SHILDON V ATHERTON COLLIERIES

FA Vase 4^rd Round

The fourth round of the Vase is the last to be regionally based and Shildon have avoided fellow Northern League giants South Shields and Morpeth (who play each other) and instead face the last remaining North West Counties club, Atherton Collieries. The weather at Dean Street is still, grey and cool; there is a decent home crowd and more than a smattering of visitors from Lancashire. The latter are good-naturedly vocal with several sporting bright green wigs to match their team’s away strip. The normal black and white stripes would hardly have clashed with Shildon’s red but such is the way of the football world.

Shildon settle into an early rhythm. Anthony Bell’s toe-poke is blocked then Michael Rae heads wide from a free kick. Rae’s next header, back across the goal, beats the keeper but the Atherton defenders are quickest to react and the danger is cleared.

It is not all one-way. Atherton are effective on the break, twice Mark Truffas is the man over on the right but both times he screws his shot across goal and wide. Shildon respond with centre forward Amur Purewal flicking on a header to put Rae clear, but he is caught and crowded out before he can shoot.

The exchanges continue as Atherton right back Jake Kenny cleverly escapes from the corner flag and delivers a cross that rolls unmolested across the six yard box. A Shildon corner is won in the air by Moore and the ball falls to Rae, but his close range shot is smothered at the post by keeper Adam Reid. Rae’s next attempt is from further out, cutting in from the left his right foot curler clears the far angle with Reid this time a relieved spectator. The half closes with Atherton centre forward Mark Battersby getting in a scuffed shot that involves Nick Liversedge in the Shildon goal for the first time as he kneels to gather.

Atherton start the second half on the front foot with Battersby finding some wriggle room but shooting wide. Minutes later he runs onto a through ball up the middle and despite being under pressure lifts the ball over Liversedge towards the goal; it hits the bar and bounces the wrong side of the line and the follow up shot is straight at the keeper.

It’s a let off for Shildon but they immediately win a corner and set up camp outside the Atherton box. Lewis Wing slides a pass into Purewal whose left foot strike beats Reid, clipping the near post on the way into the net.

The goal may reflect the first half balance of play, but not the second so far. Within minutes a hopeful Atherton punt upfield bounces just outside the Shildon box. Liversedge decides to take responsibility and tries to head clear; but it is more up than out, and as it comes down to Ben Hardcastle he hooks a volley over the stranded keeper and into the vacant goal.

The goal gives the visitors a boost and three minutes later Battersby is first to a cross from the left, and he deftly glances a header home to give Atherton the lead. Shildon struggle to regain control but make no impact in the next ten minutes, in fact it is Liversedge who has to make the next save, diving to smother a break at the expense of a corner. When that comes over a few heads go up, the ball loops up and drops what seems harmlessly in range for Liversedge, but inexplicably both he and the defender on the post remains rooted and the ball finds a way over the line.

At 1-3 the home team are in unexpected trouble; the front two are substituted and then a third forward is put on as they go long and direct. Atherton makes changes too, and with Shildon pushing forward it is substitute Jordan Cover, on for Battersby, who races onto a through ball and gets in a shot from outside the box. It’s not unstoppable but Liversedge caps a poor match by letting it under his body and into the net.

Now 1-4 down with minutes to go Shildon keep plugging away but the game is lost, the victory going not to the team that played the better football but to the one that made fewer mistakes. Such is cup football sometimes.

The North West Counties League’s sole representative is through to the last sixteen of the Vase, and the Northern League have lost one of their two best hopes.