Blyth FC vs Whitburn Athletic FC
1 - 0
01 April 2017 · Northern Football Alliance<br>BLUEFIN SPORT INS 2ND DIVISION
Away league match played on 01 April 2017.
Kicked off at 2:30 PM
1-0
vs Blyth FC
Away league match
After arguably our hardest working performance of the season last week we made the trip up the coats to take on Blyth FC. Whether we got a bit too big for our boots or whether we were still feeling the effects of actually putting in a shift for once, the performance that we’d hoped to have carried over in to this week’s game never materialised.
Pre-match we talked about setting standards and keeping them as high as we had from the Red Row game. And no matter who we were playing against those standards needed to be kept; might as well have been talking to a bunch of 2 years olds!!
We started like we were playing with lead boots on and let Blyth win every first and second ball. Unable to get the ball down and retain possession on a narrow pitch we decided to resort to hoofing it forward, which the Blyth back 3 were able to deal with more than comfortably. The inevitable Blyth goal came after about 20 minutes. The left wing-back coasted down his wing unmarked and drilled a low cross in to the box. The retreating Graeme Hannant attempted to clear but unfortunately ricocheted his right footed clearance off of his left leg, with the ball trickling in to the corner of the Whitburn net. With both keepers virtual bystanders for the first half an hour, the nearest Whitburn found themselves to the Blyth goal was from a succession of corners and free kicks. However, constantly poor set-piece delivery snuffed out any threat we looked to impose.
Our first attempt at goal came from a solitary Davey Conroy left foot strike from 25 yards which was easily held by the Blyth keeper. A wayward long range free kick from Blyth was the only other notable attempt at goal in a scrappy first half.
HALF TIME: 1 – 0
Half-time came and went, as did another uneventful beginning to the second half. To be honest there was nothing of any real note that is worth reporting in a drab second half that saw more throw ins, fouls and long balls that anyone should have to witness in 45 minutes of football. I was glad nobody had to pay to watch the game and to be brutally honest I’ve never been involved in a game where my keeper hasn’t had a save to make in 90 minutes, yet we end up losing still.
Credit to Blyth who worked harder than us and scrapped for everything and probably just about deserved the 3 points. A first win for them since October so fair play to all involved at the club, who continue to stick at it in their first season in the league.
Yet again one step forward and two back for the Whitburn boys! If that was meant to be an April Fools performance, it certainly wasn’t funny
FULL TIME: Blyth FC 1 – 0 Whitburn Athletic