Broadie Litchfield scored late on as Yorkshire came away with victory against Parishes of Jersey in an entertaining game of football in the Conifa Heritage Cup.
Parishes had an early chance to take the lead as Jake Prince used his pace to get away from the Yorkshire defence but could only put his shot wide of the target. Jack Normanton went down the other side and put a shot wide, when he should have tested Euan Van Der Vliet.
Parishes then created a silky move with Luke Watson, Karl Hinds and Kieran Lester all linking up with the latter hitting the post after a low shot. Yorkshire ‘s captain Tom Greaves smartly set up Litchfield to drill a shot, but Van De Vliet was equal to it. Matthew Dempsey saw his effort come back off the bar, much to the relief of the Parishes fans.
Jay Giles, who worked tirelessly throughout, delivered a dangerous ball, Prince improvised to keep the ball alive, but Adam Trotter could only drag his shot wide. Lester had a golden chance to take the lead but missed the ball after Giles put another gorgeous cross into Yorkshire’s penalty area. Moments later, Watson brought the ball down delightfully, but his half-volley went inches over the bar, as Parishes kept pushing for the opening goal.
Kyle Trennery, the hosts keeper, pulled off an impressive save from Prince, whilst Weir saw a shot blocked.
Half Time: PoJ 0-0 Yorkshire.
Parishes’ captain Luke Campbell showed why he is so highly rated on the Island, with a last-ditch tackle to deny Corey Gregory and Van De Vliet pulled off a save to stop Litchfield from the resulting corner.
Watson was only denied by the offside flag when he nodded home from a Giles free kick, much to the frustration of the tough tackling midfielder. Van De Vliet gave the visiting Parishes fan a scare as he was caught in possession on the edge of his box, only for Greaves to lob the ball onto the top of the net.
Chances came and went for Parishes, in a half which they dominated. Prince slipped at the last second after a neat Trotter through ball, and Hinds had two chances in quick succession, one of which was cleared off the line by a recovering defender, after the attacker neatly took the ball past Trennary.
James Knowles, who was awarded man of the match from the home sides announcer, produced an outstanding last-minute interception to deny Prince after a neat Hinds cross.
In added time Yorkshire grabbed victory, very much against the run of play of the second half. A free kick fell to Litchfield who had a shot and it ended up in the back of Parishes’ net, as the home fans went crazy.
There was still time for even later drama as Watson saw his header miraculously saved by Trennary, with the ball destined for the top corner. The resulting corner directly hit the bar as Parishes pushed and pushed for a goal, to no avail. Watson was then sent off in the final moments, picking up a second yellow card, on a frustrating day where Parishes played good football but couldn’t find an end product.
Parishes of Jersey: Euan Van De Vliet, Harry Curtis, Jay Giles (James Carr 88), Luke Campbell (captain), Connor O’Shea, Luke Watson, Adam Trotter, Michael Weir, Jake Price, Kieran Lester (Zeljko Martinovic 61), Karl Hinds.
Unused Subs: Thomas Harris, Daniel Birrell, Mark Logue,
Yorkshire: Kyle Trennery, Ben Rhodes, Connor Smythe, Corey Gregory, Matthew Dempsey, James Knowles, Jack Normanton, Ross Daley, Tom Greaves (captain) Jordan Coduri, Brodie Litchfield.
Subs: Adam Hayton, George Clark, Nathan Valentine, Matthew Bradley, Eddie Busfield, Luke Wilson.
Attendance: 521
Man of the match: James Knowles (Yorkshire)
Venue: Ingfield Stadium, home of Ossett United
Photo: Adi Topley https://www.atopphoto.com/
