Garforth 4 Witton 3 (From Northwich Guardian)

Garforth Town come from behind to stun play-offs rivals Witton Albion

3:45pm Thursday 24th November 2011 in Match reports By Andrew Simpson

THE list is long of reasons why Witton Albion will want to forget this game.

Sadly the impact – back-to-back defeats in Yorkshire this week leaves them outside of the play-offs places – may be more lasting after Paul Booth and Liam Newman suffered serious injuries.

Their absence will be felt at both ends of the field.

That Brian Pritchard’s men contrived to concede three times in as many minutes, twice putting through their own goal, to gift Garforth the points will not have lifted the manager’s mood.

Nor will Oliver James’ dismissal in stoppage time.

In between, the visitors had shown character enough to recover from Adam Priestley’s opening goal on eight minutes.

Alex Titchiner, served by substitute Mark Buchan, scored at the second attempt after goalkeeper Ben Higginson had smothered his initial effort on the half hour.

It takes his season goals tally to 20.

Titchiner then turned provider for James, who had replaced Booth, but his shot hit an upright.

Higginson’s heroics then kept Garforth in the game, twice denying Albion’s forwards in the same attack then saving smartly from Anthony Sheehan in stoppage time.

At the other end, Ben Harrison smuggled Priestley’s shot off the line after he had wriggled past Matt Cooper then Titchiner lobbed a loose ball off target after Higginson had spilled Mathew Wood’s powerful drive.

Albion edged ahead with a quarter hour left when Jamie Harrison supplied a pass from which Anthony Gardner finished efficiently for his first goal of the season.

Chaos then broke out.

Garforth, heading for defeat, scored three times in as many minutes when substitute Matthew Mathers prodded home either side of own goals from Carl Clampitt and Ben Harrison.

Witton rallied when substitute Josh Hancock scored direct from a free kick, but Albion’s hopes were dashed when James was shown a second yellow card.

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Garforth Higginson (GK), Turner, Fisher, Dempsey, Pacey, Price, Moke, Thornton (Mathers 74), Walker (Small 65), Priestley (Turley 89), Hunter
Sub not used Villerman
Goals Priestley 8, Clampitt 80 (own goal), Mathers 82, Ben Harrison 83 (own goal)
Booked Priestley (dissent)

Witton Cooper (GK), Gardner, Booth (James 9), Ben Harrison, Wood, Jamie Harrison, Sheehan, Clampitt, Andrews (Hancock 69), Newman (Buchan 12), Titchiner
Subs not used Ennion, Woolley
Goals Titchiner 32, Gardner 72, Hancock 86
Sent off James (two cautions)