In association with:
ALAN McLEAN FCMA CGMA
Chartered Management Accountant
Blyth Spartans 0-2 Gateshead
Wednesday 24th July
Croft Park
Attendance: 377
Pre-Season Friendly
In a surprisingly low key friendly Spartans were comfortably beaten 0-2 by Conference side Gateshead at Croft Park with both goals coming from players who had short spells in the green and white. With Assistant Manager Colin Myers in charge in the absence of Tom Wade a depleted Spartans side failed to build upon the impressive work done during Saturday’s comprehensive win at Whitley Bay and the Tynesiders could and maybe should have won by a greater margin.
Both sides had half chances in the opening ten minutes with former Spartans loanee Marcus Maddison releasing Callum Patton but the young winger dragged his shot wide. Spartans reacted with Robbie Dale embarrassing Spanish full back Bosch before seeing his low effort blocked at the near post by Nixon. The visitors were enjoying the majority of possession without creating two much as the half carried on in a rather pedestrian manner with the game resembling a testimonial. It took until the half hour mark for the next serious chance as another former Spartan winger James Marwood crashing a low effort just past Conor Grant’s far post.
The Tynesiders upped the tempo as the break neared and Callum Hope tested Grant who could only parry his swerving effort with Arjun Purewal denying Colin Larkin a simple tap in on the follow up. On the brink of half time the visitors had the best chance of the game as an incisive break saw striker Larkin free in the Spartans area but the former Mansfield Town could only curl an effort against the left hand upright. That miss meant the deadlock remained unbroken at the break.
However that deadlock would remain unbroken for a matter of minutes during the second half and it was Maddison who finally put his side ahead. The former Newcastle United Academy product was a thorn in the side of Spartans in more ways than one all night and he clinically finished past sub keeper James Haworth after being released by Marwood. Five minutes later and the duo combined again as Maddison returned the favour as he released Marwood on the inside right channel and the winger doubled his sides lead with a low finish into the far corner.
Marwood could have grabbed a second from an indirect free kick inside Spartans area after Haworth was adjudged to have illegally picked up a back pass from Stephen Tobin. Marwood’s curling effort was deflected over the bar as it seemed destined for the top corner. Spartans were struggling to gain a foothold in the second half and it was all about Anth Smith’s side, that’s not to say that a patched up Spartans side were not putting in the effort.
With ten minutes left the Tynesiders remarkably struck the bar twice in the space of ten seconds and both times it was substitute striker James Brown who was guilty of missing seemingly simple chances. The former Hartlepool United man headed against the woodwork from Hope’s corner and then repeated the trick from the rebound. As the clock ran down it was Spartans turn to hit the bar as trialist Nathan Buddle clipped the top of the bar with a header from a Lee Mason corner.
So as the referee blew the whistle the visitors took a deserved win from Croft Park and Spartans look towards Saturday’s friendly at home to Clitheroe as they continue their build up to the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League campaign.
Blyth Spartans: Grant, Donnelly, Trialist, Purewal, Trialist, Hubbard, Mason, Mullen, Cummings, Nolan, Dale Subs: Tobin, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Howarth, Garrity Scorers: None
Gateshead Nixon, Bosch, Hatch, Hogg, Smith, Hope, Coppen, Marwood, Patten, Maddison, Larkin Subs Brown, Kasiama, Konde Goalscorers