HYDE UNITED 5, YORKSHIRE AMATEURS 1
Jack Dyche, Hyde United’s Mr Versatile, scored twice in the pre-season friendly win against Yorkshire Amateurs at Ewen Fields.
After playing the opening 45 minutes at right back, Dyche was pushed forward into an attacking role from the restart.
And within 15 minutes of the switch, Dyche had scored twice to seal victory for the Tigers.
“Jack is flexible and can play right or left back to help out but is far better at No 10 as we saw with his finishing which was good,” explained manager Dave McGurk.
Hyde had four trialists in the starting line up and a further four making appearances as second-half substitutes.
And McGurk was sufficiently impressed to be offering terms to either two or three of the trialists, confirming one will be to former Oldham Athletic left winger Chinedu Uche.
After a quiet goalless opening quarter, the game exploded to life with the last 23 minutes producing three goals and the woodwork being struck a further three times.
Kingsley Black’s glanced header from a corner struck the frame of the goal for Hyde.
That was quickly followed by a drive from Gibraltar international Adam Priestley striking the frame of the goal with a low drive.
Hyde were ahead in the 27th minute through Louis Myers whose initial effort was blocked by goalkeeper Graham McLachlan but the striker found the second at the second attempt from a tight angle.
The Ammers, who once had Elland Road as their home before Leeds United existed, were on level terms two minutes later when Stephen Crawford’s 30-yard drive was deflected off Tom Morris to fly past Hyde’s triallist goalkeeper.
Uche was then denied by the upright as Hyde strived to regain the lead.
They went back ahead in the 39th minute through a Paddy Lane’s cheeky Panenka, a chip dink down the centre of the goal.
Liam Tongue’s shot had been well parried by McLachlan but Tom Pratt, following up, was hauled back by his shirt.
Pratt made it 3-1 shortly before the break with a shot in off the upright after he raced through the centre on to a Myers flick.
Dyche added a fourth goal soon after the restart. Tongue was brilliantly denied twice by McLachlan before the ball rebounded to Dyche who found the net with a chip into the empty net.
He was on target again just short of the hour as he seized on a defensive error to burst forward and find the net with a low drive.
Hyde would have won by a wider margin but for McLachlan who made some decent saves in the last half hour, notably to keep out free kicks from Tongue and from various trialists.
It was a competitive workout which pleased McGurk.
“Overall, it was a good workout and the sort of intensity we want. Had the quality of our finishing been better, we could have won by more,” said a satisfied McGurk who has 12 players signed and is looking to make four or five further additions to the squad.