NO DISGRACE IN DEFEAT AS REDS GO DOWN TO SPARTANS RESERVES




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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