*guest posting by mike Carrighan*

IT’S JUST LIKE WATCHING………….BARNSLEY

Turks Head’s much delayed start to the new season finally arrived on Sunday. New manager Paul Orchard started as he means to go on…sticking to his guns. The unpopular decision to make Glendinning captain was stood by and he reverted to 4-4-2 after his players proved they didn’t understand anything else! Mark Seymour was selected for his Turks debut, instead of Carrighan. A back four of Curran, Mannion, Glendinning and Mark Jones (not the fat plodney one, this one can run!!) played behind a midfield of Hall, Almond, Hill and Whiston with Ormerod and Perks up front.

A couple of early exchanges led to the belief it was going to be a quite even game. Then disaster struck for the Turks. New keeper Seymour collapsed in a heap with severe back pain, which caused a large delay. Carrighan put down his voodoo doll and got ready for action while a JCB filled in the hole caused by sedge’s dramatic collapse. The game recommenced and Carrighan promptly launched the ball straight out of play for a throw in. The Turks weren’t being overrun but were struggling to look dangerous.

25 minutes in and the Turks fell a goal behind when Carrighan came for a corner and got nowhere near the ball, same story as for the last twenty years, then. Glendinning blinded by the glare of the sun off the keepers head proceeded to head the ball back towards goal where Bernard was able to knock the ball past Hall on the line. Perks was quickly on hand to offer consolation and positive comments about how to prevent the situation occurring again. Bernard did break through down the left as Curran tried to keep up on a motorbike, but the shot hit the Turks keeper.

A couple of half chances fell for the Turks but neither Almond or Perks seriously tested the keeper. Then, a second Bernard goal before the break seemed to have sealed the game. Bernard worked a short corner and as the ball came into the penalty box, Glendinning heroically hurled himself in front of the ball. Unfortunately, it was an attempted clearance by Hall that he blocked, not a shot. The ball cannoned across the box and Bernard slid the ball past Carrighan to make the score 2-0.

The second half was a different kettle of fish all together. With some of the Turks shy, retiring players like Hill, Almond and Mannion deciding to put their foot in. Carrighan stood and watched as the home side laid siege to the Bernard goal, occasionally lending a cultured boot by launching the ball 80 yards and shouting “chase that!!”

Finally, a corner from the left by Almond was met with the thumping head of Mannion and it hurtled into the corner of the net despite Curran’s Herculean efforts to get a final touch. Those nearest to the action, and those who saw his way of dealing with a late tackle, would say nothing to contradict the opinion that it was Mannion’s goal. Curran was replaced shortly afterwards by Simon Orchard having marked his return to being a first choice with a display as solid as something he could never produce personally.

Orchard, who missed the last pre-season friendly due to visiting Knowsley Safari Park, set about causing as much mayhem in the Bernard back four as a chimpanzee in a restaurant. Maybe he spent last weekend researching. He hit the bar with all the force of a bone china teapot dropped off the top of Blackpool tower. Hill and Almond were now stamping their authority all over the Bernard midfield…but fortunately the referee didn’t see them.

A rash tackle saw Mannion almost lose his ankle and the Bernard player his life as “The Machine” went into overdrive and warmly shook hands with the offending players throat. Despite protests from Carrighan and an impassioned character reference from Almond, yes really, the referee sent Mannion off. Turks continued to battle on and after a couple of fortuitous saves by Carrighan, a scramble in the Bernard box saw a blatant handball but while the protests raged, Perks calmly steered the ball into the net for 2-2

It appeared there could only be one winner now, and sure enough, Orchard raced away from the Bernard defence before slotting the ball into the right hand corner off the net for a dramatic winner.

Turks Head:Seymour (Carrighan); Jones(M), Glendinning, Mannion, Curran (Orchard.S); Hall(Emmott), Hill, Almond, Whiston;Ormerod, Perks.


STOP PRESS:

CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS THE FIRST GOAL WITH WHISTON INSISTING HE PROVIDED THE CROSS AND MARK CURRAN EQUALLY ADAMANT THAT IT WAS HE WHO SCORED AS THE BALL WAS A GOOD HALF YARD AWAY FROM CROSSING THE LINE. THAT’S FAIR ENOUGH, MARK BUT YOU CAN TELL “THE MACHINE”!!!

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