Hard to digest holiday blues

Published on 28th December 2007 in Sport

Goole AFC 2

Brigg Town 3

An eleven-game unbeaten run, a defence looking water-tight, hopes of a promotion push high on the agenda - a month ago.

Suddenly, one win in six games, goals leaking all over, crowned by a Boxing Day defeat to near neighbours Brigg, who registered only their second league win of the campaign and made those promotion hopes look a distant prospect.

It hardly made for festive fun at the VPG on Tuesday afternoon; instead, it added to the indigestion that most supporters were trying to get rid of following the excesses of the holiday period.

There were no excuses, and none made by the management team afterwards, even squandering a lead which they had twelve minutes from time when Andrew Jackson scored, only to throw it all away with two Richard Day goals in the final seven minutes.

Heart-wrenching, gut-wrenching stuff, and any hopes of that promotion really do depend on the Vikings addressing this defeat with two sterling performances in their remaining holiday programme.

Liam Chapman was missing from the Goole line-up, a culmination of work and a neck injury seeing Nigel Danby partner Chris Jenkinson in central defence. With Ian McLean on holiday, Chris Fawcus moved to left back and James O'Neill reverted to right back. Duncan Bray, who misses a couple of games, was named one of the substitutes, allowing Ashley Longstaff to make a home debut alongside the returning Karl Rose for a match that everyone thought was a home banker.

And in the first twenty minutes, that looked to be the only possible result, with Goole moving forward well, finding their men and causing the visiting defence anxious moments. Steve Rollinson, in particular, looked sharp.

Longstaff went close with a low shot and Karl Rose missed out on a heading opportunity as Goole called the tune, with the visitors' only threat from Jason Maxwell, who should have done better.

Brigg were rocked twice on the half-hour mark. Firstly, midfielder Karl Slack was carried off with a leg injury, likely ligament damage, and on 31 minutes Longstaff celebrated his home debut by forcing home from a right-wing cross.

It was the break Goole needed after they had lost most of that early fluency, but they could not capitalise further before the break, and lost Danny Buttle to injury as well.

And the second half turned into a nightmare for the home side. Brigg, growing in confidence after equalising on 50 minutes through a soft goal from Paul Grimes, eventually went on to win the game, albeit having to come from behind a second time.

They also overcame the loss of Tommy Spall with a suspected broken jaw, and without having to play well themselves were given the game on a plate.

Goole may have thought they had earned the points, though, when Jackson sprung the offside trap on to a free kick to beat Damien Steer, but earlier warnings went unheeded. It was Richard Day, recruited from local Sunday League football in Grimsby, who firstly equalised on 83 minutes unmarked, and then ran on to a through ball after the Vikings had wasted a free kick in the visiting half. He beat Craig Parry, probably as bemused as anyone, with a shot that nestled low in the corner.

Stunned, it was near silence at the VPG and on the final whistle, one was almost pleased to return home to cold turkey: after all,the Vikings had just been well and truly stuffed.