STOCKTON TOWN v STOURPORT SWIFTS

FA Vase 5^th Round

Down to the last sixteen in the Vase so it is serious stuff; Stockton Town’s biggest ever game, for the third round running, and again they have home field (or plastic pitch) advantage.  The opposition today are from the Midland Premier League in the shape of Stourport Swifts who interestingly claim to be the oldest football club in the country (founded 1882).

It is a grey day weather-wise with early rain petering out; cool but with little wind to affect the play. The crowd is sufficient to warrant the noun and by kick off every bit of the perimeter fence is occupied.  The visiting support is not so many as came from Liverpool two rounds previous but it is vocal enough to make itself heard.  Their team is in dark blue shirts and black shorts, while Stockton wear familiar yellow and blue.

The game starts at a high pace.  Stourport put a free kick into the box and win two headers before the Town keeper gathers.  Stockton reply with a corner, but from it Stourport break quickly and again Liam Jordan has to intervene with a palm over the bar.  His counterpart in the Stourport goal soon has to make a save too, low down as Jamie Owens gets his head to a Stockton corner.

This heralds a spell of sustained pressure from the home side, but the visitors hold firm. There are good contests all over the pitch but that between Stourport’s skilful right winger, Dan Sweeney, and the Stockton left back James Ward looks critical.  Ward has coped well so far but with ten minutes to half time Sweeney makes progress infield and smacks a dipping shot goalwards.  Jordan dives to his left and pulls off a great save.

By now it is Stourport who are finishing the half stronger but in added time Stockton put together a good move down the left.  Owens plays a neat one two in the box then dinks the ball from a narrow angle over the advancing keeper.  It’s probably not going in but teammate Kevin Hayes is in position to sidefoot it home for a late mood-changer of a goal.  There is only time to restart before the referee blows for half time.

Stourport do not seem fazed by the deficit, starting the second half full of intent and getting the ball forward quicker.  Twice Sweeney uses his pace to get past Ward, reach the by-line and cross dangerously but without consequence.  The Stockton manager responds quickly, hooking off Ward and moving his speedier left winger James Risborough back to take over defensive duties.

Risborough better matches Sweeney’s pace and mainly keeps him quiet, once at the expense of a free kick on the edge of the box that leads to an attacking header that needs saving.  Stourport pressing gives Stockton room to work up front and a break down the right produces a cross to the far post where Chris Stockton (who came on for Ward and took over Risborough’s attacking role) shoots into the side netting.

With the game entering the last quarter hour Stockton, the player, pops up again but more centrally this time and drives in a fierce shot.  Keeper Dominic Richards parries it but the ball comes straight out to Owens who drills it past the prone keeper into the net.

Now they are two down, the Swifts press forward with more desperation.  Captain Alex Perry has a chance but shoots wide.  Meanwhile the Stockton forwards are making hay in the space allowed, nearly forcing an own goal then narrowly missing from a free kick.  Good work from Hayes down the right releases Fred Woodhouse down the inside right channel; he draws out the keeper before squaring to Owens for a tap in.  Three nil with less than ten minutes to go.

Stourport have a brief flurry with shots from Perry and Nick McPherson, one blocked and the other saved, but in their hearts they know it is futile.  In the final few minutes it looks most likely that Stockton Town will add more; twice goal line clearances are needed and a long range shot goes wide.

The game ends with a Stourport Swifts corner, but no joy for the visitors.  That is reserved for Stockton Town who go on to the heady heights of a last eight match-up.

MIDDLESBROUGH v BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION

FA Cup 4th Round 

It’s been a while on a few fronts. Snow, rain, ice and a tropical holiday has meant the best part of two months since the last reported game and it is also a few seasons since A Good Cup Run has graced either the fourth round of the FA Cup or Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium.

