Billingham Town 1 v 6 Whitley Bay 29/09/09

Apologies for the absence in the last few weeks as sporting commitments and work have prevented us from being able to get to a match. So, we visited Billingham Town to see them take on an inform Whitley Bay for our first match in 3 weeks, Town looking to move up the table and Bay looking to take the top spot in SNL 1. There was a decent crowd to accompany what was to be a more than decent match, even the Town keeper gave us his thoughts as to what the outcome was going to be as he said " should see alot of goals tonight", and he wasn't wrong. It didn't take long for the action to begin and it was Town who created to first chance, the winger cut inside and and hit the shot from 18 yards which would have gone in if it wasn't for the Bay keeper tipping it onto the post. 3 minutes later it was Bay who were on the attack, they managed to win a corner which was played short, no one reacted to it and the Bay player had time to look up and whip the ball in to the back post which was then headed in by the Bay No.6 to give them a 1-0 lead. The action was non stop in favour of Whitley Bay and in the 12th minute they grabbed another, a shot from the edge of the box was going straight into the keepers hands but Bell managed to get a head on it which took it away from him and into the net, 2-0 Whitley. They were non stop and relentless and scored their 3rd in the 14th minute when a again a shot from the right of the box wasn't going in, however Bell was there again to turn it in from the penalty spot to pretty much seal the game even though the majority of the game was left. After that the game seemed to calm down and become even again and the scoreline stayed the same until half time luckily for Town.
The second half brought a change and not one to one of the teams but a change in officials, the referee had injured himself so one of the linesman stepped into the middle meaning that a qualified spectator had to run the line for the second half.
So back to the game and pretty much the same of the first half, Bay pressure and Town dogged defending. For Town it was damage limitation and for Bay it was how well could they increase there goal difference. They did so even more in the 63rd minute when substitute Lee Kerr shot low to the keepers left from the top of the box after a good passing build to give them a 4-0 lead. If Bay kept scoring like they were it would end up like a cricket score, however they seemed like they had taken there foot off the gas but were still pushing forward when they had the chance and made it 5-0 in the 70th minute. The ball was worked down the right hand side, the Bay player ran to the by line and cut the ball back across for Lee Kerr to head in for his second of the game. Town had a few chances to pull a couple of goals back during the game but they didn't have the quality to take the chances and the Bay keeper was also on form making a few good saves. They did grab a late consolation goal in the 88th minute when a ball was crossed in from the right to a man at the back post, he then passed the ball across the 6 yard box for a Town player to finish well. Bay weren't finished yet though as they showed that they were still wanting more goals as a minute later in the 89th minute they made it 6-1 when a cross from the right was headed in just to rub salt in the wounds. The final whistle went to Towns relief and it was back to the training ground for them as a lot of work needs to be done if they are to move away from the relegation zone, Bay on the other hand will see this as a good nights work and a job well done

Stokesley FC 1 v 4 Seaham Red Star 09/09/09

Tonight we made the trip to Stokesley for the first time this season as they took on Seaham Red Star. Both sides were mid table and both on the same amount of points so were looking to push on and start moving there way up the table. From the kick off it was Stokesley who were immediately on the attack as a shot from 25 yards was easily saved, the next few minutes was all Stokesley really however against the run of play Seaham grabbed the opening goal in the 5th minute. A long ball was headed forward by a Seaham player straight into the path of the oncoming striker who then headed home to the keepers right to give them a 1-0 lead early on. For the next 10 minutes of the game Stokesley struggled to get the ball to one another and were'nt keeping there shape, this became even more of a problem when in the 17th minute a Stokesley defender tried to clear but it rebounded straight off a Seaham player and luckily into the path of the forward. He then carried the ball for a few yards, looked up picked his spot and curled it in from 20yards to the keepers left giving Seaham a 2-0 lead and giving Stokesley alot of work to do if they wanted to get back into the game. Just over a minute after the restart Stokesley were deep in trouble as Seaham grabbed their 3rd after a ball was played down the left wing for the winger to chase, the defender than casually went to clear the ball not realising that he had a player chasing him down from behind. The Seaham winger then nicked the ball away from the defender and ran away down the left hand side, he then whipped a good ball into the box. However in the process he was taken out by the defender trying to make up for his mistake but the referee played good advantage and let the play go on, the cross fell to the Seaham striker who had an easy finish to the keepers left giving them a 3-0 lead and what looked like the 3 points. It had to be said that Stokesley didn't look at all organised and they deserved to be 3-0 down, no one seemed to want to take the game to Seaham and at least give them a bit more of a game. They seemed flat and didn't' seem to know how to go about grabbing a goal back, however they did manage it in the 33rd minute from a corner from the left. The initial header was saved well by the keeper, the ball then rebounded around a bit finally falling to a Stokesley player who put the ball in the net making it 3-1 at half time. We then made our way to the tea hut for our usual refreshments and in the process finding out that England were 2-0 up against Croatia via the radio to our pleasant surprise.
Into the second half and it started very much like the first in the sense that Stokesley were pressing and searching for a goal. They were also looking for a way back into the game and although they never managed it they had periods of sustained pressure on the Seaham goal and at least they looked like they were more organised as a team. However it was starting to get frustrating for the Stokesley players and this showed as the yellow card count started to slowly increase, this lead to the manager having to tell his players to step off it a bit and be care full as another yellow card would mean a £150 fine for the club, one they could do without having to pay. Seaham made Stokesley's misery even worse in the 77th minute when a defender tried to clear but played the ball straight into the path of a Seaham player, the resulting through ball fell to the Seaham striker who's initial shot was saved by the keeper. The rebound then fell to the incoming Seaham player who put the ball into an empty net making it 4-1 and game over as far as the result was concerned. Overall a poor night for Stokesley and a performance they will want to quickly forget, however you can't take it away from Seaham that they pounced on the opportunity and made them pay for it, a decent performance and one that they can build on.

