Evo-Stik champions are comfortable winners

An experienced, and presumably expensive Conference North outfit, the newly promoted North Ferriby United, put in a professional display to take a comfortable 3-0 win.

Ex-Tiger Nathan Jarman scored twice as Billy Heath’s men dominated large parts of the game.

Worksop were simply unable to get going, and created very little in the way of chances, having to chase the ball and the game from midway through the first half.

Jarman had the evening’s first sight of goal, nodding on a long ball and blasting a half volley high and wide with his left foot.

The hosts had to be patient as North Ferriby had the majority of early possession, but when Nathan Modest nipped in to win the ball in his own half, he started a slick move that ended in an off-target Josh Davies shot.

On 23 minutes a cross from the right by Paul Robson was slammed into the Worksop net by Jarman, as he stole a march on the static Laurence Gaughan.

A free-kick just outside the box presented Worksop with a chance to hit back, and skipper Leon Mettam brought a good save from keeper Adam Nicklin, but the rebound bounced over Brad Kilburn’s foot and Mitch Husbands shot over.

Ten minutes before the break North Ferriby came agonisingly close to a second, as the Tigers defence failed to deal with a bouncing cross and Anthony Wilson smacked the ball off the top of the bar.

Seconds later Wilson was felled by Gaughan, just inside the area, and the referee awarded a penalty that Jarman stroked home with ease.

With four minutes left in the half Worksop managed to keep the ball for long enough to fashion shooting space for Denton, 25 yards out, and he almost curled the ball into the top corner, watching in agony as it cleared the bar.

A slip by Davies just inside his own half set United away on a promising attack, and only a horrible effort by Wilson that left the ground spared Worksop’s blushes.

North Ferriby threw on some fresh legs at the break, and they had an immediate impact, Ben Hunter feinting and leaving Kilburn for dead before delivering to the middle where an unmarked Russell Fry nodded home.

The second half bore a resemblance to the first, the men in white and green keeping the ball, Worksop struggling to put anything remotely cohesive together.

The battle between Hone and Denton livened things up, with both players receiving yellow after a tangle on the ground, which led to Denton lashing out.

In a competitive fixture there’s no doubt the striker would have received his marching orders

Hone then got into a scuffle with Gaughan and shortly after was replaced by manager Billy Heath.

A plethora of substitutions made it hard for either side to get any rhythm into their play, Worksop especially find it hard to string passes together.

One one rare break, Denton found himself on the right flank and sent a beautiful cross to the middle - where he should have been, and no one else was.

Mark Shaw took the chance to have a look at substitute goalkeeper Liam Flynn, but his only real duty was to beat out a low, hard effort from 25 yards, which he did well.

The game, keenly contested if not a spectacle, meandered to the full-time whistle.