Northern
League Division 1 - 13 August 2016
A visit to Darlington Road (current
sponsored name: Wanted Metal Recycling Stadium) in West Auckland is best
undertaken early in the season when at least the wind off the North Pennines can
be temperate. The breeze is stiff today, but warm on a sunny day, and the ground
is bright too with the close-season whitewash dazzling on the pitch-side walls
and the lines similarly clear and crisp the on the well grassed playing surface.
The home team are wearing their traditional yellow
(or is it amber) and black; the visitors’ kit of green and white hoops appropriately
reflects their name. It is my first sight of West Allotment while West Auckland
are often on my itinerary; but as ever the the non -league turnover of players
means there are a lot of unfamiliar faces or familiar players in unfamiliar
shirts.
West Auckland start brightly, ‘Speedy’
Richardson making good runs down both flanks. From one of these the ball is
worked to Gardener on the edge of the penalty area and he thumps home a good
firm shot to open the scoring.
The home team fail to capitalise on their
advantage and West Allotment gain a foothold in the game, earning a corner
kick. The resulting goal-ward header is eminently saveable, until Scott Swanson
pops up to deflect it; the keeper reacts but can only palm the ball onto a post
from where it rebound into the goal for the equaliser.
As half time approaches Celtic look the stronger.
A gap is developing between the West Auckland back four and their midfield
players, and this is exploited by good work by Daniel O’Reilly on the right
wing. His cross finds David Henderson on the penalty spot. A shimmy fools his
marker into moving away, creating time and space for the midfielder to coolly
slot a shot past the helpless keeper.
West Auckland come out in the second half
looking determined to erase the one goal deficit as soon as possible. Their
pressure soon leads to a free kick on the edge of the box and Gardner lines up
a curler. The shot clears the wall and dips towards the top corner; keeper
Bannon gets to it with both hands but then somehow fails to maintain a grasp
and instead drops the ball inside the post and over the line.
All square but West Auckland have their
tails up. From a melee on the edge of the box their midfielder Mark Hudson
emerges with the ball chest high. He lets it fall a foot or two before dipping
a volley over the keeper and into the goal, Bannon being too far off his line
to save.
Gardner tries to increase the lead with
another curling free kick but Bannon holds onto this one. Later centre half
Marron has a chance from a corner but heads wide. In between the West Auckland
skipper is called into more conventional action defending a series of Celtic
corners.
As full time approaches, the home team, and
supporters, get a bit edgy. As four added minutes are announced Celtic’s Barney
Dobinson charges into the box, rounds the keeper but delays the tap in too long
as defenders scramble to block. In the end it is keeper David Knight who gets
back in position to parry, but as the ball runs loose a Celtic player goes over
an outstretched defender’s leg. Appeals are made but the referee says no penalty,
and that is West Auckland’s last scare of the afternoon.
The 3-2 win is well deserved at the end of an
entertaining and fluctuating match. West Auckland have had a couple of ropey
seasons but they now seem to have some decent players and so may enjoy better
fortune this year.
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