BISHOP AUCKLAND V RYHOPE CW

Northern League Division 1

Overnight rain put paid to the planned match at Spennymoor, but Twitter confirms no problem with the Heritage Park pitch so A Good Cup Run diverts to Bishop Auckland to see the Two Blues take on Ryhope Colliery Welfare. The rain cleared early in these parts and the day is pleasant enough for early March, lots of clouds but they are white and there is enough blue sky between to allow the odd shaft of sunlight through. It is also a nice change to be here without there being a cold wind blowing.

Bishop Auckland are having a good season - we followed their excellent FA Cup run and in the league they are one of the best of the rest after the big four of North Shields, South Shields, Shildon and Morpeth. Ryhope are comfortably mid-table, which is a good return for this their first season in the top division of the Northern League. It is my first sight of Ryhope and predictably enough for a suburb of Sunderland, they emerge in red and white stripes, at least on the front of the shirt, the back being plain red that at least makes the numbers legible.

On the face of it there is not a lot at stake for either team, but in the first minute a fierce Ryhope foul tackle results in a mini-melee and is followed up by a couple of Bishop Auckland fouls to set an early competitive edge to the game.

The home team settle in to a possession game that exerts a strangle hold without often threatening the goal. Then on fifteen minutes Bishop left back Michael Hoganson swings in a long diagonal free kick from the right touchline that is competed for at the far post. The ball ends up in the net and the PA calls centre forward Ian Ward as the scorer; but he’s not celebrating much and it transpires that Ryhope’s Danny Lay had the decisive touch for an own goal.

Bishop continue to dominate possession and create a couple of good moves. Ward and Andrew Johnson combine well to send Priestley Griffiths through but he shoots straight at the keeper. Then a one-two in the box frees up Hoganson but the angle is tight and his shot fizzes across the goal and wide of the far post.

The Ryhope forwards are living off scraps up front but Josh Home-Jackson makes the most of a ball down the channel to wriggle his way along the by-line but then shoots unconvincingly into the side netting. More convincing is a shot from Bishop’s Johnson, but Ryhope keeper Jonathan Ball saves well low down.

Ryhope produce another attack wide left and when James Ellis crosses high to the far post Lay has a chance to cancel out his own goal but he puts the free header wide. In a see-saw end to the half Bishop go up the other end and James Fairley turns well and shoots; his drive beats the diving Ball but comes back off the inside of the post.

As the second half gets under way there is a distinct change in the dynamic. Bishop are hesitant and fall back in the face of an upbeat Ryhope. Left back David Gordon signals the visitor’s intentions with a long range shot, well hit but straight at the keeper. Then a long diagonal pass finds Kyle Davis wide and his first time cross spells danger as it bounces along the six yard box, but there is no one there to finish off the move.

All this is inside ten minutes of the restart, and when the next Ryhope cross comes in Home-Jackson’s close range header looks a certain goal, but keeper Dawson spreads himself and blocks, only to see the rebound bundled back into the net by the persistent Home-Jackson. The equaliser is deserved for their play since half time.

Bishop make two substitutions, and due to that or the shock of the equaliser, regain the initiative. Johnson, sliding in, just fails to connect with a low cross; then Ward frees up Sam Orritt but as he runs into the box he elects to shoot wide rather than square the ball to better placed colleagues.

The Bishop pressure increases. Good work by Andre Bennett wins a corner, from which Ward wins the header; Ball’s save is not very effective but Bishop can’t convert the loose ball into a goal. As throws, corners and free kicks rain in on the Ryhope goal two chances fall to Johnson but both are blocked, one by a hand that although not ‘unnaturally’ placed was still the only thing that stopped the ball going over the goal line.

The frantic nature of Ryhope’s resistance is taking its toll on the players and management which culminates in an unpleasant exchange between manager and his keeper. When the keeper aims to terminate the conversation with **** off, he instead terminates his involvement in the match; despite there being only minutes left he is substituted and told to go straight to the changing room.

The replacement keeper, not a commanding presence, is put under pressure from a couple of corners but ends with a five minute clean sheet to ensure the entertaining game ends 1-1.