So it is good to be here, even on a grey but not unpleasant afternoon to see what could be an interesting match-up with a Tony Pulis reinvigorated Boro against Premiership strugglers Brighton.  Of course much depends on the attitude of the clubs and managers, but with both of the latter British there is hope they will respect the competition.  The fact the announced teams include a lot of low numbers bodes well.

Boro start the liveliest without causing any alarm but by the twenty minute mark Brighton have settled and the game is developing a pattern.  It is not an open one. Whenever Boro lose possession they fall back into a back four and a not quite so back five with little room between.  Brighton then pass the ball about in their own half for a while, unmolested, before they try a probe forward here and there, generally without consequence.

The only bright spark on the pitch is Boro’s Adama Traore whose instant control, quick feet and lightning pace several times take him past the one or often two players marking him to create potential danger in the Brighton box.  Though nothing comes directly from his efforts he does win a corner that centre half Daniel Ayala gets a stumbling header to, but it is straight at the keeper.  Boro’s next attempt also comes from a set piece; Ryan Shotton’s long throws had been falling short but this one eventually finds its way to Patrick Bamford.  His back is to goal but the ball is sufficiently high for him to execute a bicycle kick that is just too high to trouble the keeper.

Brighton are offering little in attack but late in the half they find themselves overcommitted for once.  Boro win back possession and send Traore away down the inside right channel.  His pace takes him clear of his marker and before a covering defender can interfere he has unleashed a fine twenty-five yard shot.  It is on target but Brighton keeper Tim Krul gets a fingertip to the ball to divert it onto the post and away to safety. No score at half time but Boro ahead on points.

Brighton come out for the second half out looking more interested and begin to control matters, manager Chris Hughton presumably having explained the role that goal posts play in the game.  Ten minutes into the half their first shot on goal comes in from the left.  It is well struck but straight at keeper Darren Randolph, who makes a meal of gathering it, instead fumbling and presenting the inrushing Jiri Skalak with the chance to knock in the rebound.  However Randolph’s reaction is positive and he not only blocks Skalak’s effort but takes out the forward as well.  Both require treatment but while Randolph continues, Skalak is substituted.

The man coming on is Jose Izquierdo, who from the left wing proceeds to have as good a game in this half as Traore had in the first.  Traore himself is now less effective, shunted to the left wing to accommodate Pulis’s own substitutions that bring on the experienced Stuart Downing and Britt Assombalonga.

The game loosens up as the prospect of a draw and the dreaded replay become increasingly likely.  Still Boro’s only chances come from set plays.  A free kick from the latest foul on Traore produces an Ayala flick on and a Ben Gibson header at the far post that goes wide.  At the other end Izquierdo fires over.

On ninety minutes Izquierdo again poses danger on the left and curls a tempting cross into the six yard box.  Defender George Friend is first to the ball but Brighton substitute Glenn Murray is not far behind.  Friend’s clearance hits Murray on the knee and from that close in Randolph can do nothing to keep the ball out of the net.  It is a freak goal and a likely winner.

In the four added minutes Boro charge forward and get one last chance with a free kick on the edge of the box.  It is well hit but the wall of defenders does its job and deflects the shot for a corner that itself comes to nought.

So the dreaded replay is avoided.  Boro didn’t deserve to lose, but didn’t really do enough to win either.  They will continue their Championship slog without further distraction.  Brighton must continue their efforts on two fronts in the knowledge that, on this evidence, neither are likely to end in success.

STOCKTON TOWN v CITY OF LIVERPOOL

FA Vase 3^rd Round 

Snow is still lying on most grounds in the North East but the 3G pitch at Bishopton Road West was made for days like these and this third round Vase tie was never in danger. This far into the competition is new territory for the hosts who have stabilised in the Northern League Division 1 after a shaky start following promotion and will look to make the customary progress for members of that league.

Everything is new territory for the visitors as this is only their second ever season, waltzing through step six last season to reach the North West Counties Premier Division. Judging from the size of the travelling support, the team clearly has filled a non-league void on Merseyside. The fans clad in purple (a mix of red and blue that is surely not coincidental) bring a good natured passion along with klaxon horns, a loudhailer, and even a rattle. One banner sums up their approach, claiming the club is “a failed AA meeting disguised as a football club”.

