Rothbury 2 Blyth Spartans Reserves 5
Northern Football
Alliance Division One
Despite what the statistics books will record as a heavy
home defeat, the hardy fans who braved the cold and brief flurries of snow at
Armstrong Park had a few reasons to remain optimistic.
Kyle Smith made an albeit ring-rusty long awaited return
from the treatment table to take the captain’s armband, the development of the
young players in the side continued, and some of the football played by the
Reds was first class.
With the silver-kitted Croft Park second-string handing
starts to Jordan Summerly, Anthony Callaghan and Lewis Horner from Spartans’ National
League North team, the visitor’s talented mix of youth and experience were
always going to prove a handful.
However, the Coquetdale outfit enjoyed some good spells as
they moved the ball around well, particularly in the second half, and but for
some unlucky breaks and top-class finishing at the other end will feel that on
another day the performance may have merited more.
Boss Dan Herron felt that his team gave another good account
of themselves and that luck just wasn’t on their side as they went down to a
fifth straight League loss.
“If you took the passing play in the game I think we played the
better actual football, but we say this week in and week out, and need results,”
he said.
“The last two games we’ve had positives to take from them
but really don’t want to make losing a habit. If we keep playing the way we
are, I’m sure we’ll get results.”
Harry Felton got in behind early on and drove over a
dangerous cross from the touchline that fizzed across the box with nobody able
to get a decisive touch.
Despite that promising start, Rothbury were dealt a blow as
Summerly showed his pedigree. He cut inside onto his left foot on the right
edge of the box and slalomed beyond three challenges before firing in a shot down
the middle that deflected off the lunging Thomas Hammond and beyond sprawling
keeper Paul Appleby for the opener in the 8th minute.
The quick-thinking James Jackson, playing on the right side
of a back three, almost grabbed what would have been a sensational leveller
soon after when he was first to a sliced clearance from the Spartans keeper
and, spotting him off his line, went for the spectacular but was just off
target under pressure.
Dylan Handyside then just didn’t get hold of a drive cleanly
enough after a nice passing move around the box and when Gareth McCann nipped
in to rob a loose back-pass, his roll back to Tony Brown saw a block take the
sting out of the midfielder’s hit and the keeper smothered.
It was a very positive response from the Coquetdalers and
they were rewarded in the 32nd minute as Chrissy Coe got himself
beyond his marker into the box and squared intelligently for in-rushing strike
partner McCann to tuck away from close range.
The joy lasted around a minute. Spartans were awarded a free
kick some distance from goal which was rattled against the crossbar and after
the first rebound was blocked, Louis Hodgson tapped into the empty net.
Rothbury went further behind just three minutes before the
interval as a long ball over the top was too high for the injured Hammond to
leap for and the unmarked Richie Clark took one touch to take it down and a
second to dispatch it smartly low into the bottom corner.
“I thought the goals we conceded in the first half were
unlucky and very scrappy,” said Herron.
“But we played some really good passing stuff at times - played
really well through the thirds. Both of our goals were really good passing
moves, consisting of 8-10 passes and using the wide areas really well. Chrissy
Coes crossing was phenomenal and he deserved both assists.”
Despite the score-line, the Reds came back onto the pitch
re-energised after the break. The influential Brown began dictating the play as
he probed and prodded with passes, ably assited by sub Ben Proudlock, and the
runs of Coe and McCann in behind forced the visitors onto the back foot.
The two strikers almost combined again with Coe drilling
over from the right and McCann’s clever back-heeled effort under pressure from
two in-sliding defenders and the keeper was inches wide.
But the Spartans always looked dangerous on the counter-attack
and when a passing move from one side of the field to the other came back in to
Liam Shanley, who had started it, he picked his spot from 25 yards and flighted
a beauty into the top corner in the 58th minute.
Rothbury’s one and two-touch passing play, interchange and
movement again paid dividends ten minutes later when Coe crossed from the right
and Greg Woodburn guided a left footed volley inside the near post with his
instep. It was just reward for a good spell of pressure from the Coquetdalers
and at this point there was some belief that they could still salvage something
from the game.
Their hopes were dashed, however, with 8 minutes to go.
Callaghan drove into the box and when his initial shot was blocked, he stretched
to volley the rebound over Appleby into the roof of the net.
“I thought Tony Brown and Gareth McCann had really good
games; Greg Woodburn also showed glimpses of real quality too. In fairness, Ben
Proudlock changed our play in the second half, just doing the basics really
well,” said Herron.
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