Saturday 26th September
FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round
Attendance – 507
Blyth Spartans
Craig Turns, Stephen Harrison, John Brackstone, Michael Tait, Gareth Williams, Darren Craddock, Josh Gillies (Sub Rob Dale 64 Mins), Stephen Turnbull, Paul Brayson (Sub John Alexander 88 Mins), Ian Graham, Simon Todd (Sub Adrian Webster 77 Mins).
Subs Not Used – Kenny Boyle, Mark Doninger & Mark Bell.
Ossett Albion
Neil Bennett, Tom Harban, Kyle Cook, Damian Hopkins, Lee Connor, Ryan White, Andrew Catton (sub Marc Thompson 58 mins), Michael Senior (sub Martin Allison 67 mins), Gareth Hamlet (sub Duncan Bray 83 mins), Tom Parker, Shane Kelsey.
Subs Not Used – Ben Small, Rikki Popplewell, Eddie Hague, Joe Thornton.
Spartans entertained UniBond 1st Division North outfit Ossett Albion to Croft Park, in the Spartans first FA Cup game of the season.
The visitors rued not taking one of their three chances, all within 90 seconds, as Craig Turns denied Kyle Cook and bad boy Ryan White before a strong run down the left by Stephen Turnbull ended with Michael Tait steaming in to plant a close in sidefoot volley past the keeper on 29 minutes.
Tait made it 2 squeezing in a low shot from 6 yards taken a deflection off defender Damian Hopkins 2 minutes later and a handy lead for the home side at the interval.
Well, at half time with Blyth 2 up the second half ended up with a mad last 25 minutes with Spartans grabbing 5 more, an Ossett dismissal and 2 major flare ups-the usual FA Cup mix?
Spartans started well on the resumption but Ossett pulled one back when an up and under freekick was palmed away by Turns but with a host of bodies in the area Shane Kelsey smashed the loose ball high into the net on 51 minutes.
Ossett defender Lee Connor, having just been booked for pulling back Paul Brayson out wide left paid the price for doing it again, much more centrally, after the assistant finally persuaded the referee that a foul had taken place-red card and within seconds Steven Harrisons ball out to Ian Graham ,wide right, was whipped across and Tait produced a carbon copy of his first to make it 3-1 on 63 minutes.
Tait was involved in a set to with Ossetts White in front of the away dug out and when it all calmed down, surprisingly, only Tait got a yellow.
Then White clattered Todd, forcing him off injured, without even a free kick awarded creating another confrontation, this time with Tait senior.
Sub Rob Dales run and cross shot came back out to Tait and a half turn and left foot drive and 4-1 with 10 minutes left.
Dales chip across field, just inside the away half, left Brayson to run on neatly check, and calmly drive into the corner.
Graham then hammered in a 20 yarder with 2 minutes left before a disputed injury time penalty after sub John Alexander was up ended by keeper Bennett, was hit straight down the middle by Dale.