SILSDEN entertained Bottesford Town on Saturday, on the day when a new, three-year sponsorship deal with Office Interiors Wholesale for the shirts and stadium was unveiled.
And the Keighley furniture company were treated to a great showing, with a Jack Normanton hat-trick seeing the Cobbydalers win 4-3 to move up to 12th in the NCEL Premier Division.
Silsden certainly put on a show after losing heavily at Thackley last Saturday.
Khurram Shazad, who had been on the bench for several matches, came into the starting line up.
The pitch held up well, although the wet surface caught a few players out.
Silsden were on the attack from the kick-off, with Brad Riley setting up Harry Thompson, who shot wide.
A free-kick was then taken quickly to Riley, who slid it to Jos Bradshaw.
The centre forward spotted the run of Normanton, whose pace took him clear, and he left the visitors’ keeper helpless, as he put the Cobbydalers one up.
The visitors eventually got their act together and Arley Barnes was called upon to clear the ball off the goal line, after it had been launched over goalkeeper Sammy Lee’s head.
The Silsden keeper then clashed with Luke Ayris just outside his area. He received a caution and was fortunate that the resulting free-kick went wide of the far post.
Gradually, the Cobbydalers began to dominate again. Bradshaw slid the ball to Normanton, but the keeper saved his low shot from close range.
Riley then created an opening for Shazad, who curled his effort agonisingly wide of the post.
Normanton went even closer with a header after Shazad and Matty Moses had combined to create another opening.
For all their domination, the home side couldn’t net a second, until a defence-splitting pass found Normanton, who took on two opponents before sliding the ball home.
In the dying moments of the first half, Bottesford pressed forwards, with one shot going just wide and another seeing Lee stretch to tip over the bar after Kyle Hancock had conceded a corner.
Jack Cross wasted a golden chance for Bottesford early in the second half, shooting over the bar, but with the Silsden defence stretched, the visitors eventually pulled a goal back on 60 minutes, Dayle Hutson slipping the ball through Lee’s legs.
The initiative was with the visitors but Normanton was having none of it, scoring a penalty moments later to make it 3-1.
That wasn’t the end of it though. With 20 minutes left, Ben Johnson cut in from the right and blasted the ball goalwards. Lee saved but landed awkwardly and had to leave the field.
Defender Shaun Airey took over between the sticks and just a minute later, Craig Bridge hit a rising shot from outside the penalty area.
The ball flew into the top corner through Airey’s hands and suddenly the score was back at 3-2.
The Cobbydalers bravely went on the attack and that soon paid off.
Normanton pulled his marker towards the halfway line before swivelling to take Moses’ through ball in his stride. He slid the ball to Bradshaw, who drove it home to make it 4-2.
The next time Town broke forwards, Airey saved Mason Ellender’s shot, but just three minutes later, the visitors’ left-back, Harry Webster, hit a screamer into the top corner to make it 4-3.
Bradshaw almost finished off a great team move to make it five, but he saw his effort go wide of the far post.
It mattered little though, as the final whistle went moments later.
This coming Saturday, the Cobbydalers travel to Barton Town, who knocked them out of the NCEL League Cup last month.
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