Team: 1. Gaz McWatt; 2. Pete Jones; 3. Martin Mayall; 4. Jake Jacobs; 5. Lee Rainford; 6. Danny Cheetham; 7. Keith Martin; 8. Jeff Whittaker; 9. Chris Moore; 10. Wayne Broadbent; 11. Mark Jackson; 12. Bev Mayall; 13. Matt Taylor; 14. Ryan Hewitt.

Report: This was an excellent advert for the Huddersfield League as the top two placed sides before play went head to head in a thrilling encounter.

Naturally this report will view matters from a Diggle perspective, but we will also give due credit to a very impressive Newsome side - more of that later.

Where to begin? Diggle's whirlwind 2 goal start? Newsome's razor sharp 2 goal reply? Newsome's bizarre 3rd goal? Diggle's questionable penalty-equaliser?

Let's start in the teamtalk.  It is to be hoped that no one in the Diggle side would deny that they weren't told exactly how the game would unfold.  The game panned out - well, in large chunks anyway, exactly as had been predicted. It would be foolish to give away all the secrets of the teamtalk, but some of them will become apparent in this report.

Diggle could not have had a more perfect start: 2 goals up after 8 minutes.  Goal number 1 came after 4 minutes when striker Jeff Whittaker pounced on a poor defensive header to slide the ball home from 12 yards out.  Goal number 2 came after 8 minutes, when Wayne Broadbent's long throw fell to Chris Moore in the Newsome box and the little striker showed good footwork to guide the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.

Diggle had started brightly but the two goals came from, more or less, nothing, and the Newsome defending left lots to be desired.

Having taken the lead Diggle needed to implement what they had been told in the dressing room.  However, by combination of ignorance, stage fright and not being used to having to step up energy and marking levels, Diggle fell to 2 quick Newsome goals.

Naturally, this report will view the goals from a midfield and defensive perspective, but you would also have to admit that you will wait quite a long time to find 2 goals as well crafted and put together at this level of the game. Both goals were courtesy of sweeping midfield and forward play, both involving good passing and excellent movement, each culminating in close range shots with the Diggle defence stretched and struggling.

On the other hand, from a Diggle perspective, the goals were very disappointing.  The team were told exactly how Newsome play; they were told exactly what their strengths were; they were told exactly how tight to mark and how fast and nimble we had to be to stay with the Newsome runners.  We failed on all counts in this period of play.

Balancing up the above two paragraphs, the goals owed more to skill than they did to defensive weakness.  However, equally, the goals showed exactly where we need to improve when we don't have the ball.

Newsome's goals breathed life into their game, and they continued to pour forward.  For a period, Diggle struggled to contain their opponents, but the home side eventually did climb back into the game, and showed great character in doing so.  They could have buckled after conceding the two goals, but Diggle carried on and by the end of the half had more than played themselves back into the game.

The second half began with Diggle pressurising Newsome, and it looked like the local side would be able to pen Newsome back.  However, hesitancy on the Diggle right wing allowed Newsome to break free.  The tricky Newsome left winger delivered a hopeful cross into the Diggle box.  Diggle keeper McWatt appeared to anticipate the flight of the ball and came to catch it.  However, Diggle centre back Lee Rainford, working hard to cover his position, unfortunately got his head to the ball and managed to glance it passed the stranded McWatt. The ball forlornly limped over the line to give Newsome the lead.

Straight after the goal Newsome got back on the offensive and Diggle had to stand strong.  Rather like the first period, Diggle took time to gather their composure, but, having done so, they more than played their part in a stirring battle between the sides.

Controversy raged in 2 separate penalty appeals from Diggle: one waved away, one granted.  The first penalty appeal was for handball as a Diggle cross was cut out by a flying Newsome arm.  The crowd demanded a penalty, the referee said he was unsighted, the Newsome defender had that look of a relieved man.

The second appeal was more dubious as Diggle striker Whittaker and a Newsome defender wrestled for the ball deep in the Newsome penalty box.  Both players went down in a heap, the referee took his time and purposefully pointed to the penalty spot.  Newsome were livid, Diggle were relieved.

Diggle striker Chris Moore confidently scored from the spot to level the scores at 3-3.

The game carried on in end to end fashion, but it was Newsome who had the best of the territory and the best of the remaining chances: one of which was a thunderous free kick which cannoned off the post; and the other was a one on one which the flawless Diggle keeper McWatt did well to charge down.

3-3, points shared.

This was, as noted above, a superb game.  There was plenty of good football (most impressive of which, to be fair, came from Newsome), it was very hard (but fair), both sides were desperate to win (yet played in the right spirit) and both sides could feel proud of their efforts on the day.

The Diggle Manager praised his troops after the game, but said that the best thing about the game was the fact that it showed up so many deficiencies in the Diggle side. 

Of the many pluses in the game, Diggle had dramatically improved as compared to previous efforts against Newsome.  Last year's 1-1 draw at home had been a dreadfully one sided affair (in Newsome's favour) but this year Diggle matched Newsome stride for stride, mentally and physically.  This Diggle side has resolve, character and togetherness. Whilst Diggle could only carry out some of the pre-match instructions, their effort was unquestionable.  McWatt was supreme (and he had to be) in goal; Jones (after a tentative start) showed more class in possession; Cheetham and Rainford rose to the challenge the longer the game went on against 2 very good players; Jacobs continued his impressive form and gave everything trying to contain the Newsome playmaker; Martin worked tirelessly; whilst Moore and Whittaker did pretty much everything that had been asked of them.

On the learning side, we are not used to combating such a fit, mobile and creative side. If we are to compete, we need to move the fitness up one more level.  We need to understand and implement what we are being told. We cannot afford to have 'big-game-itus' - we need all players to have the self belief that champions have.  We need to mark 'touch tight'; we need to track runners; we cannot stand off and admire and, as against lesser opposition, wait for them to give the ball away. Good sides give the ball away a lot less than mediocre sides.

We need to find a way to apply the same effort from minute 1 to minute 90.  This is not to suggest that Diggle didn't work hard - they did - but we need to raise that effort another notch and maintain that effort at that level.  Finally, we got lucky at several set pieces.  The organisation at corners against was sadly lacking.  We cannot afford such an approach in future.

The writer was as knackered as the players after this battle.  Well done both sides.