The Collieries returned to action following the weekend’s postponement, with a brilliant away performance that secured our place in the next round of the West Riding County Cup – with a 0-1 victory over the 21/22 and 22/23 finalists Liversedge FC.
On a cold evening in Cleckheaton, both teams had made changes to their previous starting XI to allow players more match minutes. This was also the case for former Premier League referee Jon Moss, who was in the middle for the first time this campaign.
The early stages saw The Colls come out of the blocks quickly and within five minutes Jon Moss had his first real decision to make, he deemed a foul from the Liversedge defender to have won the ball and signalled a corner ball instead of pointing to the spot.
Pontefract continued to pin the hosts into their defensive third and Louie Chorlton was causing a number of issues with his pace and crossing, but Jordan Porter was on hand to make a couple of smart saves.
The 119 spectators that had braved the chill were being treated to a Colls clinic in possession football, as we dominated 40 of the first half minutes. With the final five minutes perhaps going to way of Liversedge, without anything meaning being created.
With the second half underway, with the hosts making a couple of changes, Liversedge started much better than they did the first. A couple of early breaks forward saw them work set pieces but nothing clear cut.
Ponte didn’t wait long though to regain control in the midfield, Louie Chorlton and Callum Nicell both had efforts on goal along, the latter saw his short narrowly go over the bar after a nice flowing counter.
It began to look like an evening that was going to end goalless during the 90 minutes, but with seven minutes remaining Jack Boyle on as a sub turned in midfield and spread the play a diagonally switch to the marauding Jack Greenhough. He burst into the final third and cut the ball back to Oli Metcalfe, he turned and played the ball across the box where Adam Haw stepped over the ball, for Connor Smythe to let the ball run across his body and fire low into the bottom right of the Liversedge goal.
He first return to The Clayborn since leaving to return to Ponte in the summer, his goal proved to be the decider as neither team were able to grab the game’s second goal. Jon Moss’s whistle sounded to see The Colls move into the next round, following a dominant display.