 31st December. The game is a 1.30pm kick off and admission is free to all as a thank you to the local community at a challenging time of the year.
Campion AFC: Emmerson, Suddards, Harper, Fitzgerald, Illingworth, Graham, Kirby, A Day, M Day, Colley, Sykes. Subs: Ferreira, Rhodes, Crossley, Hernandez, Boshell.
Dronfield Town: Naylor, Bebbington, Gladwin, Rooke, Wright, Riley, Chapell, Mawbey, Crowe, Pearson, Ord. Subs: Lindores, Siddons, Knight, Stewart, Flower.
Attendance: 75
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