Seghill 1 Rothbury 5
Team Valley Carpets Division Two
Hot-shot Daniel Thompson smashed in a treble as Rothbury
closed the gap on leaders Whitley Bay Sporting to a point with a game in hand.
The former Felton and Wallington striker – who lifted the
NFA Minor Cup with the Greens – was obviously pleased with his hat-trick, but
berated himself for not making more of his opportunities so far this season.
Considering he’s already on nine (it would have been 11 but
for a result being chalked off), then it just shows the high standards that the
Reds number nine sets himself in the game.
“I’m frustrated with my personal form, to say the least,”
admitted Thompson.
“The lads are playing excellently and I’m just not finishing
enough of my chances. I’m known to start seasons slowly though, so I’m sure the
goals will start flowing.”
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| Daniel Thompson in action. Pic by Ian Glendinning. |
Thompa, as he’s known to his team-mates, was sent sprawling
in the box early on and the cool Tony Brown stepped up to dispatch the
resultant penalty. The spirit in the Reds side is such that Thompson even joked
that he was secretly gutted to see it hit the back of the net.
“Tony stepped up, as reliable as ever, and buried it. To be
honest, I’m still raging the lads took me off penalties ever since I missed two
in a row so I was praying he missed!” Thompson struck himself twice before the
break with what he described as ‘classic poacher goals, ‘bread and butter
stuff’ you might say.’
The striker was full of praise for the way that Seghill hit
back at the turnaround and felt that the Coquetdalers did well to soak up a
spell of pressure after Maneesh Rai, who he felt was the host’s man of the
match, pulled one back with some lovely skill. But when Brown whipped over a
pin-point corner, Sam Proudlock towered to power home a bullet header for the
fourth.
“At 4-1 and the game was pretty much done and dusted. All
the possession was for Rothbury and I grabbed a late fifth goal. We had a few
other chances of note - a Michael Old one on one which smashed off the bar, and
according to spectators crossed the line by a yard or so but wasn’t given, and
another one on one from myself which I decided to send over to Seaton Deleval –
due to the bobbly pitch of course!” he laughed.
“We completely dominated the first half with some really
nice football. We weren’t at our best but really as the weeks go on we are
showing great depth and quality in our squad. I don’t think we’ve fielded the
same 11 once this season yet but it hasn’t proved an issue. Regular first
teamers Kyle Smith and Joel Laviers were allowed some time off this week due to
fatigue and Lawsy (Alex Law) was away, but none of this caused a problem and
that shows great depth in the squad. It really helped our cause that Felton FC
were caught up in financial difficulties in the summer and had to fold as we’ve
been able to pick up some big names to call on, such as the legendary Ross
‘Tuna’ Jackson, who made an appearance yesterday afternoon and the moment he
came on the game’s tempo increased.”
Attacking midfielder Greg Woodburn also earned the plaudits
for a smart display of skill and close ball control on a pitch described by
joint player boss Dan Herron as ‘bobbly’ and in ‘difficult conditions.’
Woodburn felt that Rothbury had approached the fixture in
the right frame of mind and applied it when they crossed the white lines.
“We came into the game knowing we were strong favourites, with
our winning streak and Seghill’s relatively poor record in the league this year,
but we couldn’t afford to be complacent as it’s almost cost us in the past,” he
said.
“The first half was probably one of the most dominant halves
we’ve had this season where they hardly got a touch of the ball and we totally
controlled the game.”
“In the second half I think we switched off a bit with the
tempo of the game dropping and they started to get back into the match - but we
dug in and kept playing the football that we play which makes us almost unbeatable
and got the result. The lads deserved it.”
Thompson delivered the final word on the emphatic victory by
saying how much he is enjoying his time at Armstrong Park and being a major
part of the club’s step up into Northern Alliance football.
“Ever since I joined the club just under a year ago I’ve
loved it. It’s a remarkable place with a great fan base who’ve made me feel
very at home. Not many people know but I actually went to school up in Rothbury
so it’s wonderful to return to my roots,” he admitted.
“After club captain Tom Macpherson persuaded me to sign back
in late October last year, I played my first game against Craster and from the
get go I saw the quality of the team and knew there was something special about
to happen. We had a good season last year and then some tremendous signings
were made over the summer so to be honest I expected nothing less than where we
currently are.”
Displaying the camaraderie of the local non-league scene, he
also praised the side’s opponents and said: “I’d like to thank Seghill for a
good game. They’re a lovely set of down to earth lads, who played some quality
football, and have great facilities. All the best for the season, chaps.”
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