West Riding County Cup
A January which saw Town’s fortunes improve with two league wins and a draw,ended with progress in the County Cup.
Simon Weaver gave starts to Dan Clayton and Jack Emmett and Laurie Wilson and Alex Meechan returned from injury.
Town dominated the early exchanges and home keeper Adam Rhodes did well to touch over Wilson’s thirty yard drive for a corner.
Soon afterwards Stephen Turnbull tested Rhodes from distance and captain Richard Pell headed a Wilson free kick narrowly wide.
Inside twenty minutes Town suffered another injury blow when the returning Meechan had to limp off with a re-occurrence of his hamstring injury.
Harrogate thought that they had taken a twenty-first minute lead when Lee Elam broke down the left and his centre was headed in by Pell,
only to be harshly denied by an offside flag.
Having weathered the initial storm, Ossett began to hit back with Darol Lucas winning a corner and then supplying the cross from which Richard Tracey headed wide.
The unsighted Mark Cook reacted well to turn a shot from Kurtis Noble round the post and the teams reached the break all square.
A tactical change after the break saw Jack Emmett and sub Rob Youhill switch wings and Town began the half as they had started the game, in complete command.
Wilson almost opened the scoring with a twentyfive yard lob which sailed just wide and then Youhill fed Will Turl who turned smartly in the box but placed his shot past the post.
Dan Clayton got in on the act when he broke forward and unleashed a stinging drive which flashed just past the upright.
Ossett were reduced to long shots,although Noble squandered a chance, when he blazed a free kick from the edge of the area well wide ,after Pell had brought down Joe Fox.
Just when the hardy spectators were beginning to fear extra time ,Town made the breakthrough.
Emmett ran across the box from the left and found Lee Elam who drove into the corner.
Town were untroubled in the final twenty minutes and Clayton,Turl and Elam all had chances to increase the lead.
Town now have a home semi-final against Bradford Park Avenue which is scheduled to be played during the week ending the third of March.
Town 1` Cook 2 Bloomer 3 Clayton 4 Wilson 5 Pell (c) 6 Picton 7 Emmett 8 Turnbull 9 Meechan (Youhill 19)
10 Turl 11 Elam
Unused subs 14 Radcliffe 17 Heckingbottom Scorer Elam 68 Bookings nil
