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MATCH REPORT:
Birtley (Away): NL Div 2, 7th November
2009.
F/T : Won 2 - 4
Scorers: Jackson (3), Jones
There was a healthy
away support in attendance, boosted by the news
that the club has managed to capture the signing
of striker Danny Brunskill from Whitby Town.
‘Bruno’ was put straight into the staring
eleven, partnering Craig Skelton and Rob Jones
up front as Burto tested a 3-4-3 formation.
Birtley started
well and Finbar Lynch had an early chance when
he got away down the left and fired just wide of
the far post.
With three minutes
gone, Josh Myers played a hospital ball towards
Anthony Roberts that Lynch managed to steal, but
he again fired just wide from the edge of the
box.
Two minutes later
Myers tested Jonathan Hands with a shot from 25
yards that the keeper just managed to hang on
to.
Jones got goal side
of Nicky Evans on nine minutes and made his way
into the box, but instead of playing an easy
pass to the unmarked Brunskill, he tried getting
past another defender and ran into trouble.
We almost took the
lead on 10 minutes when Dom Gamble controlled a
high ball into the box brilliantly before
setting up Jones who forced an excellent save
from Hands. Skelton only had to hit the target
with the rebound but sliced his shot wide from
close range.
Jones again came
close from a Skelton corner but volleyed just
over the bar from the edge of the box.
Brunskill came
close to scoring in his first game back but
failed to get a proper connection with the ball
after Jones’ shot from the edge of the box was
parried by Hands.
We finally found
the back of the net with quarter of an hour gone
as Stuart Jackson headed in Skelton’s free kick
after Gamble was fouled on the left flank.
Jones gambled on
Stuart Anderson missing a Jackson’s long ball
forward on 23 minutes, but failed to hit a
decent shot when through on goal.
A minute later a
good build up involving Glenn Wesson resulted in
Gamble forcing a corner with a good shot from
which Jackson again went close with a header.
We then took our
foot off the peddle and had to sustain a brief
spell of pressure from the home side.
Birtley grabbed an
equaliser on 36 minutes as former Ryton captain,
David Tremble, blasted a 25 yard free kick
straight into the back of the net.
Wesson almost
scored straight from the re-start. He managed
to round the home keeper but Anderson managed to
get back to cover and bravely headed his shot
over the bar from on the goal line.
A minute before the
interval, Gamble battled his way past Anderson
and into the box but his centre across the face
of goal managed to evade everyone in a crowded
box.
Half-time:
Birtley Town 1v1 Marske United
Two minutes into
the second half, the referee awarded a penalty
to Birtley following a hand ball in the box.
Tremble stepped up to double his tally and put
the home side into the lead with a fine strike
past Brendan Ledgeway.
Our cause was
helped on 51 minutes following the sending off
of Evans who received a second yellow card for
his second tackle from behind on Skelton.
We drew level after
?? minutes with a well taken shot into the top
right stanchion by Jones.
Myers hobbled off
after 62 minutes and was replaced by Owen Dixon
with Wesson moving into the middle.
Brunskill came
close to giving us the lead on 63 minutes as
Dixon played the ball into his feet. He turned
his marker and cut inside but his shot from the
edge of the box came back off the post.
A minute later
Andrew Grant-Soulsby challenged Brunskill for a
loose ball but bounced straight off the big
striker, and Brunskill’s inch perfect cross was
headed home at the far post by Jackson.
Brunskill again
showed good strength to win the ball on 65
minutes and send Dixon away down the right. He
outpaced Jonathan Larkin and found Skelton six
yards out but Hands did well to block his close
range shot.
The strength of our
forward line was demonstrated on ?? minutes when
Burto was able to bring Benn Thompson off the
bench to replace Skelton.
Brunskill made an
excellent mazy run inside on 69 minutes and
curled a soft shot around hands that again came
back off the far post. Wesson was first to the
rebound but somehow struck wide from just four
yards out.
Straight down the
other end, the six Birtley Town fans thought
they had scored following a goalmouth scramble
but we broke away and Gamble found Jones in the
box who had his close range shot saved by
Hands.
Brunskill had a
good chance to score on 77 minutes when he
latched on to a ball over the top from Andy
Swalwell. He was clipped by the keeper when
rounding him but managed to stay on his feet,
but having been forced wide, Grant-Soulsby got
back to block.
Richie Ward
replaced Jones as we reverted to a 4-4-2
formation for the remaining eight minutes.
Wesson combined
with Dixon on the break after 87 minutes to win
a corner. Thompson flicked on Gamble’s flag
kick to the back post where Jackson arrived to
head home his hat trick goal and put the result
beyond doubt.
There was still
time left for Dixon to force a low save out of
Hands, and at the other end Mark McEwan cut in
from the left flank and brought a good diving
save from Ledgeway.
Full-time:
Birtley Town 2v4 Marske United
We made hard work
of our win given the amount of chances we
created and possession we had. The acquisition
of Brunskill looks to be a big positive and he
will have felt unlucky not to have got on the
score sheet in his first game back.
Teams:
Birtley
Town: Hands, Anderson
(McEwen), Larkin, Evans, Tremble, Grant-Soulsby,
Scott, Hooper (Skinner), Scurfield, Brown
(Armstrong), Lynch. Not Used: Nugent,
Thomas.
Marske
United: Ledgeway,
Roberts, Gamble, Swalwell, Jackson, Taylor,
Wesson, Myers (Dixon), Brunskill, Skelton
(Thompson), Jones (Ward). Not Used:
Bradley, A.Raw.
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