West Riding County Amateur League, Premier Division

Kirkburton 2 Steeton 4

STEETON finally got their season up and running with a comfortable win over a rock-bottom Kirkburton side who are still awaiting their first points of the campaign.

With Chris Wheater coming into the side in goal, Steeton were now using their fourth keeper of the campaign, while Tim Hird returned to the side in midfield and Andy King started his first game of the season up front.

The visitors got off to a great start when their passing and movement proved too much for their Huddersfield hosts and King rifled in a shot from the edge of the box after only nine minutes.

Lee Reilly and Andy Holden also went close and Hird burned the tip of the Kirkburton keeper's fingers with a long-range effort.

Steeton suffered an early blow when leading scorer Reilly suffered a hamstring strain and was replaced by Mark McGee, with King taking a more central role.

McGee was unlucky as his effort came off the top of the crossbar as he hooked the ball in from the left.

At the back the Steeton three of Matty Kershaw, Sam Rooke and Joe Meegan were keeping the home side's chances to a minimum.

Steeton were then forced into making a second substitution when Joe Park suffered a recurrence of a hip injury and was replaced by Danny McNulty, making his first appearance following an eight-game suspension.

Just as half-time was approaching, Steeton switched off for a minute and the home side hooked in a leveller. Steeton were left to wonder how on earth they were level when they had dominated the first-half proceedings.

The second half saw Steeton again dominant but Wheater had to be alert to tip an effort over the bar as the home side looked to kick-start their own season.

Instead it was Steeton who took the lead again when a surging run from Holden, after good work from Damien Whiteoak, was brought to an abrupt end. Holden was felled on the edge of the box but picked himself up to rifle home the resulting free-kick.

This spurred Steeton on and McGee was quickly on the end of a mix-up between the keeper and defender that resulted in him rolling the ball into an empty net to get the reward his persistence deserved.

With Arley Barnes driving the side forward from the right-hand side, Steeton were now in complete control and McGee fired just over from a cross-field ball by Barnes.

The tiring King was replaced by Danny Driver, who again showed some nice touches.

Steeton wrapped things up when sub McGee cut in from the left and finished neatly in the bottom corner for his second goal.

Kirkburton grabbed a consolation in the last minute when their striker headed home following a free-kick on the left-hand side.

Steeton boss Roy Mason said: "It was a great performance from the players and we are now looking like the side that we know we are.

"Players are all returning from suspension and this has made a difference to us.

"We are looking a lot more fluid and our movement in the final third is excellent. That is something that we have been working on over past few weeks."

STEETON: Wheater, Kershaw, Park (McNulty), Meegan, Rooke, Whiteoak, Holden, Hird, Reilly (McGee), Barnes, King (Driver). Sub (not used): Metcalfe.

Winless Steeton Reserves slumped to an 8-4 defeat at home to Wakefield City in Division One. Ross Bailey and Josh Huntley netted twice apiece in a losing cause.