Dronfield Town missed out on a chance to climb the Northern Counties East League Division One table with shock defeat away at bottom side Yorkshire Amateur. First half goals from Muhammed Levi and Noel Nfonkey buoyed the enthusiastic Leeds-based side as Town struggled to break down their packed defence. The disjointed performance felt like a regression from an improved display against South Leeds last Saturday and an immediate improvement is needed for the local derby against Swallownest to follow.
It was an industrious and promising start from Dronfield on a chilly night at the Bracken Edge Stadium. The fifth minute mark saw the Ammers’ Jack Atkinson given a yellow card for a challenge on Callum Riley. From the resulting free kick, Max Rhodes headed back across goal but Tom Gladwin and then James Lindores couldn’t force the ball home in the melee.
Yorkshire Amateur’s only effort of the early stages was a left footed shot from Ben Brook that went well wide of the target as Dronfield continued to press.
Town’s inability to break down a packed Ammers defence showed again on 23 minutes. Connor Chapell’s lofted ball from the left again saw shots from Max Rhodes and James Lindores charged down.
The promising start came to an end when Yorkshire Amateur took the lead, somewhat out of the blue.
An unfortunate defensive slip by Cal Riley allowed Muhammed Levi a clear passage to goal on the left and he slotted home from 12 yards to make it 1-0.
Dronfield looked to have a clear claim for a penalty on 35 minutes. The Ammers goalkeeper, Fabio Intumbo, at first appeared to push Max Rhodes over and then a felled Tom Gladwin received a baffling yellow card for simulation as claims were waved away.
Things went from bad to worse a minute before half time. Another loss of defensive shape allowed the lively Noel Nfonkey clean through from the right and despite Lewis Naylor getting his leg to the shot, Yorkshire Amateur went in two goals to the good.
Dronfield made a triple substitution early in the second half with Mark Fereday, Matt Thorpe and Sam Bebbington replacing James Lindores, Ethan Flower and Cal Riley but there was little immediate impact.
The hour mark saw Amateur’s sub Harry Abson striking one from distance that was well-claimed by Lewis Naylor as Dronfield resorted to pumping balls forward that generally came to nothing.
Dronfield did have a trio of chances inside the last ten minutes but by then it was too little too late.
Matt Thorpe scuffed his shot wide on 80 minutes and three minutes later, Ethan Hobson’s header back across goal from Matt Ord’s left wing cross resulted in Max Rhodes poking the ball over the bar.
To cap a below-par performance, Connor Chapell pulled his shot wide deep into added time as Hobson was sent to the sinbin to add insult to injury.
A huge six-pointer now takes place at the HE Barnes Stadium on Saturday as local rivals Swallownest, themselves in 20th place in the table, are the visitors.
Yorkshire Amateur: Intumbo, Miller, Brook, Sidibe, Atkinson, Jones, Nfonkey, Fernando, Mossolo, Ceesay, Levi. Subs: Morton, Viera, Abson, Busfield, Smith.
Dronfield Town: Naylor, Riley, Stewart, Bovill, Gladwin, Hobson, Chapell, Flower, Rhodes, Lindores, Ord. Subs: Thorpe, Siddons, Bebbington, Noble, Fereday.
Attendance: 38
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