But it is Stockton who start best forcing two early corners, one resulting from a fierce drive from Kevin Hayes that is just tipped over by keeper Graeme McCall. Liverpool survive the onslaught and settle to achieve an even share of the game.

However on twenty minutes the tricky Hayes exchanges passes with centre forward Fred Woodhouse and when the latter sends in a low angled drive, keeper McCall lets the ball squirm under his body and into the net.

Liverpool respond well to going behind, playing neatly through midfield but failing to get the better of the Stockton defence, meaning home keeper Michael Arthur rarely needs to do more than catch the odd cross. It is his opposite number who is worked next, diving to a bottom corner to turn away a Max Craggs free kick. Up front for Liverpool Elliot Nevitt is busy and has a good effort charged down; the rebound goes to John McGrath who spurns the chance.

There has been a good ebb and flow to the first half with each teams having periods of ascendancy. Liverpool have edged possession and territory but Stockton have looked the more likely to score.

From the restart Liverpool up the intensity, and go slightly more direct. Chances come quickly: Nevitt wins a chase for a through ball but slices the shot; McGrath has a shot saved; centre half Daniel Dalton, up for a corner heads just wide; and another corner is headed wide by Nevitt. Stockton weather the storm and eventually the chances start to dry up. Woodhouse even makes the best of his limited opportunities up front to fire in a shot straight at McCall.

Substitutes come and go as Liverpool increase the numbers up front. A snap shot by John Connolly is deflected over and a chance in the box is scuffed wide by Jack Hazelhurst. By the end Dalton has moved up front and even keeper McCall comes up for a corner. Amid the stoic defending Chris Stockton breaks out for his namesake team and smacks a drive against the Liverpool post.

A late knock to the Stockton keeper’s head ensures the last few minutes extend to rack up the tension, but Stockton hold out and, thanks largely to their defenders’ quality and their opponents erratic finishing.

Even newer territory now awaits Stockton in the last thirty-two when the competition goes national. City of Liverpool return to Merseyside with respect and no doubt they will feature in later rounds in years to come.

GATESHEAD v CHELMSFORD CITY

FA Cup 1st Round

Round one in the FA Cup usually requires doing a bit of mileage, so not for the first time A Good Cup Run heads to the International Stadium for what has become an annual visit. Today Gateshead of the National League entertain Chelmsford City, one step down in the pyramid, but doing well in, the National League South.

It is bright and sunny, but cool, particularly in the home grandstand facing north. The visiting fans, a hundred or so, at least get the last of the late afternoon sun but balance that benefit of warmth against having to squint a bit at the action. There cannot be another non-league ground where fans are so segregated, separated not only by the width of the pitch but also sixteen lanes of running track, two jumping pits (long jump and pole vault), as well as about forty rows of unoccupied seats with both sets of fans preferring to watch from on high.

After an early half chance at each end the game settles to a cagey twenty minute period with Gateshead edging possession but with little outcome. Then they execute a short corner routine that gives midfielder Russell Penn a shooting chance; keeper Samuel Beasant (Dave’s son) parries and centre half Neill Byrne hooks the loose ball over the bar from close in.

There then follows a sustained spell of Chelmsford pressure that Gateshead survive well. Not only that but when they do emerge up field a quick free kick gives winger Wes York space to cross and find the head of Jordan Burrow; the striker plants a neat header in at the near post to give the home team a lead on the half hour.

Chelmsford continue to concede needless free kicks in their own half and from one of these Penn overlaps the defensive wall, receives the ball unchallenged and passes infield to Danny Johnson. He controls the ball, swivels and drives a fine shot in off the far post. Two up Gateshead look comfortable, and it’s nearly three when Paddy McLaughlin fires in a shot from range that needs a good save to push it round the post.

