Dalton 1 Addingham 2

Last season Addingham made the long trek to Dalton and arrived unprepared in every way. Changed in a rush they made their way to the pitch and stood in bemusement at what they saw.

Pitch was hardly a correct term for what was in fact a field, marked out with posts at either end.

They lost the game and left pleased in only one thing that they wouldn't have to play there again, until this season anyway.

A call in the morning on Saturday from Dalton confirmed the worst, the pitch is very wet, very heavy but playable'.

Bearing in mind that last year they had to get animals off it before play could begin one seriously wondered just how bad very heavy and wet' could be.

Once one stepped on to it that became apparent. It looked like the gateway to a field where a hundred cows go in and out twice a day. Quite how anyone could want to play for a team that has such an appalling pitch is a mystery but Dalton have the players, and largely down to an unbeaten home record they sit second in the league.

Addingham's away form is one of the reasons they are competing so well this season, with five wins and one defeat from their six away games. Travelling is no longer a problem for them.

Knowing a pitch is going to be awful is one thing, to then try and play some quality football on it is another. With Steve Perkins nursing an ankle injury, this was not the surface to try it out on so skipper Si Collins moved up front alongside Benny Noble.

Within 30 minutes the pairing worked a treat to put the visitors ahead. Tom Rennolds made light work of the mud and sent Noble away down the left flank with a delightful through ball. Noble drove to the line and cut back a cracking ball for Collins to smash home from seven yards.

Aided by the strong wind Dalton's tactic of keeping the ball off the floor was having little reward until the 45th minute. Addingham looked to have won the half but a hopeful punt forward from a free-kick moved dramatically in the wind before being prodded home by Swain to restore parity right on half-time.

This was tough on Addingham, in particular young keeper Sam Lee who so far had been irrepressible in goal.

In the second-half with the wind now behind them Addingham controlled the game. Passing was difficult but manageable and with Dalton's long ball game falling foul of the conditions it was merely a case of if' Addingham could find a winner.

Find one they did and a stunner it was too. Smith, back from injury, was fouled 25 yards out. Noble spotted the ball on a mound of mud and then curled a delicious free-kick into the top corner.

Dalton threw men forward but rarely troubled and Addingham should have sealed the game in the last five minutes albeit from an unlikely source.

Andy Collins prior to Saturday had a scoring record of one goal in 364 games, stretching back as far as Ilkley Middle school but on Saturday he should have scored the finest goal ever seen by the majority of the small but loyal band of supporters.

With little to pass to when he collected the ball inside his own box he set off on a run, past one, then past another, then another, then another. Urged on by the fans he ploughed through the mud evading tackle after tackle.

The last defender was left in a heap as Collins glided past him and towards the keeper. With weary legs he mustered all the strength he could and belted the ball with terrific power, over the bar, over the trees behind the goal and much to Dalton's annoyance over the river nearby and out of sight to be lost forever.

It did use up a few valuable minutes and Addingham ran out comfortable and deserved winners!