Rothbury 1
Ellington 1
Northern
Football Alliance
Team Valley
Carpets Division Two
Rothbury
left it late to salvage a point as Kyle Smith pounced to grab a leveller deep
into stoppage time.
The
hard-working midfielder’s never-say-die attitude saw him get into the box in
the 92nd minute and fire the ball through the clarts into the back
of the net.
 |
| Kyle Smith in action. Pic by SRFC. |
“It felt great to score in such fashion as
I rarely score - but to score so late on and rescue us a point from a match I
feel we deserved to win was a phenomenal feeling,” said Smith.
It was the last-chance saloon when
ever-reliable Tony Brown whipped over a corner which was headed on to Smith and
he kept his cool to shape and hit a first-time volley into the bottom corner,
sparking relief all round.
“We had a few great chances in the first
half where we could have easily put the game to bed, but we just couldn’t hit
the net for some reason which is normally bread and butter for us,” he
continued.
Armstrong Park’s smooth surface took a
battering throughout the game after a week of heavy downpours and Rothbury’s
chances of playing their normal passing game decreased as the grass cut up and
churned to mud.
“The pitch suited a few players such as big
Tommy Mac (Tom Macpherson), myself and Mic (Michael Old), who all love a big
tackle - but apart from that it was awful, you couldn’t do any sharp turns as
it was so slippery, and by the end of the game the pitch was a mess. It was a
frustrating day at the office, but at the end of the day Ellington are a good
side and will take points off of opposing teams this season so it was a good
point in my eyes.”
Ellington
went ahead from the penalty spot in the 67th minute after keeper Rob
Hodgson hesitated for a split-second on a decision then brought down a striker
in the box, and they also saw a shot cannon back off the crossbar.
The draw
saw Rothbury knocked off top spot by Whitley Bay SC, who were 5-2 winners over
Stobswood, though the Reds have a game in hand and are just two points adrift.
Boss Dan
Herron won’t want to get tied up in all the mathematics and permutations with
almost six months of the season left to play, but things are definitely hotting
up at the top of Division Two. Whitburn & Cleadon, Cramlington United,
Spittal Rovers and Ellington themselves are all handily placed for a shot at
the title in what is proving a very tight and competitive League.
“For us it’s just game by game - we knew
December is going to be a tough month, we’ve got the two Cramlington sides up
next in the league and they’re both showing decent form. We’ll start to look at
the table come February time when you’re into the final third of the season,
then we’ll see who’s in contention for promotion,” said Herron.
The gaffer also felt that a draw was a good
result for the Coquetdalers and admitted: “Ellington are a really good side
with dangerous forwards. They are one of the best we’ve played, and will
certainly be up there at the end of the season.”
“It was a difficult game in the conditions, to be honest. We played
some half decent stuff in the first half and created three or four really good
chances, but lacked the cutting edge to finish them. We could have easily gone
in 3-0 up at half time but it wasn’t to be. The second half was a lot more
even, Ellington had three or four good chances, hitting the bar and putting a
few wide. We had two really good chances before they went ahead to take the
lead.”
Herron was pleased with the effort his side
had put in to get back into the game and delighted with Smith’s last-gasp
volley.
“The equaliser was immense after putting so
much pressure on Ellington in the last fifteen minutes - Tony was whipping
unbelievable balls in time after time and eventually we got what we deserved. I
would say on balance a draw was a fair result,” he said.
MATCH
SPONSOR: A&E TYRE & EXHAUST SERVICES, ROTHBURY.
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