“I’m in awe of the character of the players,” said Blyth boss Tom Wade after witnessing his side’s remarkable comeback in their 4-3 victory over Stourbridge on Saturday.
“We started the game a little bit flat, “he said. “That was probably down to playing on heavy pitch midweek at Frickley with only ten men for a lot of the time but the way we went on to beat Stourbridge was phenomenal.
“Stourbridge are one of the best sides we’ve played. They’ve had great cup runs this season and when they catch up with their games in hand they will be well up the table. They are strong, experienced and have quality across the park.
“We didn’t help ourselves with the two goals we gave them but when we got it back to 2-2 there was only ever going to be one winner. We should have defended better on their third goal but we reorganised and became stronger. The belief the players have in themselves is fantastic. We have a strong siege mentality here.
“To say the final, winning goal was a sensational conclusion to the game would be an under-statement.”
Blyth lost lone striker Daniel Maguire in the opening minutes with a knee injury. He is likely to miss the Christmas and New Year fixtures.
Wade commented: “Losing Nipa [Maguire] was a blow. There’s only one Nipa, but Sean Reid was my Man of the Match. We’ll just have to play a bit differently without Nipa. We’ve had all sorts of obstacles thrown at us and this is another but we’ll deal with it.”
The Spartans manager had a word for the fans.
“They gave us good backing on Saturday and I know they will over the festive fixtures. On behalf of the players and management I’d like to wish all the supporters a great Christmas and a very Happy New Year!”