Nash ‘delighted’ as Spartans overcome Blue Star in FA Cup
Marc Nash praised his side’s patience after Blyth Spartans secured their place in the next round of the Emirates FA Cup with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle Blue Star at Croft Park.
Second-half goals from former Blue Star striker Dan Lanning and Jack Foalle eventually separated the sides after a competitive opening 45 minutes in front of a crowd of 1,080.
Nash felt Spartans deserved their victory after controlling much of the game, particularly following the interval.

“I thought we started really well and for the first 20 minutes we were on top,” said Nash. “They had their moments on the counter and then probably grew into it towards the end of the first half, but overall I thought we were the better side.”

Blyth almost made their strong start count after 13 minutes when Lanning lifted an effort beyond goalkeeper Phil Mills, only for the ball to be cleared off the line.
Blue Star offered a reminder of their threat 11 minutes later as Jakub Zych’s outside-of-the-boot effort forced Mauro Asikaogu into an excellent acrobatic reaction save.
The visitors enjoyed their best spell towards the end of the half, but Nash was pleased with the response he saw from his side after the restart.

“At half-time we just spoke about being patient and continuing to do the things we were doing well,” he added. “We knew if we kept moving the ball and getting into the right areas that chances would come.”

Spartans went on to dominate much of the second period, with midfielder Robbie Spence unfortunate not to break the deadlock after finding himself in dangerous positions at the back post from a number of corners.
The breakthrough eventually arrived with 15 minutes remaining.
Lanning drove into the penalty area before chopping onto his left foot and digging an effort towards goal, which took a deflection on its way beyond Mills.
For Nash, who previously managed Lanning at Blue Star, there was something very familiar about the finish.

“It's classic Dan,” said Nash. “Hopefully that gives him a bit of confidence now. Strikers want goals and I’m delighted for him because he’s worked hard and hopefully that can be the start of a good run for him.”

With Blue Star searching for a route back into the tie, Blyth continued to push for a second and Foalle eventually put the contest to bed in the 87th minute.
The forward found space inside the penalty area before calmly tucking his effort into the bottom-left corner to secure Spartans’ progression.

Nash said: “Jack’s got that quality. When he gets himself into those areas you back him to finish, and he’s done that. It was a really composed finish and it gave us that bit of breathing space at the end.”

The result sends Spartans into the next round and gives Nash’s side a winning start to competitive action at Croft Park.

“The FA Cup is a special competition, so important to progress with the prize money, and ultimately the job today was to get through,” Nash added. “To do that in front of more than a thousand people at Croft Park was brilliant, and hopefully we can give them another cup day to look forward to with Morpeth coming here, hopefully another big crowd”

Spartans’ next game is against Dunston UTS at Croft Park on Tuesday 11th August, with a 19:45 kick-off.

Match photos

A selection of match action images by Paul Lynch.