Rothbury 2
Cramlington United 2
Northern
Football Alliance
Team Valley
Carpets Division Two
Big Kyle
Smith lost his head and saw red after a shocking tackle left team-mate Tony
Brown writhing on the turf but ten-man Rothbury hit back late on to
stretch their unbeaten League run to fifteen games.
Coach Tom Macpherson hailed the point as ‘decent’ and called
for the side to be a bit more streetwise as he was left somewhat frustrated after
a first half performance that saw the Reds hit the woodwork on three separate occasions
before taking the lead through Dan Thompson.
After a tentative start, Rothbury got on top and midfielder
Brown was unlucky to see a beautifully-flighted free kick thump back off the
bar. Joel Laviers then had his head in his hands as he warmed up the crowd with
a long-range drive that was also a coat of paint off going in.
The frustration continued as Thompson then headed against
the crossbar, but soon after the Reds’ top scorer got on the scoresheet when he
nodded in Michael Old’s pin-point chipped cross for his 13th of the
season in the 42nd minute.
 |
| Gaz McCann grabbed the leveller. Pic by Ian Glendinning. |
“I feel a point is a good result in the
end,” said Macpherson.
“I would have been disappointed to take a
point at half time, but after 70 minutes I would have took a point no question.
I thought we were excellent in the first half, unplayable at times and creating
chances at will. We came out slow in the second half, maybe complacent, however
the fight back from the lads was brilliant. Obviously there were some tired
legs after the festive period but the determination and togetherness the
players showed following the sending off showed why we are up there fighting
for the league.”
The result saw the Reds knocked off top spot by Whitley Bay
Sporting who were 3-2 winners at Whitburn & Cleadon. This season’s
championship is looking increasingly likely to go right down to the wire as Bay
now lead by a point, but they’ve played two games more. So forget Liverpool’s
Premier League title race – the real excitement for local football fans is down
at Armstrong Park with at least eight teams all capable of mounting a serious challenge
for the silverware come May.
The visitors showed just why they are up there after the
break as they came out and began to boss the middle of the park following a
change in formation. Skipper Niall Younger danced through four or five
challenges and slipped home past the advancing keeper to equalise in the 53rd
minute.
Just seven minutes later Rothbury didn’t deal fully with a
corner and it was whipped back over for Luke Taylor to power home a close range
header. It could have been worse but for a superb double block by Joel Laviers
and Macpherson to keep Rothbury in the game.
Smith’s reaction to an ugly tackle earned
him a long lonely walk back to the dressing room but the decision fired up the
Reds and they piled forward in search of an equaliser in the final 15 minutes.
They got their reward when Brown’s drive
from distance was deflected into the path of Gaz McCann and he coolly slotted
into the back of the net with just three minutes to go. Rothbury almost stole
the three points in the dying seconds but the unlucky Matty Travis couldn’t keep
his shot down and it flashed over the crossbar from close range.
“The draw was a fair result on reflection,”
admitted Macpherson.
“Maybe we need to be more clinical in front
of goal and also a bit more streetwise in seeing a game out, but we are a
relatively young side it’s still a learning curve. We are still on the up and
progressing as a team and squad.”
Match
Sponsor: Rothbury Newsagents, Townfoot.
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