Saturday 5th September

No match report today sadly, work and sport commitments. However, there will be a midweek match report from Wednesday Nights Game between Stokesley and Seaham Red Star.
Best of Luck to all teams in the Vase today, hope we get as many NL teams through as possible.

Guisborough Town 1v0 Wakefield FA Cup Preliminary Round Replay 02/09/09

Its all in a name! Well, nearly! Luke Bythway, the near namesake of last season's FA Cup giant killers Blyth, scored after just 15 seconds to send Guisborough Town into the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round.
The minute I arrived at the ground, I knew it was going to be lucky in a sense. Arriving just after the last programme had been sold, I was kindly given the content by the gate man, just to staple together myself! How kind!!
Despite the poor weather, there was still a good atmosphere inside, and as time grew near to kick off and the crowd swelled, the atmosphere got better and better. The contingent of young Wakefield Supporters congregated beneath the standing area in one corner, and as the players made their way out onto the KGV Pitch, they began chanting and psyching the lads up for the challenge ahead.
Now, normally the toss of the coin never matters in football. It is not like cricket where you win the toss, make 500, bowl the other team out twice and win. No, winning the toss in football loses you kick off and allows you to change ends. So, Guisborough lost the toss, and kicked off into the rain. They attempted a cross field ball to the left winger, though this was headed to "safety". Out of the blue, a 25 yard effort looped over the outstretched hand of the keeper and rattled the underside of the bar. With the keeper looking on desperately, Luke Bythway ran in to head into the empty nets from 8 yards. The Guisborough fans were ecstatic. Then, the best moment of it all. One hardcore Guisborough Fan, who will remain nameless (you know who you are!!), walks in 5 seconds later!! GUTTED!
As the rain began to come down harder, the balance of the game was even, both teams creating half chances, but every time the ball ended safely in the keepers palms. A few heavy tackles went in, and a few fouls conceded, but nothing troubled either team for the rest of the half. An off-the-ball incident was the only talking point of the first half. Elbow, Fist, Forearm? Or even a kick out, I don't know. Regardless of what it was, it went unpunished by the referee.
Half time arrived, and as usual we had got to the tea hut just before half time. It was time to sample the Mince Pie this time, and again was not disappointed, though the pastry was a touch on the dry side. I can't complain however!!
We took up our spots again in the second half opposite the main stand. The rain was now even heavier, virtually horizontal! We had contemplated going to stand behind a goal, but decided against it.
And then ATG realised people read this blog! A very nice chap came over and began talking, and asked about ATG. It is nice to hear that people do read this blog, and enjoy reading it. It gives us a sense of happiness to know that it is appreciated, especially when people come and tell you, face-to-face. Following the brief discussion about the site, we went on to talk about all things Northern League. Some of the things we discussed were very interesting, such as the Durham City situation, various Northern League Grounds and the new teams in the league. I am thoroughly looking forward to my first visit of the season to Stokesley.
The second half provided no real excitement. Wakefield had most of the possession and chance, winning many corners, but could not turn possession into chances. More mistimed lunges went in, with lack of punishment. More off-the-ball shenanigans went on, and as time went on, things looked less likely to happen for Wakefield. Guisborough had a chance late on to secure the match, with a sweetly struck right foot effort destined for the back of the net, only to be denied by a superb save.
With just minutes left, some Wakefield fans began to head for the gate. And to the delight of the Guisborough and general Northern League Following, the referee blew up for full-time.
A joyous crowd stood by the players changing rooms to cheer the Guisborough Lads off. A nice £1,500 prize money for the club, but most importantly an visit to Kendal in the next round.
Congratulations to Guisborough, and Good Luck on the 12th!!

Sadly, no pictures tonight due to lack of camera!!