Reds Undone in Seven-Goal Thriller

Rothbury 3 Jesmond 4 
Team Valley Carpets Northern Alliance Div. 2

Andy Hall hit a hat-trick as Jesmond leapfrogged Rothbury into pole position in Division Two – but Reds boss Dan Herron wasn’t left too downbeat by the result.

The Hillmen came from behind twice to lead 3-2 after the break in a top-of-the-table thriller, but were ultimately undone by some uncharacteristic defensive errors. 

“We conceded a terrible goal from a scuffed corner early on, just a mix up in communication,” said Herron.

“It didn’t kill our spirit though as Thompa equalised with a lovely chip two minutes later. We conceded some poor defensive goals for our usual standard, but scored some great ones. The chips from Thompa (Dan Thompson) and Mins (James Jackson) were quality." 

Michael Old in action. Pic by Ian Glendinning.

Rothbury made the worst possible start as Hall tapped in from a corner, but were all-square soon after as Thompson lifted a beauty into the net.

Hall crashed in a superb second but Thompson took full advantage of a blunder in the Jesmond back-line to make it all square again.

Although James Jackson produced a top-drawer finish to give Rothbury the advantage for the first time, Daniel Brown powered a header home to level things up and Hall completed his treble after being played in by Louis Tiplady. 

 

“I would say Jesmond are collectively the best side we’ve played so far - maybe a toss up between them and Ellington,” admitted Herron.

Rothbury midfielder Michael Old felt that the performance of his two-goal team mate Dan Thompson stood out, and he also praised Tony Brown’s efforts – especially for his defence-splitting through-ball for Thompson’s first.

“It was a fast-paced game from the kick-off that must have been entertaining for the crowd to watch,” said the experienced Old.

“A couple of lapses of concentration have proved costly for us. With the quality we have in the side, it should have been a totally different game.”