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MATCH REPORT:
Team Northumbria (Away): NL Div 2, 24th October
2009.
F/T 3-3 (D)
Scorer: Thompson (3)
This weeks
absentees were Andy Raw with flu and Carl
Chillingsworth who was on his jollies, but
Stuart Jackson, Derek Bradley and Craig Skelton
returned to the fold so Burto again shuffled the
pack. All three aforementioned players made the
starting line-up, as Josh Myers moved to right
back.
To add the
occasion, the game came just three weeks after
our home match with the Students, of which they
submitted a letter of complaint to the Northern
League regarding the conduct of two of our
players – possibly one reason why League
Chairman Mike Amos was amongst the crowd, to
keep an eye on proceedings.
Team Northumbria
came close to an opener within the first two
minutes as Lee Johnson just failed to connect
with Paul Burnham’s right wing cross at the near
post.
Referee Peter
Sweeney was scrutinising every challenge from
the off and frustration got the better of Craig
Skelton with just 14 minutes gone when he kicked
out at a defender after a decision failed to go
his way. The referee had no option but to show
him a straight red card.
Yet again, Skelly
has failed to learn his lesson as this is
already the second time this season he has been
given an early bath.
The game continued
on an even keel, and Glenn Wesson went close on
24 minutes. The ball was headed clear from a
Dom Gamble corner and Wesson beat Phillipe Kane
to it and struck a shot narrowly over the bar
from 20 yards out.
Brendan Ledgeway
had to react quickly a minute later to smother a
deflection as Josh Myers nipped in quickly to
beat Kane to a low cross from the right.
Team Northumbria
had to make an unscheduled substitution on the
half hour mark as Kane failed to recover from a
couple of Myers tackles.
The home side were
beginning to get on top and went close on 33
minutes as Burnham cut in from the left and
curled a low shot towards goal that Ledgeway
managed to parry around the far post.
Northumbria led on
36 minutes as Burnham again cut inside from the
left, this time crossing. Our defence stood
watching as Johnson was given time and space to
pick his spot, driving a low right foot shot
into the back of the net.
Almost straight
after the restart a sloppy pass from Wesson went
straight to Graeme Cairns who sent Johnson away
down the right hand side. He got past Stuart
Jackson too easily and made his way into the box
before firing an easy chance past Ledgeway.
It was almost 3-0
on 40 minutes as the ball was played in to
Burnham’s feet in the box. The striker hit a
low shot on the turn but Ledgeway got down well
to save.
Benn Thompson hit a
well placed free kick well over the bar on 44
minutes, then on the stroke of half time burst
through past two defenders but was unable to
beat Andrew Jennison from 12 yards.
Half-time: Team
Northumbria 2v0 Marske United
It was no surprise
to see Burto making changes at half time, but
interestingly, it was Josh Myers that made way
for the introduction of Rob Jones.
We got more from
Rob in the first three minutes of the second
half than many of the team combined in the first
45 minutes. He used his pace to chase down a
lost cause to win a corner, and tried his luck
with a shot having picked up the resulting
clearance.
Team Northumbria
then broke away quickly finding themselves three
on two, but Andy Swalwell did brilliantly to cut
out thee final pass.
In a very open
start to the second half, Jones then charged
down a clearance from Ross Wilkinson. The ball
looped back up over Jennison but bounced just
wide of the goal.
Ledgeway made
another good save on 52 minutes as the ball was
played in to Johnson’s feet and he was given
time by the defence to pick his shot.
Ledgeway had to be
alert again two minutes later as Lee Novak fired
a free kick on target from 25 yards following a
soft free kick conceded by Jackson.
Jones won a corner
on 63 minutes and Thompson’s header was cleared
off the line by Gavin Donogue.
With pace working
well for us, Burto tried to chase the game with
Owen Dixon replacing Mark Taylor on 64 minutes
as we opted for a 3-4-2 formation.
Within seconds of
coming on, Dixon burst into the box and won a
penalty after being brought down by Gary
McCormick. Thompson stepped up to pull a goal
back from the spot.
Wesson burst onto a
great header won by Thompson on 67 minutes and
his low cross towards Dixon was just cut out by
Wilkinson for a corner. Jackson headed Gamble’s
flag kick down, and following a brief scramble
in the six yard box, Thompson bundled the ball
over the line to equalise.
Dixon made his way
down the left flank again on 70 minutes and got
past McCormick before being brought down. The
ref waved play on and Northumbria broke
quickly. Johnson found himself in space and let
fly with a brilliant 30 yard strike that found
it’s way into the top corner for his hat trick.
The referee was quick to flash a second straight
red card following Swalwell’s protests, and we
found ourselves 3-2 down and two men short.
With nothing to
lose we stuck to a 3-3-2 formation and with a
quarter of an hour still to play, Dixon made his
way through again. He crossed to Jones who
forced an excellent save from Jennison, but the
ball came back to Dixon who was again clumsily
brought down at the edge of the box. Thompson
again stepped up to draw us level and complete
his second hat trick of the season.
With Jones and
Dixon causing havoc with their pace, we refused
to sit back despite our numerical disadvantage,
and on 82 minutes, clever footwork from Jones
allowed him to make his way into space down the
right hand side but his cross to Dixon was cut
out by Jennison.
With some very
weary legs on the pitch the lads had to dig in
deep as the clock ticked down and some fantastic
defending from Richie Ward and Dom Gamble,
combined with some safe hands from Ledgeway
ensured we held on for what at one point looked
like a very unlikely point.
Full-time: Team
Northumbria 3v3 Marske United
Teams:
Team
Northumbria: Jennison,
McCormick (James), Novak, Donogue, Wilkinson,
Bertram, Hall (Keilty), Cairns, Johnson, Burmham,
Kane (Hill). Not Used: Todd, Critchlow.
Marske
United: Ledgeway,
Myers (Jones), Jackson, Swalwell, Ward, Taylor
(Dixon), Bradley, Wesson, Thompson (Roberts),
Skelton, Gamble. Not Used: Blair,
Norman.
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