Adam Yates reports from the MTA…

Worksop Town squeezed out a slender 1-0 victory to register their second win of the season and their first against the Mariners in over ten years.

Chances were few and far between in the opening forty-five minutes for both sides as defence proved to be the dish of the day and possession was plentiful without any quality in the final third.

Shots by the likes of Finlay Sinclair-Smith and George Kattah were blocked by a well drilled Worksop Town and the 1300 plus in attendance saw the half time arrive with little to discuss in the break.

After the interval, a curling effort from Town’s Lewis Whitham early in the second half went wide but was a notable and positive sign of things to come for the visitors. The Tigers were first to pounce as Leigh Whelan cleared a ball from a Worksop corner but only as far as the penalty spot and after a goalmouth scramble in the 6 yard box, Vaughan Redford poked past Marine’s Jack McIntyre to give Worksop the lead.

Marine threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the game looking for an equaliser, placing substitute defender James Butler in an attacking position and youngster Harry Huby in the midfield and both replacements gave the Mariners genuine hope and additional attacking chances but ultimately no serious shots on target were provided.

Marine (4-4-2): McIntyre, Abankwah, Drysdale, Wardle, Doyle, Whelan, Hilton (Huby 73), McDonald (Darby 64), Sinclair Smith (McAleny), Newell (Butler 81), Kattah (Lawless 56)

Subs not used: Barrett, Bairstow.

Worksop Town (4-4-2) Dearnley, Atherton, Menayese, Boyce, Essien, Redford, Harratt (Viggers 63), Greaves, O’Malley, Waldock, Whitham (Wilde 90)

Subs not used: Render, Whitman-Brown, Wedgbury, Abudu, Tomlinson

Referee: Robert Claussen

Attendance: 1,321