In association with:
ALAN McLEAN FCMA CGMA
Chartered Management Accountant
Kendal Town 1-3 Blyth Spartans
Tuesday 5th March
Cosyseal Stadium
Evo-Stik Northern Premier League
Attendance: 148
The temperature may have been a little colder than Matlock Town in mid September but the result was the same as Spartans beat Kendal Town to gain their first Evo-Stik Northern Premier League away victory since that 3-1 win in Derbyshire. They achieved that feat thanks to a brace from Lee Mason and a first Spartans goal of his second spell in the green and white for Stephen Turnbull.
Tom Wade was in charge for the night and he handed starts to Conor Grant, Phil Airey and Jordan Mellish after the trio missed the home defeat to AFC Fylde on Saturday. Joe Kendrick took his place on the bench but Wade was unable to call on Craig Pickering and Craig Hubbard who were unavailable, as was Jack Stanger due to the young midfielder being on England Colleges duty.
Far from feeling sorry for themselves after the Croft Park hammering at the hands of Fylde, Spartans began the game well and should have taken the lead within the first minute as Airey was released in on goal but fired wide of the near post. The opening spell was all about Spartans and Lee Mason had a golden opportunity five minutes in but he was unable to get a shot away having collected a clearance from his own corner kick.
However they were punished for being unable to capitalise on their good start in the most severe way as Town striker Maisom McGeechan broke through on goal and fired across Grant and into the far corner. That goal came after Spartans had failed to heed an earlier warning after the same player missed an easier chance than the one he had taken. Spartans should have been level within a minute as Robbie Dale provided Dan Maguire with a chance but the striker saw his effort deflected wide for a corner. From the resulting corner Stephen Turnbull floated a ball far post to find an unmarked Jordan Mellish who could only direct the header over the bar.
Mellish was replaced ten minutes before the interval after picking up a dead leg and Joe Kendrick replaced him at the heart of the back four alongside Wayne Buchanan. The game was to turn scrappy but it was Spartans who were creating the better chances and Mason nearly got them back on level terms on the stroke of half time. A pinpoint Dale cross found the winger unmarked in the box but he guided a header wide of the far post from ten yards out and that meant his side went into half time a goal down.
Spartans were on level terms within five minutes of the restart and it was one of their goals of the season from Stephen Turnbull. Some neat interplay between Robbie Dale and Shaun Utterson saw the latter play a ball to Maguire in the area, he controlled the cross and lay it off to Turnbull who crashed a twenty five yard shot straight into the top right hand corner of Craig Dootson’s net with the keeper rooted to the spot.
Turnbull was replaced ten minutes after his goal with a back injury forcing Wade to bring on Tom Berj as his replacement. Spartans were well on top by now although the home side always looked dangerous on the break and it would take until the twentieth minute of the second period for Wade’s side to take the lead. Utterson broke down the right flank and fed the ball into Lee Mason on the edge of the box. The winger spun his marker and curled a left footed effort around the keeper and into the net via the inside of the far post. If the first half had been all about Spartans lack of quality in front of goal then they were certainly going about righting those wrongs in the grand manner during the second period.
As was to be expected the home side came back into the game in the last twenty minutes but would be denied by three top class saves by Spartans man of the match Conor Grant. First the former Gretna keeper managed to tip a superb twenty yard volley from Town winger Zach Clark onto the bar but he would produce an even better save ten minutes from time. A far post cross from Jack Cook found an umarked Aaron Taylor no more than three yards from goal but Grant made himself big and blocked a certain equalising goal.
By the time Grant had made his third outstanding save of the night his side had extended their lead and it was Lee Mason who carried on his recent run of goalscoring form. Robbie Dale, who had come alive in the second half, beat two men and drove into the Town box. He fired across goal but saw his shot cannon off the far post only to rebound to Mason and the former Hartlepool United man forced the ball into the net to kill off any hopes the home side had of snatching a point. With the last action of the game Grant sealed his man of the match award with yet another fantastic save from a twenty yard Wilson free kick, palming a goal bound effort to safety. That all meant Spartans gained their first win on the road since that sunny September day at Matlock Town.
Spartans Man of the Match: Conor Grant
Kendal Town: Dootson, Maghan, Hoctor(Taylor 59), Grundy, Brown, Freeland, Vickers(Wilson 64), Cook, Rushton(Barron 79), McGeechan, Clark Subs not used: Shields, Ferguson Goalscorers McGheechan 20
Blyth Spartans: Grant, Utterson, Mullen, Buchanan, Mellish(Kendrick 34), Mason, Turnbull(Berj 55), Hooks, Dale, Maguire, Airey(Hodgson 85) Subs not used: Donnelly, Jennings Goalscorers: Turnbull 48, Mason 65 and 85
Referee: David Underwood