Billingham Synthonia Reserves Cruise To 6-2 Victory Over Shotton Colliery FC Reserves

Written by professional pundit, Kane Warrick:

Billingham Synthonia Reserves welcomed Shotton Colliery FC Reserves to SRC Bede College on 15 November 2025 for a 1:30pm kick-off in a league encounter.

The home side produced a commanding display to secure a 6-2 triumph after a pulsating 90 minutes of football.

Billingham Synthonia lined up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, deploying three defenders at the back with Joshua Thornton centrally flanked by Tom Lea on the right and Bobby Johnson on the left. The midfield quartet consisted of Nathan Atkinson on the right wing, Ayden Mahachi on the left, with Liam Harman and Leighton Carberry occupying the central midfield roles. Just ahead of them, Kaden Lancaster operated as the attacking midfielder, supporting the two forwards Peter Jason on the right and Logan Stevenson on the left. The goalkeeper duties were handled by Liam Cuthbertson. The substitutes available were Franky Watton, Sonny Richardson, Luca Hearn, Ollie Mowbray, Connor Perry, Amani Clark, and Charlie Docherty.

The match began with Billingham Synthonia eager to impose themselves, though an early offside call was given against Ayden Mahachi in the second minute. Just four minutes later, a costly error from central defender Joshua Thornton threatened to unsettle the home side’s defensive composure. Despite this, Billingham’s attacking intent was clear as Mahachi tested the opposition goalkeeper with a shot in the 11th minute, followed by a probing effort from Peter Jason five minutes later.

Shotton Colliery FC Reserves struck first in the 18th minute with a stunning long-range strike from outside the box, fired with the right foot past Liam Cuthbertson, who could do little to prevent the opener. The goal injected confidence into the visitors, but Billingham’s response was swift. Mistakes from Nathan Atkinson and Ayden Mahachi in quick succession around the 23rd and 25th minutes gave the opponents some breathing space, while Peter Jason also faltered twice between the 27th and 30th minutes, including an offside flag.

However, Billingham’s resilience shone through when Joshua Thornton provided an assist for Leighton Carberry to equalise in the 29th minute, restoring parity. Tom Lea then came close with an attempt in the 32nd minute, but Shotton regained the lead with a goal in the 34th minute, keeping the contest finely poised.

Leighton Carberry was pivotal for Billingham, firing an effort just after the visitors’ goal and then capitalising on a Kaden Lancaster assist to level the scores again in the 40th minute. Despite another mistake from Peter Jason just before half-time, Billingham went into the break with renewed belief at 3-2.

The second half saw Tom Lea continue to press forward, attempting a shot in the 53rd minute, but Billingham’s Ayden Mahachi was again guilty of a defensive lapse in the 54th minute. Nevertheless, Billingham took control as Nathan Atkinson scored twice in quick succession, in the 63rd and 69th minutes, turning the game decisively in their favour.

Substitutions began in the 75th minute with Franky Watton replacing Peter Jason and Sonny Richardson coming on for Logan Stevenson. The changes paid immediate dividends as Watton scored in the 76th minute, assisted by Mahachi, followed by another goal from Leighton Carberry, again set up by Lancaster, just a minute later.

Further substitutions followed with Luca Hearn replacing Carberry in the 78th minute, Ollie Mowbray and Connor Perry coming on for Lancaster and Harman respectively in the 81st minute, and Amani Clark taking over from Atkinson in the 82nd minute. Liam Cuthbertson was forced off injured in the 84th minute, with Harman stepping in as goalkeeper, while Charlie Docherty replaced Tom Lea a minute later.

Despite the goalkeeper change, Billingham Synthonia Reserves maintained their dominance and closed out the match with a comprehensive 6-2 victory over Shotton Colliery FC Reserves, showcasing attacking flair and resilience after an early setback.