Boss: ‘I want the season to finish’

The Tigers boss is champing at the bit to start rebuilding a squad that will challenge for promotion next season, after another frustrating outing on Tuesday.

Worksop were beaten 3-0 by their near neighbours, despite dominating the first half, as missed chances were punished by a clinical Steels side.

Clark admitted: “I want the season to finish.”

“I’ve made my mind up on who I want and what I want, and I can’t wait for the season to end. Everyone can rest and I can get rid of the ones who don’t care enough or do well enough.”

“I’m so frustrated for the fans.”

The result could have been different had captain for the night Jamie Jackson beaten Steels keeper Ben Scott inside the first 10 seconds, after he skipped through several tackles from the kick-off.

But Scott saved, and although Tigers fashioned another 10 shooting opportunities, they didn’t find the net.

The manager said: “I thought we didn’t have enough willingness up top to make that extra half a yard to score goals.”

“My strikers have struggled since the end of December.”

“I don’t think we do enough. That’s why I’ve played Ash Burbeary up top, and I think he’s done okay. I have natural strikers but they’re not doing enough. Jamie Jackson and Massiah McDonald are too similar, and they’re both off where they should be.”

A tetchy opening, which could have included a number of yellow cards had referee Mr Moore not been so lenient, was livened by Burbeary’s run onto Owain Warlow’s lobbed pass – however Declan McGivern got back to challenge.

Some slick interplay, started by Young, ended in a fierce Sharry drive that wasn’t far away from the target, the ball just rising over the bar.

Jackson beat two men and pulled the trigger, the shot looping off a Steels boot and out for a corner.

And then Steels took the lead against the run of play.

Clark gave his take on the goal: “We’ve turned away from shooting three or four times, they’ve broke and won a penalty. Not one of their players has appealed as he’s gone down, but the referee sees a penalty.”

The spot-kick was awarded after Chris Wood’s tackle on Scott Hogan felled the striker in the box, and Richard Stirrup stepped up to convert, sending Sean Cuff the wrong way.

Five minutes after the goal tensions simmered with a couple of petulant skirmishes between players after the whistle, leading to yellows for Luke Shiels and Stocksbridge’s Anthony Tansley and Richard Haigh.

In the final seconds of the half Tigers moved forward with pace, Jackson fed Lee Beeson and his thunderbolt was palmed over by Scott. The winger was in the thick of it after the break too, going on a driving run, giving the ball away and then receiving a caution after a foul on Matt Telling.

Frustration grew for Worksop as Steels doubled their advantage on 51 minutes, Hogan outpacing Wood and squaring for Telling to crack the ball into the net.

The manager added: “Their second goal summed the game up – we’ve missed one, they’ve created one and buried it.”

There was a golden chance to pull a goal back when Jackson slipped in Beeson near the byline and he crossed for Burbeary – the makeshift striker had his head in his hands however as he spooned well over from six yards.

Young saw yellow for dissent after a number of decisions went the way of the hosts and he voiced his displeasure once too often in the direction of the referee.

The midfielder almost made amends by sending Beeson on a run down the right but the winger’s low shot was saved, then Young’s follow up went over.

In the latter stages Steels defended stoutly and looked to counter, Clark sending on McDonald and Adam Colton in an attempt to rescue the game.

It simply wasn’t to be, the visitors toiling without reward or even an incisive break, and to compound the misery substitute Rory Coleman bent a free-kick around the wall into the corner of Cuff’s net to kill the game.

Clark said there was a question mark over the positioning of the wall, but absolved Cuff from blame.

The teenager is on loan from Sheffield Wednesday, after first choice keeper Jon Worsnop asked to be released by the club.

Worsnop has missed both fixtures since making his feelings known. Clark would only say: “There’s a big disciplinary issue. At this moment in time he’s a Worksop player.”

There was no word on whether or not Worsnop will be considered for Saturday’s trip to Gigg Lane, where they’ll face FC United of Manchester.

The boss is expecting a difficult encounter with the promotion hopefuls.

“We’ve seen them, we know what they’re about and they’re chasing the play-offs. It’s a hard game, but then we’ve got five games that we look at and think ‘ok, come on’ and it’s all about the points total we finish on.”

H H H

RYAN Clarke has signed for the rest of the season.

The defender, who was captain at Worcester City, quit the club due to the travelling and time away from his young family.

His new manager said: “He was captain at Worcester City, played 30 times in the Conference North.”

“He’s a good footballer at right-back and centre-half and was Player of the Year at Worcester last season.”

“He’s a good signing, hopefully he’ll be here next season.”

The signing has been timely, with club captain James Cotterill suffering from an ankle injury.

Stocksbridge: Scott, Weston, Whitehouse, Haigh, McGivern, Tansley, Stirrup (Coleman 72), Telling, Muldoon (Ring 82), Hogan (Denton 86), Callery. Not used: Harrison, Davies, Denton.

Worksop: Cuff 6, Wood 5, Warlow 6, Young 6, Shiels 5 (Colton 71), Clarke 6, Beeson 6, Sharry 5, BURBEARY 6, Jackson 5, King 5 (McDonald 68). Not used: Melton, Whitely, Ziccardi.

Referee: A. Moore.

Assistants: A. Hussain, K. Bardsley.

Goalscorers: Stirrup 36 (pen), Telling 51, Coleman 85.

Yellows: Haigh 41, Tansley 42; Shiels 41, Beeson 46, Young 64.

Attendance: 181.