In association with:
ALAN McLEAN FCMA CGMA
Chartered Management Accountant
Blyth Spartans 0-2 Marine
Evo-Stik Northern Premier League
Croft Park
Saturday 25th April 2015
Attendance: 467
A slow start to the game ensued but it was the visitors who struck the first blow in the tenth minute as they took the lead with a goal from Lloyd Elams. A long throw from the left hand side by James Short caused problems in the Spartans back four and the ball fell to Ellams, allowing the winger to turn and fire into the far corner of Nick Thomson’s net and although the Spartans keeper got a touch he couldn’t prevent the ball nestling in the back of the net.
That lead was doubled in the twenty second minute as Ellams grabbed his second of the game and doubled his side’s lead. Again it came down the left as Karl Clair broke in the area and took advantage of a slip by Alex Nicholson. He then rolled back to Ellams and the winger struck the ball into the roof of the net from around the same distance as his first strike.
In front of an increasingly frustrated Croft Park crowd Spartans finally created a chance five minutes before the break as Matthew Wade broke forward from midfield. As he found a yard of space just outside the Marine area the midfielder flicked a lovely ball in behind the visitors back four to find Dan Maguire but the in-form striker dragged a left foot effort well wide of the far post.
Nick Thomson was further tested as the visitors looked to increase their advantage. The Spartans keeper produced comfortable saves to deny Andy Owens and Lloyd Ellam with shots from around twenty yards out that were awkward, rather than difficult tests for the Thomson.
That was the sum total of Spartans attempts to come back from deficit gained by their visitors overwhelming desperation to stay in the divison, rather than Spartans taking the upper hand with their attempts to get into the play-offs.
Spartans: Thomson, Nicholson, Mullen, Parker, Turnbull, Hooks, Richardson, Dale, Maguire, Wade, Hawkins Subs not used: Rivers, Davis, Lynch, Wearmouth, Jeffries Goals:
Marine: Cooper, Wainwright, Short, Willis, Foley, Nicholas, Ellams, Clair, Owens, Menagh, Codling Subs not used: Bembo-Leta, Owens, Whyte, Peers, Mitchison Goals: Ellams 10 and 22
Referee: Danny Markham