Stocksbridge Park Steels 3-5 Blyth Spartans(A.E.T)

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ALAN McLEAN FCMA CGMA
Chartered Management Accountant

Stocksbridge Park Steels 3-5 Blyth Spartans
Tuesday 8th January
Doodson Sport Cup
The Look Local Stadium
Attendance: 32(Thirty Two)

It’s probably safe to say the Stocksbridge Park Steels are sick of the sight of Blyth Spartans and in particular Robbie Dale this season. Three times the South Yorkshire outfit have faced Spartans and three times they have been defeated, conceding thirteen goals in the process, five of which have been scored by Dale. That’s not to say that tonight’s Doodson Sport Cup tie was a walk in the park for Paddy Atkinson’s side as they were made to work for their place in the next round but in the end did it in style with a 5-3 victory at the Look Local Stadium.

Following Saturday’s win over Matlock Town at Croft Park, Atkinson rang the changes with former Bedlington Terriers keeper Craig Pickering handed a Spartans debut and the likes of Darryll Donnelly, Lee Mason, Jack Stanger and Phil Airey all brought into the starting lineup. The latter would play at right back, a position that he played in when he joined Newcastle United’s Academy.

It would be Steels wh had the first chance of the game just five minutes in as left back Tommy Agus broke forward and sent a cross-shot goalwards that Pickering did well to tip over the bar. Spartans first chance came just after ten minutes as only an offside flag prevented Lee Mason getting his name on the scoresheet after the winger reacted first to a parry by Billard in the hosts’ goal. The Steels would take the lead though on the twenty minute mark with a well worked goal. The impressive Chris Bettney played a ball in behind the Spartans defence that released winger Ben Turner and he made no mistake, calmly rolling the ball past the advancing Pickering. It would be a lead that would last only ten minutes and it would be another goal that come from Spartans skipper Wayne Buchanan as he rose above a static Steels defence to meet a Robbie Dale free kick to the far post.

As both sides battled for the upper hand it would be Spartans that had the first chance to into the half time break ahead. Jack Stanger released Lee Mason down the left with a perfectly weighted pass and Mason rolled the ball back to Ryan McGorrigan. The in form striker smashed a ball goalwards but was prevented from adding to his six goals this season by Alex Callery as he cleared the ball off the line. McGorrigan wouldn’t be denied on the stroke of half time and it was Stanger again who was at the heart of the goal as the young midfielder found the former Newcastle United Academy man with a pass in behind the home side’s defence. McGorrigan would show all of his class with an expertly taken finish as he dinked the ball past Billard with the outside of his right foot to send his send into the interval with a 2-1 lead.

Spartans started the second half well and nearly increased their lead when a Lee Mason cross found Andy Jennings on the penalty spot but the big striker’s first time volley brought an instinctive stop from Billard. Steels brought on young forward Jordan Thewlis and he would have a big impact on the game with his pace and trickery putting Spartans on the back foot for a spell. Indeed it would be Thewlis who got Steels back on level terms as he latched onto a Bettney cross and lashed the ball home from the edge of the box. Before Spartans had time to recover they were 2-3 down just two minutes later as Danny South was left unmarked from a Turner corner to head home from eight yards out.

As Spartans seemed set to exit the cup at the first hurdle they were thankful for a late equaliser from striker Andy Jennings and it was a goal that sent the tie into extra time. Phil Airey sent a long ball towards the edge of the Steels area and that would cause confusion leading to two home defenders clashing. That gave Jennings time to take a touch and calmly roll the ball into the net as Billard tried to close him down. Jennings came within a whisker of ending the game in normal time as he latched onto a Shaun Utterson cross but flicked just wide of the near post and that miss meant the tie would be decided at very least in extra time.

The home side nearly took the lead within minutes as South could and probably should have doubled his tally for the day. His close range header crashed the underside of the bar before Pickering pounced on the ball on the goal line with the Steels players insisting it had crossed the lines, only for the referee to turn away their appeals. Minutes before the teams would change ends in extra time Spartans had the lead and it was from a player who is rapidly coming back into form. Robbie Dale took a quick corner kick and recieved the ball back from Shaun Utterson. Dale drove at his marker Agus and turned him inside out no fewer than three times before lashing the ball into the top corner from a seemingly impossible angle.

It would be a lead that Spartans were in no mood to surrender and in the closing stages of the second period of extra time it would be a first goal for the club by Daniel Maguire that sealed the win. The diminutive striker celebrated his twentieth birthday by latching onto a Jennings pass and clinically finishing into the far corner to send his side into the next round of the Cup. The Cup was have been snubbed by many but tonight was the perfect work out for Atkinson and his side with the Spartans boss giving game time to many of his players who haven’t featured recently and carried on the good feeling from the Matlock Town win.

Spartans Man of the Match: Phil Airey

Stocksbridge Park Steels: Billard, Swirad, Agus, Haigh, Bowden-Lovell, Callery(Ring 97), Bettney, Darker(Norbiesse 108), South, Joynes(Thewlis 61), Turner Subs not used: Schofield Goalscorers Turner 20, Thewlis 73, South 75

Blyth Spartans: Pickering, Utterson, Airey, Buchanan, Donnelly, Stanger(Vipond 79), Mason(Maguire 79), Hooks, Jennings, McGorrigan(Turnbull 105), Dale Subs not used: Grant Scorer: Buchanan 31, McGorrigan 45, Jennings, 85, Dale 104, Maguire 118

Referee: J Wilson