It is hard on half time before Chelmsford really threaten. Chris Dickson is put through on goal but chooses to shoot early and, as it turns out, well wide.

The visitors up their tempo in the second half and get the first strike on goal when centre half Michael Spillaine, up for a corner, screws a shot across the six yard box to which no colleague can apply the finishing touch. Chelmsford’s potential potency increases further when substitute Shaun Batt comes on to add his experience and height to the cause. He immediately connects with a header in the box and later strikes an angled drive but neither pay dividends.

Time is progressing and Gateshead seem content to fall back and defend, which they do confidently and effectively. One scare occurs when a free kick is curled dangerously into the box and keeper James Montgomery uncertainly shuffles it round the post for a corner. He makes up for that by calmly claiming the corner kick under pressure.

It is well into the final ten minutes before Gateshead show anything more in attack, but then it is a quality inter-passing move down the right that frees Johnson to run into the box and shoot. The net ripples, but only on the outside.

Chelmsford never give up and with two minutes to go full back Craig Barrett strikes a free kick that requires Montgomery to alertly palm past the post. The corner amounts to nothing, and neither does anything else as Gateshead see the game out.

So The Heed are into the next round and subject to the draw there may need to be a second visit to the International Stadium this year.

WHITBY TOWN v MARINE

FA Trophy 1^st Qualifying Round

Visits to Whitby’s Turnbull Ground need to be carefully timed. Too early in the season risks getting snarled up in tripper traffic; too late and the dark drive over the moor top road can often involve rain, fog or snow. The end of October is ideal, bright and breezy today and the only trippers in town (other than Marine) are the Goths for one of their regular weekends.

Marine are no strangers, playing in the same Northern Premier League Premier Division; and having lost 3-2 here a month ago another tight game is expected. For Northern League regulars there are familiar faces in the Whitby team as manager Chris Hardy is keeping faith with the core of  his ex-Guisborough team he brought with him a year ago; also here now is John Campbell who has scored for a few, and against most, clubs in the North East.

The wind is getting up as the teams line up, Whitby in blue and Marine in amber and black. And the conditions may have played a part in an early error by Whitby centre half Niall McGoldrick, whose headed attempt to deal with a simple long ball is neither a decisive clearance nor a glance back to the keeper. Marine centre forward Danny Mitchley latches onto the loose ball, easily rounds the exposed keeper and slots the ball home for a three minute lead.

Whitby are unsettled by the poor start and for a while Marine look like adding more. But eventually the home team settles as midfield general Steve Snaith takes control. There are signs of hope for the home fans as John Campbell battles through two tackles but then fails to test visiting keeper Martin Fearon ; then a corner from the right sees Fearon flap ineffectively but escape punishment.

As half time nears, Whitby right back Connor Smith, not for the first time, makes good progress down the right and this time his angled pull back from the bye line finds left back Danny McWilliams lurking on the edge of the box. His right foot sweeping shot is goal bound and a slight deflection ensures Fearon has no chance of preventing the net bulging.

Other than the two goals it’s been competitive rather than entertaining, though one throw-in caused some merriment. Awarded to Whitby, one player retrieved the ball over the touchline and lobbed it underarm to a team mate still on the pitch who, instead of catching it and taking a legitimate throw, cushioned it on the thigh, turned and sprayed a pass forward to the indignation of the Marine players and bench. Where the referee and assistants were looking is a mystery.

From the start of the second half it is clear the breeze has freshened into a bit of a gale, and it is into Whitby’s face. The home team struggle to get the ball forward and most play settles in their own half. A Marine free kick from the left curls into the box and home keeper Daniel Dixon comes to collect, but is beaten to the ball by one of the attacking Mariners. He does connect with one or another of them but penalty shouts are waved aside and the header goes wide for a double escape.

