By Glen Maxwell
In association with:
ALAN McLEAN FCMA CGMA
Chartered Management Accountant
Evo-Stik Premier League
Saturday January 28 2017
Blyth Spartans 4-1 Matlock Town
A rampant Blyth Spartans ran out 4-1 winners against an equally impressive Matlock Town side, to extend their 100 percent winning run in 2017 to five games.
Luke Armstrong had put Blyth ahead in the 48th minute of this entertaining Evo-Stik Premier League encounter, before Marcus Dinanga scored his 14th goal of the season a minute later.
An outstanding point-blank save from Paul Woolston to deny Edward Cribley just after the hour mark proved to be the turning point of the game – as substitute Robert Dale and Jarrett Rivers doubled up within a minute soon after to swing the game in Blyth’s favour.
Having set up both wingers for their goals, Daniel Maguire was then rewarded for his efforts with a stoppage time strike, to wrap up a very valuble win – as a favourable set of results around the league helped extend Spartans’ lead at the top to eight points.
Blyth had hit Mickleover for seven in their last game and looked to get straight back on the goal-scoring trail within the first 60 seconds. Daniel Maguire shot from the right, but a block in the box took the sting off the ball for a grateful Philip Barnes.
Maguire was at his troublesome best once more just four minutes later, when he beat the offside trap and got in down the left. “Nipa” played a low cross towards Jarrett Rivers on the penalty spot, but put the ball too far behind the winger and the chance was gone.
When Rivers finally got his feet on the ball, he caused all sorts of bother in the seventh minute – as he squirmed his way past right-back Liam Marsden and into the box. Shooting low towards the near post, a scrambling Barnes was just able to get across and tip it around the post.
Spartans were well on top in the first 15 minutes, but a shout of handball from Stephen Turnbull soon after nearly resulted in an opener for the visitors.
Cribley played on while “Twinny” appealed and ran into the area, before shooting across Woolston from a narrow angle. Thankfully though, it ran wide of the far post.
Turnbull was once again in the thick of it on 21 minutes, when his corner was flicked on by Maguire at the near post. Ryan Hutchinson struck a fierce drive at goal, but Barnes pulled off a good save to palm it over the bar.
Matlock were struggling to carve out their own clear-cut chances, but they were nearly gifted a fortunate goal just two minutes later – after Damen Mullen got a block in on Niall McManus’ cross. The ball ballooned up off the makeshift left-back and appeared to be looping into the Spartans’ net, but Woolston did well to readjust and catch the ball above his head.
Town then had two half-chances to get themselves back into the game. Marcus Dinanga saw his shot blocked, before Cribley wasted a free header in the box by nodding well wide moments later.
Both sides continued to produce some scintillating football as the first half reached its conclusion, but neither side were able to produce a killer blow. That was until stoppage time, when a mistake from Nathan Buddle nearly saw Matlock take the lead.
Cribley dispossessed the centre-back and raced into the area, toeing the ball across to Dinanga as Woolston advanced off his line. Before Town’s top-scorer could find the net, however, Buddle had recovered to ricochet the ball off the striker and behind for a goal kick.
If both sides had struggled to create a real chance in the first half, then it was the complete opposite within the first five minutes after the break – as 0-0 quickly became 1-1.
First, a 18-yard shot from Sean Reid on 48 minutes looked to require only a simple stop from Barnes, but the keeper made a horror show of it. Spilling the ball into the path of Armstrong, the young striker happily fed on the scraps and blasted the ball home over the helpless Barnes.
The home side’s lead was to last a mere 60 seconds, however, as Matlock’s top scorer scored his 14th goal of the season with a fantastic individual effort.
Picking the ball up out wide on the right, he feinted not once but twice to beat Buddle. With the goal at his mercy, he fired across Woolston and into the bottom corner to pull Matlock back level.
A frantic start to the second half continued when Rivers picked the pocket of Marsden on 52 minutes just outside the Matlock area. He tried to pick out Maguire with a simple knock back on the by-line, but the ball was cut out before it reached the striker.
Two Turnbull free-kicks either side of the hour mark nearly put the host back ahead, but Hutchinson could only header his cross in wide. The midfielder opted to shoot from 25 yards soon after, but he was just off target when looking for the top corner.
If Blyth had been unlucky not to find the net, then Matlock rode their luck once more on 66 minutes – after Dinanga was picked out free in the area.
The forward laid the ball off to Cribley just a few yards from goal, but Woolston was able to produce a fantastic point-blank stop from his shot. That resulted in a goalmouth scramble, but a desperate clearance from Buddle saw the ball away to safety.
That save proved to be all-important for Blyth – as they re-took the lead with 11 minutes to go.
A great sweeping move from Blyth saw substitute Dale in the area with the ball at his feet. After putting the defender on the back foot and cutting inside, the winger found the back of the net via a deflection – despite only being on the field for a mere nine minutes.
Having watched one winger find the back of the net off a “Nipa” assist, the Croft Park faithful were then back on their feet within a minute of celebrating Dale’s goal. Maguire fed Rivers on the right and the 23-year-old produced an unstoppable rising effort from 14 yards to smash the ball home and assert the dominance of a rampant Spartans side.
Maguire had a helping hand in both late goals, so it was only fair that he was able to find the net himself in added time. Great work from Rivers led to him cutting the ball back to the striker, who gratefully tapped in to score his 14th goal of the season.
With five victories from five so far, the next test to Spartans’ winning start to the year will come at Ilkeston next Saturday.
Blyth Spartans: Woolston, Atkinson, Mullen, Turnbull, Hutchinson, Buddle, Rivers, Armstrong (Laidler 74), Maguire, Reid, Wrightson (Dale 70).
Subs not used: Cartwright, Pell, Wade.
Matlock Town: Barnes, Marsden, Green, Wright, Degirolamo, Wiley, McManus, Williams (Purshouse 70), Newsham (Morrison 63), Dinanga, Cribley.
Subs not used: Yates, Grocott, Acar.
Attendance: 682
Referee: Craig Dean
Spartans Man of the Match: Jarrett Rivers