Nostell Miners' Welfare 4, Eccleshill United 1

Half of the games in the Northern Counties East Premier Division fell victim to the foul and unseasonal Easter weather and Eccleshill United were left wishing their fixture was one of them.

The Eagles returned to their eyrie with heads bowed after a heavy defeat at Nostell MW which pushed the home side through the 50-point barrier.

It was a game played in difficult conditions. In fact, with the match poised at 2-1 to the home side early in the second half, both sides feared an abandonment was close.

The referee made his feelings known to the managers of the teams. The official said he and his assistants could not see the lines in a swirling snow storm and he was considering taking the players off the pitch. The blizzard relented just in time and the match reached its conclusion.

Nostell had gone into the break with a two-goal lead after netting a brace within seven minutes midway through the first half. David Nicholas broke the deadlock in the 20th minute and Neil Beardsmore soon added.

The Eagles got a foothold when they forced a corner six minutes after the break. The flag-kick was not effectively cleared and Gary Birchill rifled in a half-volley from the edge of the area.

A four-minute spell saw Nostell kill the contest and bank all three points. A 77th-minute corner saw home skipper David Watts score, although United were riled after claiming Stuart Waite had been fouled. Then a Jack Dury effort capped a bad day for the visitors.

"It was hugely disappointing after Tuesday's win at Armthorpe, when the players really responded well," said Eccleshill assistant manager Andy Patterson.

"It is down to that most elusive of qualities - consistency. We are almost there, with the squad we have, but a lot of them are young and that is why you never know from one game to the next just what you are going to get from them."

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7:42pm Sunday 23rd March 2008

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