Report by Jonathan Lillico
In association with:
ALAN McLEAN FCMA CGMA
Chartered Management Accountant
Saturday 12th December 2015
Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division
Attendance: 432
Blyth Spartans 4-0 Barwell
On a very wet Saturday afternoon at Croft Park Blyth Spartans put on a complete performance to beat Leicestershire-based side Barwell who were placed 10th in the Northern Premier League prior to the game.
Blyth made one change from last week’s superb 2-0 win at Marine, with Matthew Wade coming in for the injured Damen Mullen who had been in fine form winning the November Player of the Month Award.
Blyth started the better of the two sides and the first chance came after five minutes falling to Blyth midfielder Michael Richardson after a through ball from Daniel Maguire but his shot produced a good save from Barwell goalkeeper Liam Castle.
The visitors’ first chance came from Alex Tomkinson after he intercepted defender Danny Parker’s pass, drove forward but his shot from 20 yards went narrowly past Fabian Otte’s right hand post. A minute later and a good first time pass from skipper Robbie Dale found Richardson whose threatening cross was mis-kicked by a Barwell defender and found Maguire but the shot from the forward was tipped wide by Castle.
Barwell began to drive forward and a cross from Tomkinson found Owen Storey who had an ambitious shot which went wide of Otte’s upright.
A quarter of an hour gone at Croft Park and Blyth were the better of the two teams.
A ball to the left from Stephen Turnbull found Maguire and his effort brought another good save, this time by from Castle’s right foot.
As the Spartans applied the pressure the first goal came after 26 minutes when a fantastic shot from Sean Reid from 30 yards out flew in past Castle to put Blyth Spartans 1-0 up. A goal which anyone would pay to watch and which deservedly gave Blyth the lead.
Four minutes later and a superb 40 yard diagonal ball from Dale found Maguire but his pass couldn’t pick out Richardson on the right. But Blyth were far from finished and a dominant spell from the hosts ensued with Barwell looking dangerous on the counter attack. The visitors’ forward Jamie Towers had a right foot drive which forced Fabian Otte to make his first major save of the game and fortunately for Blyth there was no one on hand to follow up.
The visitors had a goal disallowed from forward Anthony Carney after referee Michael McDonough spotted a foul on Otte and five minutes before half time Barwell had an appeal for a penalty after Carney went down after a challenge from Parker. Referee McDonough waved away the protests and a minute later Storey fired wide.
Blyth came out firing on all cylinders after the break and three minutes into the start of the second half a ball from Reid found Michael Richardson. The former Newcastle U21 man calmly slotted past Castle for his fourth goal in his last four games to give Blyth a 2-0 lead.
Within two minutes of Blyth extending their lead a long ball from Barwell’s Isaac Cooper found Brady Hickey, who was on trial with Premier league Leicester City a few weeks ago, but he placed a shot just over the bar to let the hosts know that this game was far from over but in the 54th minute a clearance from the Barwell defence only went as far as Danny Parker who stabbed home his second goal of the season following his goal at Colwyn Bay in October to send Croft Park in to raptures and giving the hosts a commanding 3-0 lead.
Eleven minutes later the very impressive Reid netted his second goal of the game after breaking the offside trap and slotting home past the advancing Castle, to the protests of the Barwell defence, to put Blyth 4-0 up. The Spartans were still on the offensive and a lovely switch ball from substitute Paul Robinson found Dale who ran on before unleashing a thunderbolt from 20 yards out but it hit the top of the crossbar and went out of play.
Credit to Barwell, who were seeing this game slip out of their grasp in the latter stages, but still midfielder Hickey was well place to receive the ball on the edge of the box however his shot was well blocked by Ryan Hutchinson and Blyth were so close to a fifth just before injury time when Alex Nicholson shot wide of Castle’s right post.
The full time whistle blew and the Spartans supporters knew it was another fantastic display from their team keeping them on the summit of the Northern Premier League. Blyth are now five points ahead of second placed Nantwich Town who have one game in hand and eight points ahead of Salford who have one game in hand and Workington who have played the same number of games as the Spartans.
Spartans travel to Frickley Athletic this Tuesday knowing that a win will give them an eight point cushion at the top of the table and a more than healthy position going in to the Christmas and New Year fixtures.
Blyth Spartans: 1. Fabian Otte, 2. Andrew Cartwright, (17. Alex Nicholson, 71), 3. Jordan Watson, 4. Danny Parker, 5. Ryan Hutchinson, 6. Stephen Turnbull, ( 15. Neal Hooks, 76), 7. Michael Richardson, 8. Sean Reid, (12. Paul Robinson, 68), 9. Daniel Maguire, 10. Matthew Wade, 11. Robbie Dale
Unused subs: 14. Dillon Morse, 16. Arran Wearmouth
Barwell: 1. Liam Castle, 2. Scott Lower, 3. Isaac Cooper, 4. Guy Hadland, (12. Daniel Gaunt, 60), 5. Declan Towers,( 14. Blaize Punter, 86), 6. Nigel Julian, 7. Alex Tomkinson, 8. Brady Hickey, 9. Jamie Towers, 10. Owen Story ,(15. Scott Hadland, 82), 11. Anthony Carney
Unused subs: 16. Edward Wisevic, 17. Cameron Powell
Referee: Michael McDonough
Assistants: Andrew Botha, Gary McMullen
Next home game: Stourbridge, Saturday 19th December 3pm