Tingley Athletic U15s Green Fall To Horsforth St. Margarets In Cup Clash

Tingley Athletic Green hosted Horsforth St. Margarets FC Stallions at Casson Avenue -off at 12noon. The cup tie ended in a 5-3 defeat for Tingley Athletic after a pulsating 80 minutes of football plus added time.

Tingley Athletic lined up in a 3-4-3 formation, deploying three defenders at the back with Anthony Dobke on the right, Eli Dexter centrally, and Abdul Ali on the left. The midfield quartet consisted of Harley-Jay Eastwood on the right wing, Sam Richardson and Harvey Crawshaw occupying the central midfield roles, and Austin Wade on the left. Up front, the attacking trio featured Kieran Bamforth on the right, Abhi Manda as the central striker, and Lucas Kinder on the left. This setup was designed to provide width and attacking impetus while maintaining defensive solidity through the three at the back. The substitutes named were Jayden Day, Luke Wilson, Lucas Pannett-Jones, Alfie Chalkley, and Kaden Munder.

From the outset, Tingley’s goalkeeper Josh Shepherd was called into action, producing a full stretch save in the second minute to deny an early threat. He followed this up with a confident catch just a minute later, setting the tone for a busy morning between the sticks. The early pressure paid off for Tingley when, in the seventh minute, Kieran Bamforth provided a precise assist for Abhi Manda, who found the net to give the home side an early lead.

Despite Shepherd’s continued heroics, including another full stretch save in the 11th minute and a catch at 15 minutes, Horsforth St. Margarets began to assert themselves. At 19 minutes, Tingley made their first substitution, with Jayden Day replacing Sam Richardson in midfield. Shortly after, at 22 minutes, Luke Wilson came on for Lucas Kinder, signalling a tactical tweak.

Both Abhi Manda and Kieran Bamforth tested the opposition goalkeeper with shots saved in the 25th minute, showing Tingley’s attacking threat remained potent. However, defensive resilience was tested when Anthony Dobke cleared a dangerous chance in the 28th minute, only for Horsforth to capitalise moments later with a goal from inside the box to level the scores.

The visitors then took control, adding two more goals before half-time at 34 and 38 minutes respectively, despite Shepherd’s catch at 34 minutes attempting to keep Tingley in the contest. The first half concluded with Horsforth leading 3-1.

The second half began with a swift response from Tingley as Lucas Pannett-Jones, who had come on for Abdul Ali at half-time alongside Alfie Chalkley replacing Harley-Jay Eastwood, struck a long-range effort from outside the box in the 41st minute to reduce the deficit. However, Horsforth quickly restored their three-goal cushion with another inside-the-box finish at 45 minutes.

Tingley’s attempts to claw back continued with Austin Wade firing high over the bar at 46 minutes and Abhi Manda missing wide at 49 minutes. Horsforth extended their lead further with a goal at the 50th minute mark. Shepherd remained alert, making a crucial parry at 56 minutes to keep the scoreline from widening further.

Substitutions continued in the second half with Lucas Kinder returning to the pitch for Jayden Day at 60 minutes, Luke Wilson replacing Sam Richardson again at 65 minutes, and Kaden Munder coming on for Austin Wade at 67 minutes, as Tingley sought fresh legs to mount a comeback.

Shepherd’s presence was still felt at 71 minutes with another save, but it was not enough to prevent Horsforth from maintaining their advantage. Tingley did find a moment of brilliance late on when Harvey Crawshaw scored a direct free-kick in the 76th minute, giving the home side a glimmer of hope.

Despite their efforts, Tingley Athletic U15s Green were unable to overturn the deficit, and Horsforth St. Margarets FC U15 Stallions secured a 5-3 victory in this entertaining cup encounter.