SHILDON v BEDLINGTON TERRIERS

FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round - 6 August 2016

The FA Cup starts early this year providing the first competitive game of the season for these Northern league teams. The weather is more suited to the just started Rio Olympics or the in-progress third test match between England & Pakistan, but the modest assembly of fans (not quite a crowd) are happy to turn up at Dean Street in shirt sleeves and sunglasses for once.

Shildon, last season’s Division 1 champions, are playing Bedlington Terriers, who finished bottom of that league; the home team should win, but as this is the FA Cup – “anything could happen”.

And it sort of does: After three minutes of Shildon possession and pressing Bedlington break up field and a precise but fairly obvious pass puts Marcus Brown through on an inside right channel and he slots home with commendable composure to give his team a surprise lead. In fact Brown and strike partner Jonathan Wright look a dangerous combination and create another chance that Shildon keeper Liversedge blocks at close range. When the corner is headed over by an unchallenged Terrier there are heated debates in the home defence.

Possibly adopting attack as the best form of defence, Shildon centre half Dan Groves presses forward and tiptoes through a few tackles outside the Bedlington box before being eased off the ball, unfairly in the view of the referee. It is worth a booking and a free kick. Lewis Wing takes the latter and calmly steers his shot past the wall and into the bottom corner of the goal. At fifteen minutes the equaliser has taken a while but has rewarded patience and application.

Bedlington still pose a threat but the skilful Brown shows another side to his game with a reckless high tackle on Sam Hodgson that earns him an undisputed red card. His teammates are unimpressed, no doubt thinking it’s a warm day to play over an hour with just ten men.

Inevitably Shildon take control. Winger David Ferguson cuts in from the right, exchanges a one-two on the edge of the box and shoots left-footed against the foot of the post; Hodgson next comes close with a volley over the bar; then good work from Anthony Bell takes out the keeper and gives Lewis Dodds an opportunity, but his attempt is blocked by a defender. Minutes later another firmly hit Shildon shot is again blocked, heroically by two defenders, but the rebound is collected by Hodgson whose own shot is also blocked, but this time the deflection loops up and over the helpless Bedlington keeper and into the net.

The goal has come just before half time and enables the home team to go in deservedly ahead.

They come out meaning business; Wing in particular seems keen to shoot and forces a couple of excellent one-handed saves from Bedlington keeper Dan Mullen. As the hour mark approaches the 2-1 lead means the visitors are not out of it; their shout for a penalty, albeit optimistic, illustrates Shildon’s need for another goal.

For Shildon, Ferguson’s speed down the flanks promises much, and when he is fouled on the right hand edge of the penalty area it is he who lines up the free kick. He takes on the difficult angle with a viciously struck left foot shot that hits the near post and bar before nestling in the back of the net. Two minutes later Ferguson pops up on the left and again uses his pace to get clear; this time unimpeded, he nets his second goal.

At 4-1 Shildon are now comfortable, and it only takes a further minute for Ferguson to contribute further, this time he feeds substitute Ben Wood who gobbles up the chance. Shildon are now past confortable – they are in pipe and slippers territory. It gets worse for Bedlington as keeper Mullen sticks out a lazy leg and upends an attacker; Ferguson takes the opportunity from the spot to complete his hat trick with Shildon’s fourth goal in six minutes.

At 6-1 Shildon more or less declare; the heat and early season legs, along with the game being done an dusted means the pace goes out of the game, although Wood has a couple of rangefinders that whistle past first one post, and then the other.

In the end it did turn out easy for Shildon; Bedlington hampered by the dismissal of Brown go out of the cup at the first hurdle while their hosts will go on with some confidence.