By Glen Maxwell
In association with:
ALAN McLEAN FCMA CGMA
Chartered Management Accountant
Evo-Stik Premier League
Saturday October 8 2016
Blyth Spartans 3-0 Mickleover Sports
Spartans’ scintillating first half display saw them end their five-game winless run on Saturday – as Alun Armstrong claimed his first victory as Blyth boss with a 3-0 triumph over Mickleover Sports.
Luke Armstrong was the lucky benefactor from Nathan Buddle’s header – as it was diverted into the goal via the leg of the manager’s son – before Matty Pattison produced a spectacular finish to put the hosts 2-0 up after just 22 minutes.
Jarrett Rivers profited from a dreadful defensive mix-up five minutes later to wrap up Spartans’ first three points in four Evo-Stik Premier League clashes, meaning Pattison’s penalty miss had no bearing on the result.
Blyth had failed to get out of the blocks during Tuesday’s 0-3 defeat against Warrington Town, but they flew out of the traps straight from the whistle and dominated the game’s opening exchanges.
Referee Shane Sugden made sure he would stand for no nonsense either when, within 60 seconds of the start of the game, Kevin Grocott caught Robert Dale late. The Mickleover midfielder was told, in no uncertain terms, that this was his one chance and he would receive no more.
Dale then found Pablo Mills wanting for pace down the left, before his cross was deflected behind for the first of a succession of corners in the first five minutes.
That resulting corner saw Buddle found free in the box. His first effort was blocked, but his second attempt had to be clawed off the line by Jake Eastwood and lifted over the bar to safety.
Pattison tried his luck from a free-kick, but a deflection for yet another corner led to the game’s opening goal.
Buddle was once again picked out at the back post from Pattison’s corner and powered a header down towards goal. While Spartans have been short of luck in recent weeks, there fortunes improved when the ball bounced onto Armstrong’s leg and nestled in the back of the net.
If Spartans were lucky with their first goal, then their second strike seven minutes later was a thing of real quality.
Pattison picked up the ball 25 yards from goal and unleashed an unstoppable rocket at goal, which gave Eastwood no chance – as it bounced in off the post to give the former South Africa international his fifth of the season.
While Armstrong profited from being in the right place at the right time, he was desperately unlucky not to double his tally on 24 minutes. The young forward turned his man and tried to curl one inside the far post, but his shot went just wide.
With Spartans completely in the ascendancy by this point, Sports were failing to deal with the pressure and it showed – as Blyth scored their third goal three minutes before the half-hour mark.
Dale had tried to pick out Sean Reid at the back post with a cross that had Eastwood panicking. A defensive mix-up between the goalkeeper and Mills saw the defender tap the ball down straight into the path of Rivers, who was left with the simplest of tasks to roll the ball into an empty net.
Reid then nearly made the most of another Mickleover mess up on 32 minutes – as he ran onto Tom Burgin’s poor header back to get himself in one-on-one in the box. Reid tried to pick his spot but was denied by a fantastic save by Eastwood, who had spread himself well to save with his foot.
Burgin then made another mistake at the back two minutes, when the Mickleover captain caught Buddle in the box while trying to clear the ball. However, he had his goalkeeper to thank once again – as Eastwood got down well to his left to keep out Pattison’s penalty.
Armstrong gained possession of the ball from another suspect back-pass moments after that and cut in between the two Sports centre-backs. Despite looking certain to score, Eastwood – who was obviously still buoyed by his spot-kick save two minutes earlier – was able to produce yet another instinctive stop.
With Spartans well on top, Reid was unlucky not to join his team-mates on the score-sheet with six minutes left of the first half – as he fired one just wide of Eastwood’s right post.
Mickleover came out to try and play themselves back into the contest in the second half, but it was Blyth that went closest to extending their advantage with the first real chance after the break.
A lovely bit of possession football from the home side ended up with Armstrong trying his luck inside the box, under pressure from two members of the opposition. However, his goal-bound effort was blocked behind before Eastwood needed to be called into action.
Mickleover continued to work hard and their efforts were nearly rewarded with a goal, when former Crystal Palace, Birmingham City and Republic of Ireland striker Clinton Morrison played the ball back to John McGrath at the edge of the Blyth box. McGrath tried to curl an audacious effort into the top corner, but it was blocked behind for a corner.
While it was all-action in the first 45, the second half was less inspired for those in attendance at Croft Park and chances were at a premium, while the most action seemed to come from the whistle of Sugden.
However, with the game approaching the final 15 minutes, Blyth turned on the style once again and should really have seen their fantastic counter-attacking football rewarded with a fourth goal.
Great link-up play between Armstrong and Reid saw the former play a ball across the box to the 24-year-old. Reid tried to place it into the bottom corner, but yet another block denied Spartans from scoring.
A result that finally saw Blyth return to winning ways for the first time since a 1-0 win over Marine on September 13 will certainly give Armstrong’s side added confidence, ahead of Tuesday’s tough trip to Matlock Town.
Blyth Spartans: McHugh, Cartwright, Liddle, Buddle, Hutchinson, Wade, Rivers, Pattison (Turnbull 69), Armstrong (Nicholson 75), Reid, Dale (Richardson 82).
Subs not used: Bell, Pell.
Mickleover Sports: Eastwood, Bennet, Turner, McGrath, Mills, Burgin, Grocott (Baskerville 60), Broadhead (Belgrave 46), Morrison, Litchfield, Schofield.
Subs not used: Dales, Dickinson.
Attendance: 501
Referee: Shane Sugden
Spartans Man of the Match: Robert Dale