Harry Parsons suffered an injury during training mid-week and Joe Mitchell was still being plagued by an ankle knock last time, which saw the return in a Thackley AFC shirt for midfielder Will Morrisey who had been back at his parent club Farsley Celtic along with Alfie Gibbon to the starting XI.

The game started in a perfect fashion for the visitors when after just two minutes, Owen Haigh would open the scoring following a throw in that travelled into his path, with the defender flicking the ball on presumably to a runner at the back post, but the flick found the bottom corner of the net to confirm a disappointing start to the game for the hosts and give them an uphill task going forward.

Thackley weren’t going to be deflated so easily however, with the team taking control of the game after the early goal, though an ambitious long ranged effort from Liam Hudson after nine minutes would be the only moment of note during this initial period

Chances would come in droves for the Dennyboys from here on out, with Ben Grech-Brooksbank and Slater Barnes both having promising opportunities pass them by in the 14th and 15th minutes respectively before Handsworth goalkeeper Dylan Parkin pulled off some heroics in the 21st minute to stop both Barnes and Lewis Sugden in quick succession and stop what should have been a certain equaliser for Thackley.

The hosts’ flurry of chances would end in the 24th minute with another promising effort, this time from Matty Dempsey, who was set up by Hudson before his effort curled just to the left of the goal and out for a goal kick.

The Dennyboys continued to keep the momentum of the game firmly in their favour as half time neared, with the 36th minute providing the last real moment of action when a wide-angled shot from Grech-Brooksbank was again fantastically saved by Parking and went out for a corner before Dempsey was able to manage another effort on goal, this one being caught by Parkin, ending this latest run of play.

The referee would soon bring to an end a highly frustrating first half for Thackley that saw plenty of opportunities to bring the game level after the early setback, but there was still the second half to do this, a fact that the team were desperate to capitalise on.

HALF-TIME: Thackley AFC 0-1 Handsworth FC

The Dennyboys came out of the blocks very quickly following the start of the second half, with Grech-Brooksbank managing an audacious effort at a mostly open goal after catching Parkin away from his line, but a last second clearance would prevent one of the goals of the season for Thackley, sending the ball out for an uneventful corner as a result.

Seemingly out of nowhere, all of the hosts’ momentum would come to nothing when in the 59th minute after an initial save from Wilson following a strong effort from Mitchell Dunne that forced the ball out for a corner, the visitors would capitalise on this set piece to double their lead after Henry Carne connected with the ball before it took a deflection to loop over Wilson and give Handsworth some much needed breathing room heading into the final thirty minutes.

After being beaten by a second set piece in this game, the Dennyboys were able to resume their persistent pressure following some substitutions, with them looking likely to get a goal back based on this, but as the minutes ticked down, a lack of clear chances and some resilient defending from the visitors made a comeback seem less likely.

However, the 78th minute would change all of this after a handball from Carne prevented a certain goal in Thackley’s favour, meaning that the Handsworth scorer was shown a red card by the referee and the Dennyboys were awarded a penalty, with this being coolly dispatched by Grech-Brooksbank to set up an exciting conclusion.

Despite the hosts being given a new injection of life following the penalty, Handsworth were able to defend their lead for the remainder of the game, with them seemingly having an answer for everything that Thackley threw at them in their desperate search for an equaliser.

This sought after goal would not come however, with the referee’s whistle then bringing an end to a highly frustrating afternoon for the Dennyboys, with this result damaging the team’s play-off prospects as the regular season enters its final three matches.

FULL-TIME: Thackley AFC 1-2 Handsworth FC

Thackley will have less time than usual to recover from this result, with their next fixture being a classic case of a six pointer when they travel to the Horsfall Community Stadium to face Bradford rivals and fellow play-off chasers Albion Sports on Friday night.

Thackley AFC team: Wilson; Gibbon; Rhodes; Sugden; Dempsey; Hudson; Donovan; Morrisey; Terrelonge-Jones (Ahmed 60mins); Grech-Brooksbank©; Barnes (Tektas 75mins).
Unused Subs: Hamdosh; Jancevski; Mitchell.

Handsworth FC team: Parkin; Kenyon; Williams; Fewkes; Carne; Haigh; Dodsworth; Booker; Ruthven; Currie; Dunne.
Subs: Bagley; Thompson; Catt; Jessop; Bishop.

Thackley AFC scorers: Grech-Brooksbank (79mins - pen)

Handsworth FC scorers: Haigh (2mins); Carne (59mins)

Man of the Match: Slater Barnes, chosen by Match Sponsor Torus Construction Group Limited

Attendance: 170

Photo Credit: Martin Taylor at Shot by Bamboo