Blyth Spartans manager Tom Wade paid tribute to striker Dan Maguire after his brace against Whitley Bay took him to a half century of goals at the club.
The former Seaton Delaval player was an unknown commidity when he was brought into the club by former manager Tommy Cassidy, on the recommendation of Wade himself. Now just over two years on Maguire is an invaluable member of the Spartans squad and Wade was delighted to see a player he has known for a long time acheive so much.
“I recommended him to Tommy Cassidy and it’s safe to say people didn’t know a lot about him but I’ve seen him play for years now and knew he would do well. He didn’t really get a game under the previous managers and when I came in we started to play him more.
He has really stepped up and I don’t think it’s too far to go by saying he has been an absolute revelation. He is a top player and we love having him about the place”
For a long time it looked like Wade’s side would be facing a shock exit from the Northumberland Senior Cup at the hands of the Northern League outfit. An early Robbie Bird goal had put the Bay ahead and it wasn’t until a minute from the end of normal time that Spartans drew level thanks to a goal from Damen Mullen.
That forced the tie into extra time where Maguire took centre stage with two goals that finally saw off the dogged Seahorses and sent Spartans into a second consecutive final, where Morpeth Town will provide the opposition.
The Spartans manager was frank in his assessment of his side’s display and admitted that it was a “tired performance”, although he has already turned his attention to Saturday’s Evo-Stik Northern Premier League fixture at Rushall Olympic.
“We wanted a high tempo and in spells we got it but overall it was a tired performance. We got complacent and the levels dropped, at times it was like a training session but once we got that equaliser I always thought we would win the game.
“It did seem like it was going to be one of those days and as if the goal just wasn’t going to come but we got there in the end. Now the challenge is to get ourselves back up for a very tough game at Rushall on Saturday, which I am sure we will manage to do”