Former Frickley player Morris back as manager and off to winning start

After a goalless first half Sam Cable put Athletic ahead six minutes after the break and Joel Spencer sealed the points with a second goal a minute from time.

And this was achieved despite being down to 10 men for 45 minutes following the sending off of Jayden Roberts.

Frickley came into the game on a run of seven league games without a win, but had beaten AFC Bentley 5-0 in the county cup the previous week and also advanced in the NCE League Cup with a nerve-shredding 8-7 penalty shoot-out success following a 1-1 draw at Keighley Town in midweek.

They were the better side in the opening half, creating several opportunities they were unable to take before Roberts was controversially shown a red card just before the break for something he said following a challenge and a free-kick awarded after a theatrical tumble by a Thackley player.

But despite their numerical disadvantage for the second half the Blues produced a heroic effort to take the points.

It was a great start for new boss Morris who stepped down as manager of Worsbrough Bridge Athletic to take over at Frickley where he had several spells as a player.

In his three years with the Barnsley club he led them to promotion to the Premier Division for the first time and also took them to the final of the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup last season.

Worsbrough have also made a good start to the top division as Morris left them in fourth place.

On his appointment, Frickley chairman Phil Cooper said: “Lee’s a manager we’ve targeted on a number of occasions but his commitment and drive to succeed at Worsbrough has meant we’ve had to wait until the time was right.

"We’re delighted to have him as our first team manager and excited to see where he can take the club.

"We’d like to place on record our thanks for (chairman) Mark (Booth) at Worsbrough for his co-operation during the discussions."

Morris has been followed to Westfield Lane by Rhys Meynell who had been his assistant at Worsbrough.

On his first game in charge, Morris said: “We asked for a reaction from the boys to a new manager coming in. We put a structure in place and for the lads to put it in place like that after two hours in a meeting they have done superb.

"I have always been a positive manager and whether we go down to 10 or whether we’re 11 I will always try to win a game.

"We had to go 4-3-2 and play the strikers slightly wider, but I don’t think you could tell we’d gone down to 10.

"With the work rate and the fitness levels for the last 20 minutes you could see that we were the stronger team.

"All I will ask is that they give their all and that’s all that Frickley fans want. If every time they pull that shirt on they give that amount of effort and determination we’ll be all right.”