Surrendering the lead and the opportunity to gain three points were not the most pressing concerns for Blyth Spartans’ manager Mick Tait after the 2-2 draw at home to Stafford Rangers on Saturday.
Of much more importance to him was the distressing injury picked up in the game by midfielder Chris McCabe. Well into added time in the first half McCabe and the Stafford right back Andre Francis challenged for the ball in the middle of the pitch. The collision resulted in McCabe breaking both bones in his lower right leg.
Tait commented, “It was a high speed coming together. I couldn’t really tell if their player deliberately went in to foul Chris. I wouldn’t like to accuse the lad. But I had a word with Chris in hospital on Saturday night and he was not so charitable.
“Both the tibia and fibula are broken and unfortunately they are not clean breaks. He had his operation on Sunday morning to have the bones pinned. It’s terrible news for the lad who will be out for at least six months, but it’s more than just about football, this affects his whole life including his work plus he is going to get married in the summer.”
McCabe is crowd favourite at Blyth due as much for his affable persona off the pitch as for his highly combative attitude on it. His pugnacious play, closing down players, making tackles and scoring his fair share of goals have been a critical element in the Spartans’ set up for several seasons. He will undoubtedly be badly missed.
Tait has moved quickly however and hopes to bring in a new midfielder very early this week.
The match itself did little to raise Tait’s spirits.
Stafford took the lead on 19 minutes when the ball fell fortuitously for Wellcomme to score. Blyth had their chances but were wasteful in front of goal.
“I was disappointed with us the first half” said Tait. “We looked tired after a busy run recently. Yes we should have scored before, and after, Richard Pell equalised as half time approached. Paul Brayson who, before Saturday, had scored quite close to a goal a game in his 26 matches for us, missed a couple you’d have expected him to put away but that goal scoring record shows he takes the vast majority of this chances.”
Josh Gillies came on for the injured McCabe in the second half and was involved in the move which saw Ian Graham give Blyth the lead within a minute of the restart with a swift turn and low shot.
Dale had a chance to increase Blyth’s slender lead before Tony Dinning all too easily found space to fire past Norton. Much to Tait’s chagrin he felt Dinning should have been sent off when, already having received a caution, he body checked Michael Tait in what was a clear professional foul for which he should have been shown a second yellow card.
The game however did feature not only one dismissal but two.
Bizarrely Wellcomme was shown a red card with 20 minutes remaining.
Tait was confused. “He should never have gone,” he suggested.
“The ref thought he’d gone in with two feet but in fact he simply jumped to avoid a challenge!”
Within a minute Blyth’s Stephen Harrison was also heading down the tunnel for aiming a head butt. The Blyth boss was philosophical. “He didn’t actually butt anyone. It was just bravado but you do get sent off for what he did.”
Tait went with only three at the back when both teams were down to ten men, choosing to keep his strikers on the pitch in search of a winning goal.
“We didn’t get the goal we needed and my decision could have back fired as Stafford had their chances in the dying moments to snatch the points themselves but at least we got a point.”
Not only is a midfielder on Tait’s radar but a defender too with Pell, Gareth Williams, and Darren Craddock all carrying injuries. In addition Harrison is facing suspension.
Goalkeeper Mark Bell may be back in contention in a week or so having missed Saturday’s game with a sore foot.