Rothbury 2 Whitley Bay SC 1
Chris Coe grabbed a last-gasp winner as a threadbare Reds side dug in to claim a win that boss Danny Olson hailed as the ‘best of the season so far.’
Coe raced onto a James Jackson through ball in the dying seconds of stoppage time and kept his cool as he faced down the out-coming keeper and drilled low under him into the net.
Had there been a crowd, it would surely have sparked scenes of pandemonium.
But with just the players and staff there at Armstrong Park, it was more a case of the mad running screams of delight disturbing the crows from their rookery to caa their approval.
Not that it bothered the Rothbury contingent, who were just delighted in the fight that the players had shown to battle out the three points after what has proved a difficult start to the season.
“Finally we put in a performance more than worthy of the 3 points,” said Olson.
“We knew WBSC were going to be strong and organised and they certainly were that. In an evenly fought first half we showed a great deal of commitment and desire from every player. We did get some good padding movement going, we created the better chances and we went in all square but definitely on top,” continued the manager, who was punching the air in delight just five minutes after the break as Coe crossed and Jackson produced the finish to put the Reds ahead.
“For once we started the second half as we had finished it, on the front foot and a great cross from Chris and an equally good finish from James deservedly put us in the lead – but from then on talk about a WBSC onslaught; they threw the proverbial kitchen sink at us hitting the bar a couple of times and forcing a superb save from Jack Halton, their pressure eventually paying off when they drew level.”
Goal hero Coe agreed and said: “I thought first half we matched them we had a few good chances as well to take the lead into half time. Second half we got the goal we probably deserved through Mins, we took our foot off the gas a little bit after the goal and their goal came from a stupid foul from myself near the corner flag, but we kept plugging away.”
With shots thumping of the woodwork, goalmouth scrambles, spectacular saves and last-ditch blocks, it was no real surprise when Chris Conway drew Bay level in the 71st minute.
“We kept going and Chris Coe, who has been on fire in the past few games, scored what we thought was a winning goal only for it to be deemed a foul on the defender - however Chris and Rothbury would have the last laugh with a stoppage time winner. We look forward now to the Minor Cup,” said a relieved gaffer.
“In the last few seconds Mins returned the favour for me by putting me through one on one and that was it, 3 points in the bag. Couldn’t fault anyone today we all played our part. Oh, and that half volley screamer I scored but was disallowed? They will never hear the end of it!” laughed Coe after.
The victory took the Reds up to 8th spot in the table.
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