Rothbury 1 Hexham 0
Combination Cup quarter finals
Sam Proudlock was on top of the world after heading Rothbury
into the last four in the Combination Cup - but the big defender knows a bit
about being up in the clouds after climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity
during the summer break.
Proudlock rose to nod in a Tony Brown free-kick in the 67th
minute to settle the finely-balanced tie and was quick to praise keeper Dom
McMahon for his man-of-the-match performance, including an incredible second
half save that the visiting Tynedalers just couldn’t quite believe.
“It’s always nice to grab a goal but to get
the winner in such a tightly contested game feels even better,” said Proudlock.
“I just tried to attack it and get it on
target, and once I heard Andy Law’s horn blaring like the vuvuzelas at the 2010
World Cup I was over the moon. The game always felt as if it would be won and
lost by one goal, as neither team really gave anything away and there weren’t too
many chances at either end. I can’t imagine it was a good one for the neutrals
to watch, but glad we could get the job done. Credit to Hexham though, they are
a good, physical side and we had to match them at the other end of the pitch
too.”
Proudlock revealed that the atmosphere in
the dressing room after was a bit subdued as the Reds’ players were left physically
and mentally drained from the contest, and said: “Obviously, we were all
buzzing with the result, but the lads had given so much on the pitch, most were
just catching their breath! The shift that some of the lads put in - Kyla,
Chrissy, Dylan to name a few - was unbelievable and it’s great to see everyone
stand up and be counted. Once we had recovered a bit, we were all delighted and
look forward to another challenge in the semi-final.”
While Proudlock and his central defensive
partner Tom Macpherson marshalled the back line well, the towering McMahon was
a huge plus between the sticks and he earned the plaudits for his clean sheet.
“Dom’s saves were absolutely massive, but
also his aerial presence coming for crosses takes so much pressure off the
defenders and buys us time to regroup and get set. Not to mention his save in
the second half. Most of the lads were saying it was the best save they’d EVER
seen, and I’d have to agree,” said Proudlock.
“A shot gets fired in from close range,
stanchion-bound, and Dom sticks out go-go-gadget arm and somehow paws it away
for a corner. Their players couldn’t quite believe how it was still 1-0. He thoroughly
deserved man of the match for that alone.”
If the challenge on the pitch proved tough,
it was nothing really compared to the journey Proudlock undertook when he raised
£550 each for both the club and the Samaritans in August while trekking alone
in Tanzania for six days, which he said he found the most mentally draining
aspect.
“I took the ‘NE65 RTF’ flag to the 5895m
summit with me, and the locals were loving the fact I was representing my
village, regardless of the fact they had no idea where it was in the world. It
was way tougher than I had anticipated, both physically and mentally, but I am
so glad I did it and I gained so much from the experience. I missed all of pre-season
while I was away, but fortunately gaffer Dan Herron let me off as he reckoned
it was a good enough excuse,” he laughed.
While delighted with the team display as a whole, Rothbury
boss Herron singled out the graft put in by Proudlock, McMahon and striker
Chris Coe as meriting particularly praise afterwards.
“Three overall performances across the 90
minutes stood out,” he said.
“Chrissy Coe - his tremendous work rate,
direct running and positioning on the right was such an outlet for us all game,
and he was so unlucky to be denied a stonewall penalty too.”
“Sam was immense at the back for us, won
every battle in the air and was always instrumental in the play out from the
back, obviously rising to head home another Tony Brown set piece too, while Dom
took so much pressure off us coming to collect the ball from crosses and
holding well. His save in the last 15 was the best I’ve seen in local football,
wouldn’t be out of place in a professional game, although I didn’t like to tell
him as we’d never get his head out the dressing room door!” joked Herron.
“It should also be mentioned that Greg (Woodburn)
and young Dylan (Handyside) had great second half’s for us too. Greg holding
the ball in tight areas to take the pressure off, and Dylan ratting possession
back when we were under the cosh. The back four of Makin, Danny, Sam and Greg
were outstanding in the last 25 after losing Tom (Macpherson) who was struggling
with a virus all week - they held out under immense pressure. All of the lads
on the pitch in the last 25 put it in for the club, like it was a cup final, I
couldn’t have been prouder that they worked as a unit to hold onto the 1-0 win.
It’s definitely up there as one of the best results for us ever!” he beamed.
“I’m absolutely over the moon - it’s one of
the biggest games in my tenure anyway. It was a stressful watch, mind!”
The boss was also complimentary of the
visitors in what was, surprisingly, their first visit to the Coquet valley in
the long history of both sides, commenting that: “Hexham are like the epitome
of what the First Division is: physical, sharp, organised and solid. Credit to
them, we were in a game from minute 1 to 93, and knew about it. Although we
weren’t at our best, the character to dig in and weather the storm was so
impressive.”
“We maybe didn’t play as much football as
we’d like to, probably testament to Hexham not allowing us to. Although we had
the odd flash of playing out nicely from the back, our cutting edge was
counteracted by great defending from Hexham. The clean sheet was absolutely
massive for us, we’ve been due a one for a while now, and I thought we deserved
it yesterday.”
The gaffer has been updating the record
books and the Reds’ stats since joining the Northern Football Alliance last
season make for impressive reading, and are testimony to the graft put in by
Herron, Macpherson and all the players and staff at the club.
“Since joining the Alliance that’s 51
games, 34 wins, 8 draws and just 9 losses. Not bad for a village out in the
sticks!” he said. Not bad indeed.
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