Ten minutes later the Marine put in another free kick, this one from the right, and this time Dixon’s collision with George Lomax is harder to excuse and the referee, after waiting in vain for any advantage to accrue, awards the spot kick. Mitchley steps up and converts with ease.

Whitby try to increase the tempo but fail to create any rhythm or penetration, and soon are pinned back again. From nothing Marine right back Peter Wylie makes a darting run through a static defence and hits a shot that beats Dixon and rolls into the goal off the far post.

Still fifteen minutes left, and now 3-1 down, Whitby substitute the two strikers who’ve had no joy with the Marine defence. One of the newcomers, James Risborough gets an early chance but side foots a shot straight at the keeper’s legs from six yards out.

After that, other than a Whitby header from a corner that is blocked on the line, the game drifts to its natural conclusion – Marine progressing and Whitby Town out of the Trophy for this year.

RYHOPE C W v HARROGATE R A

FA Vase 1^st Round - 21 October 2017

The early Vase rounds give an opportunity to visit pastures new, and see unfamiliar teams, such as today with a trip to the Sunderland suburbs to see an inter-league, step five clash with Ryhope Colliery Welfare of the Northern League playing Harrogate Railway Athletic of the Northern Counties East. Both teams carry an industrial heritage in their names, though in both cases the underlying business has disappeared from the locality.

The ground is adjacent to the cricket pitch in the Recreation Park; easy to find and easy to park on the man road just outside. The welcome on the gate is warm and a fiver gains entry (for an old ‘un) and a programme. The pitch is well grassed with an unusually generous amount of land surrounding it. Opportunities for cover are limited – some seats behind one goal and a bit of a lean-to near the team benches on the half way line. Refreshments are plentiful though and the smell of chips is hard to resist as a cup of tea is procured.

A sunny start to the day has become blustery and rain threatens as Ryhope, in their variation on Sunderland stripes and Harrogate in all blue, emerge from the dressing rooms. The kick-off is on time despite a reported problem with the RA team bus not turning up and the players having to drive north.

After twelve minutes in which CW dominate, home full back Davey Gordon overlaps on the left, gains the by-line and tries to cross; a defender’s attempt to block at close range is successful but only due to an outstretched arm. The penalty is given by the referee and is duly despatched by captain Kyle Davis.

From then on the RA goal is under continuous pressure, and survives intact more through luck than steady defending. As the half hour approaches Davis finds colleague James Ellis is space in a crowded box, and the winger fires a cross shot into the net. Three minutes later Ellis shoots again, this time from a more central position, with the same result. Five minutes later the influential Davis beats the offside flag (if not the trap) on the right wing and his centre is dinked past the RA keeper by centre forward Josh Holme-Jackson for the fourth goal of the half.

Harrogate have proved lightweight up front for most of the half but with the interval imminent the right back battles forward into the box and his cross eventually bounces out to Albert Ibrahimi whose volley finds the back of the net. Whether a consolation or the start of a fight back only the second half will tell.

Within four minutes of the restart we get a clue when Holme-Jackson takes advantage of a poor RA back line and the benefit of the doubt from the linesman to race through and slot in number five. Confirmation of CW’s unassailability this afternoon follows shortly when Davis provides another assist, this time giving Ellis a tap in at the far post to complete his personal hat trick.

At 6 -1 Ryhope make a triple substitution, which gives Harrogate some respite for about fifteen minutes; although in this period they stem the tide only due a couple of desperate goal line clearances.

Eventually though Ryhope strike again when a high cross comes into the RA box. The two defenders and goalkeeper dither while Holme-Jackson simply nods the ball over the line from a few yards out. That’s his hat trick, and he adds another when Davis pinpoints a cross onto his stooping head.

The crowd (if fifty or so souls count as such) are debating how many that is (it’s eight); but as soon as they get near agreement another is scored. This time it is left back Davey Gordon who fires in from an overlapping position the left wing; barely has that registered when his oppo at right back hits a cross that drifts over the by now shell-shocked keeper and in off the far post.

