BILLINGHAM
SYNTHONIA V GUISBOROUGH TOWN
Central Avenue is the venue for this tie
between teams well used to facing each other in the Northern League. Synthonia
are in form with some good recent wins; Guisborough are not faring so well in
the league but have had a good FA Cup run up to the third qualifying round,
losing to Workington only last week. Both teams can have realistic hopes of
progressing deep into the later rounds of the Vase so stakes today are high.
Early rain has cleared to leave the day
cloudy but mild with just enough breeze to ruffle the corner flags, green and
white echoing the home teams quartered shirts; there’s no clash with the
visitor’s normal red and white stripes but they have chosen to wear their away
strip of blue with white trim.
Billingham kick off but in a cagey start it’s
Guisborough who have the early strikes at goal with long range efforts from
Martin and Gell that fly harmlessly high and wide. Synthonia respond in kind
with full back Alderson getting forward, his shot is on target but thumps into
the keeper’s chest.
Synthonia begin to get the better of the
play. Centre back Burton is influential in getting the ball forward quickly and
after 15 minutes feeds Sweet down the left; although he crosses slightly behind
Porritt, the forward executes a clever flick to control the ball, create space and
shoot. It’s from a narrow angle and keeper Escritt is able to block the effort.
He’s back in action moments later saving a first time shot from Sweet.
Burton’s fellow centre back Bott also likes
galloping forward and gets right to the bye-line to make a centre. When Escritt
fields it and bowls it out Synthonia are short at the back giving centre
forward Roberts rare space to shoot, but he finds only the side netting. His
further attempts to get clear are mostly frustrated by the offside flag.
Most action continues to be in the
Guisborough half: full back Alderson gets forward to glance a header just wide;
and then the ball is crossed from right to left and back again with Sweet at full
stretch just failing to make contact with his head. The visitors do get up the
other end before half time and gain a free kick out on the left. It is curled
into the six yard box and keeper Briggs is finally needed as he punches clear.
Goalless at half time and the baby in the
pram parked in front of the stand seats has unsurprisingly slept through it all.
It’s remained cagey and desperately in need of a goal to ignite urgency into
the play. Guisborough’s Marron, Gell and Martin have combined neatly in
midfield but can’t get behind the Synthonia back line. Billingham look the more
likely to score, with both full backs overlapping and the central defenders
pushing forward; also they have had shots on target, warming Escritt’s hands, whereas
Briggs has rarely been called into action.
The sun comes out with the teams for the
second half, low and into Escritt’s eyes to make his job harder, but it is his
opposite number Briggs who has to make the first save of the half, parrying
then gathering Johnson’s shot from range.
Ten minutes into the half a Synthonia corner
induces a scramble in the box, leading to a weak penalty shout as man goes down
and a shot deflected for a corner; this is punched clear by Escritt and the
whole spell almost constitutes excitement. There’s excitement of a different nature
minutes later when a long ball out of the Guisborough defence gives Johnson a
chance to nick it past Bott on the half way line and run onto goal; he does the
first part well but finds he can’t do the second due to Bott scything his legs
from under him. A yellow card for the Synthonia centre half – one taken for the
team.
More action ensues as Synthonia’s Sweet
intercepts on half way and gives Porritt a long run in on goal. Keeper Escritt
gets something on the shot and a defender prevents it bobbling into the goal at
the expense of a corner.
At the midpoint some substitutions are made
with Onions coming on to add a bit of height to the Guisborough attack and
Clarke coming on to add a bit of beef to the Synthonia midfield. Maybe it is
this ballast that encourages Synthonia’s Hughes to push a bit further forward
and try his luck from distance. His fierce shot is saved by Escritt but the
ball rebounds to Sweet whose first time strike, from a bit of an angle, does
justice to his name and flies past the grounded keeper and into the net.
Can Guisborough up their game and come back?
An early attempt is snuffed out when Roberts is tackled hard and late by Clarke;
the referee decides it’s a red card and Clarke departs after an 11 minute
cameo.
Now against ten men the visitors have a real
chance to press the game yet fail to do so keeping their back four intact and
still with only two up front. When Onions receives the ball in the box he holds
it up well but can find no teammate to lay it off to. Eventually Burton, who
has caught the eye throughout, tidies up as usual.
As forty-five minutes ticks past, a cross
from the right finds Onions in the clear, but he is flagged offside as he sweeps
the ball into the net. With three minutes to add there is still chance to force
extra time as nervous defending leads to free kicks deep in the Billingham
half.
One from the left tempts Briggs from his
line but he’s nowhere near and is relieved to see the ball come off a Guisborough
head and go over the bar. Undeterred he goes again for the next free kick from a
similar spot and this time fists it well clear; before the ball comes back to
ground the full time whistle goes.
The 1-0 home win for Billingham is not
convincing but not undeserved. Two quality strikes created and finished off the
goal, and they defended well, particularly Burton who was my man of the match.
Guisborough Town lacked width and belief even when against ten men, and disappointingly
have now exited both national cup competitions in successive weeks.
Billingham Synthonia have negotiated a
tricky tie and go on, but they will need to play better than this to make any
real impact at the business end of the FA Vase.
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