It was a case of déjà vu for supporters of Blyth Spartans at Croft Park on Saturday as they watched their side crash out of the FA cup 1st round at the hands of Gateshead – who defeated their local rivals by the same 2-0 score-line to progress through to the semi finals of the FA Trophy in February.
Spartans were once again outclassed and just like last season’s meeting gifted the visitors an early lead when Jon Shaw dispossessed Dan Groves before calmly rounding Blyth’s goalkeeper David Knight to roll home on 14 minutes.
After going behind it was a case of damage limitation for the hosts before the break as they came under immense pressure from Ian Bogie’s side who squandered a number of chances and were left wondering – like the rest of Croft Park – how only a single goal separated the two sides at half-time.
Blyth then enjoyed their best spell of the game after the interval but any dreams of a famous victory over their full-time opponents were soon left in tatters as Micky Cummings fired home on 54 minutes to book his side a place in the draw for the 2nd round of the FA cup.
Played in front of a 2763 strong crowd it was the away supporters occupying the Plessey Road end who had the most to cheer about throughout this one sided affair.
They almost saw their side take the lead as early as the 6th minute when Phil Turnbull shot inches wide of Knight’s upright from 25 yards.
The supply to Blyth’s forward line was poor from the onset and the strike force of Jamie Mole and Graeme Armstrong (pictured above) were forced into trying to create chances for themselves.
Mole caused an early scare for the Gateshead back-line when he surged forward and side stepped James Curtis only to be taken down by Chris Carruthers on the edge of the area. The referee, however, waved away Blyth’s appeals for a free-kick.
In another uncomfortable moment for the Heed, Armstrong charged down a clearance from goalkeeper Jak Alnwick with the ball falling dangerously in the area, but without a green and white shirt in sight it was eventually cleared to safety.
The away side dictated the play thereafter and such was their dominance, even centre half Ben Clark decided to relinquish his defensive duties for a small time and found himself on the edge of the Spartans area – where he struck a volley which flew high over Knight’s crossbar.
For all their pretty football Gateshead only found a way to break the deadlock through the indecision of Groves, who should have cleared his lines long before Shaw won the ball from him and went past Knight to slide into an open goal.
Mole once again threatened the visitors’ rearguard when he beat his marker down the left and sent over a dangerous cross which was punched away by Alnwick.
Gateshead really should have gone further ahead in their next attack when an unmarked Cummings met a cross in the area but couldn’t generate enough power with his header to beat Knight from close range.
Knight came to Blyth’s rescue again moments later when he produced a breathtaking save to deny Shaw a second of the afternoon.
Shaw and Cummings were seemingly taking it in turns in their attempts to double their side’s lead.
Cummings headed wide before an acrobatic effort from Shaw went over.
Cummings then had a volley which was well saved by Knight before Shaw again tested the goalkeeper with a free header from close range.
The whistle to signal the end of the first half provided Steve Cuggy and his side with some respite as they resembled a boxer on the ropes just praying for the bell to sound.
In fairness, the hosts came out fighting and almost equalised on 49 minutes when Mole latched on to a ball from Richie Slaughter but couldn’t keep his effort down from a tight angle – as the ball fizzed across the top netting of Alnwick’s goal.
Any hopes of a turnaround were soon dashed five minutes later when a cushioned lay off from Shaw found Cummings who drilled past Knight from 20 yards – to make it 2-0 to the visitors.
Blyth responded admirably with a strong run and cross from Lee Mason culminating in a goal mouth scramble – with Gateshead eventually clearing despite the attentions of Armstrong.
In Blyth’s next attack, Armstrong turned in the area and saw his shot deflected wide for a corner.
With time running out, Spartans manager Steve Cuggy threw caution to the wind by introducing strikers Glen Taylor and Richard Offiong.
Neither would write their names into Spartans folklore by spearheading a dramatic comeback, although Taylor did prove a handful to the Gateshead defence and came close with a header near the end.
The away side had further chances through Clark, Turnbull and Shaw to extend their lead but in the end will be satisfied with another convincing victory over their rivals.
Spartans turn their attentions to the league now with two important home encounters in the space of a week. First Spartans entertain Vauxhall Motors this Tuesday before welcoming Hinckley United to Croft Park on Saturday.
Blyth Spartans: Knight, Slaughter, Cave (Forster), Phillips, Groves, Pearson, Mason (Offiong), Hooks, Armstrong (Taylor), Mole, Emms
MOM: Knight
Gateshead: Alnwick, Gate, Curtis, Clark, Brittain (Moore), Turnbull, Shaw, Cummings (Nix), Fisher, Baxter (Henderson), Carruthers
MOM: Shaw
Attendance: 2763
Referee: Mr Bond.