Worksop Town 8-1 Blyth Spartans

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ALAN McLEAN FCMA CGMA
Chartered Management Accountant

Worksop Town 8-1 Blyth Spartans
Wednesday 31st October
Evo-Stik Northern Premier League
Windsor Food Service Stadium
Attendance: 305

After winning their first game since mid September with the 4-2 win over Frickley Athletic on Saturday at Croft Park, Spartans were brought down to Earth with not so much a bump but more of a crashing. An 8-1 hammering at the hands of Worksop Town saw Spartans lose by a seven goal margin for the first time in ten years when Droylsden defeated a patchwork Spartans side 7-0 in the NPL Premier Division.

Craig Farrell returned to the lineup at the expense of Lee Mason and Carl Jones partnered skipper Wayne Buchanan at the heart of the defence with Darryl Donnelly making way. An impressive start from Spartans saw them awarded a penalty on three minutes when some good one touch passing saw Robbie Dale release Ryan McGorrigan who was upended by Tigers defender Ludlam. Joe Kendrick stepped up to take the kick and his effort was well saved low down to the left by veteran stopper Paul Bastock. Things went from bad to worse when two minutes later Town winger Craig King went past Kendrick and picked out Tom Denton who finished easily from eight yards out with the Spartans defence nowhere to be seen.

On ten minutes the home side doubled their lead with a goal so simple it was embarrassing. A King corner found the head off Denton and he saw his effort cleared off the line by Shaun Utterson but the loose ball was pounced upon by Tigers defender Adie Hawes who made no mistake from six yards out. Two became three and it would be hosts’ striker Leon Mettam who would get his first of the night as he linked up well with Warlow and lashed home from the left angle of the area. The one bright spot of the opening twenty minutes for Spartans came when a Dale corner was cleared to the edge of the box. Neal Hooks was then able to play in Shaun Vipond whose effort was blocked but the loose ball fell to Carl Jones who lashed home his first Spartans goal from around the penalty spot.

However normal service was resumed on the half hour mark as Tigers winger Owain Warlow evaded three weak Spartans challenges and rolled the ball home under challenge from Shaun Utterson. Just two minutes later and Warlow doubled his own tally and put his side 5-1 as King went through on goal but overan the ball, but it trickled to the waiting Warlow on the edge of the box and he was left with a simple finish. A quite frankly embarrassing opening half to the game from Paddy Atkinson’s side and a one that nobody can look back upon with any pride at all.

If Atkinson and Tom Wade were looking for a reaction in the second half they wouldn’t get it as the home side extended their lead even further with another set piece goal. It would be another King corner that was met by an unmarked Hines from ten yards out and he easily headed home. Spartans nearly had a goal through a set-piece of their own when Jones narrowly headed over a Dale corner. A quiet spell to the game saw neither side on top and play was disrupted by a number of substitutions from both sides but when the goals kicked in again it was only going to be one side getting them.

With ten minutes left on the clock Worksop grabbed their seventh as Conor Grant pushed a shot from King onto the bar and Mettam was the quickest to react to the loose ball and finished easily from eight yards out. The scoring would be rounded off on eight seven minutes as Towers broke away from midfield and flicked the ball past a rather exposed Wayne Buchanan to substitute Lee Beeson. He would make no mistake as he powered the ball past the advancing Grant from the edge of the box.

It was a night when nothing much went right for Atkinson and his side and even the things that did go right seem some what miniscule given the size of the hammering Spartans were given tonight. Nobody connected with the club will want to go through this sort of embarrassing defeat again and will be looking for a reaction from all concerned as Stafford Rangers travel to Croft Park this coming Saturday.

Spartans Man of the Match: Shaun Vipond

Blyth Spartans: Grant, Utterson, Kendrick(Hodgson 72), Buchanan, Jones, Hooks, Dale(Berj 68), Vipond, Farrell, Airey, McGorrigan(Mason 48) Subs not used: Maguire, Donnelly Scorer: Jones 18

Worksop Town: Bastock, Clark, Ludlam, Young, Miller, Hawes, King(Beeson 85), Towers, Denton(Menga 75), Mettam, Warlow(Burbeary 67) Subs not used: Wood, Shiels Goalscorers Denton 6, Hawes 9 and 49, Mettam 13 and 83, Warlow 29 and 32, Beeson 89