That is finally it for Ryhope CW; a 10 – 1 win. Somewhere amidst the avalanche of Ryhope second half goals Harrogate did nearly score in a goalmouth scramble in which the ball was cleared off the Ryhope line three times, the final time by one of their own players, which sort of summed up their day.

Bedraggled by the now steady rain, beaten out of sight, and without even a bus ride home, Harrogate RA are well and truly out of the Vase. Ryhope CW will look forward to the second round draw but will not get an easier tie than this turned out to be. 

GUISELEY v SHILDON

FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round

The fourth qualifying round is a rarefied level for the likes of Northern League Shildon, a final hurdle before the first round proper, last reached by a team from that league in 2003 – by Shildon themselves. But opposition is stiff in the guise, so to speak, of Guiseley of the National League, four steps up.

The event warrants a rail trip via Leeds to the Yorkshire town and with the trains behaving well A Good Cup Run arrives in very good time, over an hour before kick-off. Time then to stroll up past Nethermoor Park to the White Cross Inn for an excellent hand-pulled glass of Hobgoblin, all the more welcome as the weather, though overcast, is unseasonably warm.

Refreshed, £10 gains entry to the ground and another £3 goes on the programme; pricey, but it is a glossy 56 page edition and showing it to an itinerant official entitles the holder to a free team sheet. With the sun now shining the pitch, well grassed and level, looks excellent; and the ground is tidy and well organised. In addition to a sizeable grandstand along most of one touchline there is covered standing opposite, and all around there are three or four steps of terracing enabling everyone to have a good view. Plenty of Shildon fans have made the trip and the attendance is later announced as nearly 800.

Apart from an early Shildon free kick that comes to nought, the action for the rest of the first half hour is firmly in the visitor’s half. At every opportunity Guiseley launch the ball high in a route one attack that gives the two big lads up front, Mike Fondop and Olukayode Odejaye every chance to use their height and strength against the Shildon centre halves. The tactic is supplemented by long throws from Darren Holden. How well the Shildon defensive pairing of veteran Kyle May and teenager Dominic Curl cope with the onslaught could decide the match.

That first half hour passes with a few alarms but without Shildon conceding; and getting some confidence from that, a rare attack provides Lewis Dodds with a chance from eight yards out. As he shoots keeper Jonathan Maxted is already at his feet to deflect the attempt wide for a corner.

The pattern of aerial bombardment continues to half time, still with no outcomes, relieved by the occasional Shildon break that produces nothing more than a scuffed shot wide from Adam Burnicle.

Guiseley start the second half in less frantic mode and when possession is turned over well forward on the right, the Shildon defence is caught out by a dribble and low cross that finds Fondop unmarked at the far post and free to tap home. Only minutes later another Shildon defender is pressured into giving up the ball deep and this time a square pass to Andrew Haworth enables him to run in and lift the ball calmly over the advancing Shildon keeper into the net.

The Shildon ship needs stabilising but Guiseley’s tails are up now. A through ball leads to a wrestling match between May and Fondop; May’s desperate efforts result in him hauling down Fondop at the cost of a penalty and (somewhat harshly, given the penalty award) a red card. John Rooney smashes in the spot kick and at three nil with only ten opponents on the pitch, Guiseley are home and dry.

For the remaining half hour of the game Shildon actually knock the ball about quite well, maybe because Guiseley are cruising, but once in their opponents’ half they never show any penetration. Guiseley play with the freedom the lead and man advantage allows and score at ten minute intervals. William Hatfield pokes one in during a goal mouth scramble; the same player takes advantage of a defensive slip in the box to slot in another; then just before the end Fondap gets the better of Curl on the edge of the box and hooks the best goal of the day into the top corner.

It has turned into the classic game of two halves and while Shildon can take honour from the first, prompting a precautionary announcement of the potential replay arrangements, Guiseley emphasised their status in the second and it is the National League team that will go into that coveted first round proper.