Glapwell’s impressive run of 18 home league games without loss, that extended back to February last year, was ended with a 2-0 defeat by NCEL Premier Division title hopeful’s Sheffield FC at Hall Corner on Saturday.

It was always going to be a tough call for Glapwell, improving Sheffield inexorably climbing the Division and bursting with confidence after remaining unbeaten in their last nine outings, scoring eleven goals in their last two, six against Glasshoughton and five against Buxton.

And Sheffield totally dominated a bad-tempered first half, better in almost every department than Glapwell. They racked up eleven good attempts on the home goal as they threatened to completely overrun their hosts, and it was no surprise that the visitors went into the interval in the lead. Indeed, the only real surprise was that Glapwell had somehow managed to keep the deficit down to a single goal, that coming off a brilliantly-struck 20-yard free-kick from Richard Carrington on 36 minutes.

So it was clear that something had to change if Glapwell were to get anything from this tough game and four minutes after the restart, having survived two further near misses on the home goal in the short time since the interval, manager Lee Wilson shuffled his pack and brought on influential midfielder Jamie Morgan, returning after a game’s absence through injury. And the effect was both positive and immediate, a more solid and creative Glapwell finally looking capable of making a fist of it.

Morgan first of all headed wide at the far post off Dominic Elliott’s cross from the right on 52 minutes, and then he forced Sheffield keeper Darren Bonnington into a save with a shot from the edge of the box two minutes later. And in between those two chances Glapwell had what appeared to be a good shout for a penalty waved away by Gainsborough referee Stephen Tucker, after skipper Adam Walker was tripped in the box and then immediately tripped again as soon as he got up and tried to make progress with the ball.

On 59 minutes Mark Robinson fired wide of the visitors’ goal from 18 yards off James Dooley’s pass from the right and Darren Roberts just failed to connect with the ball at the far post off Morgan’s 25-yard free-kick from the right two minutes after that.

It had undoubtedly been Glapwell’s best attacking spell of the game, yet Sheffield had continued to press and the home side had keeper Sprigg to thank for denying Caine Cheetham on a couple of occasions, ultimately keeping Glapwell in it as they left themselves short at the back.

However, Sheffield did finally double their advantage on 71 minutes, and again off a Carrington free-kick from the edge of the box, the ball taking a wicked deflection off Cheetham and finding its way into goal with Sprigg stranded at the other corner. And with that two-goal cushion, Sheffield then made two quick defensive substitutions, effectively killing the game off for the final few minutes and ensuring the three points went back with them to South Yorkshire.

Glapwell: Sprigg, Robinson, Magee, Shelley, Butler, Walker, Russo (Morgan 49), McGinty, Roberts, Elliott (L Wilson 63), Dooley (Gummer 74).

Sheffield: Bonnington, Hilton, Kontou (Willgoose 78), Jones, Marsh, Anson, Holmes (Hobson 74), Carrington, Cheetham, Tevendale, White. Sub not used: Crossland.

Referee: Stephen Tucker (Gainsborough)

Glapwell Man of the Match: Steve McGinty