COLLIERS SPOIL ALNWICK’S PLANS

By Bill Gardner
Due to cupties there were only four league games in the Premier Division and Alnwick Town wasted the opportunity to nudge Gillford Park off the top of the table.
In the event the Town were beaten 2-0 by hosts Ashington Colliers as their opponents belied their current lowly status. The Colliers had beaten Alnwick 3-2 in the reverse fixture and completed the double with goals in 44 and 88 minutes both scored by Anthony Wright.
Shankhouse also failed in their mission to claim a top four spot and slipped down to sixth after losing 2-1 away to Cramlington Town. Stuart Hepple gave Cramlington an early lead but straight after the break Darren Naylor levelled for the visitors. Only five minutes remained when Andrew Scott grabbed the Town’s winner.
Postponements have prevented defending champions Walker Central from making their mark so far. But they’ve lost only once in the league and a 1-1 draw with Carlisle City at Sheepmount hoisted them up into fifth place with several useful games in hand. David Thompson gave the Central a first half opener but a reply from Chris Kelleher on the hour salvaged a point for City.
Following four straight defeats Wark turned the corner. Their 6-0 home win against Peterlee Town lifted them off the bottom rung which is now occupied by Murton. Jack Wanless’s goal gave Wark a slender interval lead before they stepped up a gear. Marc Nixon completed a second half hat-trick and Phil Thompson and Mark Elliott were also on target. And the troubled Newtowners have secured only a single point from their last five league games.
In the Bosch Power Tools Challenge Cup, the top quarter-final tie was between Cumbrian neighbours Gillford Park and Harraby Catholic Club who lifted the trophy last season. Gillford trailed twice to Harraby goals both scored by Ashley Combe but replies from Chris Grainger and Mark Armstrong earned them a reprieve. Extra time failed to settle the issue and Gillford emerged from the penalty shoot-out as 3-1 victors.
Blyth Town avenged an earlier league defeat by Heaton Stannington and emerged as 4-3 victors in their hard-fought cup-tie at Grounsell Park. Kevin Carr (2) and Chris Hutchinson were on the mark for Heaton but Blyth just edged it.
Patrick Allen got the Town off the mark in the first half with a 30-yard drive from Aaron Hicken’s pass and shortly after the interval Jeff Fuller scored their second. Running onto Chris Taylor’s cross he netted from close range. When Hicken scored from a chance set up by Carl Hetherington the tie seemed to be heading for extra time. But in the 90th minute Hetherington whipped in a great free kick and Fuller was there once more to head home for Blyth’s winner.
Murton’s drop to the foot of the table was compounded by their 3-1 Challenge Cup defeat away to Seaton Delaval who trailed to Karl Garside’s 10th minute opener. The home side snatched the lead with replies from Chris Anderson and Stephen Howes before half time and made sure with a late third goal put away by Craig Johnson.
Heddon gained prompt revenge for last weekend’s league defeat by Newcastle University and beat the Students 4-0 at Cochrane Park thanks to Dave Little’s opener and a hat-trick for Max Turner.

DIVISION ONE – CULLERCOATS KNOCK OUT CUP HOLDERS
In the First Division, two ties in the Pin Point Recruitment Combination Cup were down for decision and both Cullercoats and Wallington booked their places in the semi-finals. Cullercoats won 4-2 at home to last season’s cup winners Gosforth Bohemian Garnett with goals shared by Paul Towns, Stewart Wright, Joe Elliot and Steve Hart. Craig Ewart and Dan Corcoran replied for the disappointed Bohemians.
Wallington also made home advantage count by beating Berwick United 2-1. The two sides had featured in an earlier league draw up at Berwick but Wallington just shaded it this time. They had Ashley McAlpine and Sam Walton on target before Darren Cromarty finally got the Borderers off the mark.
Stocksfield, with a hundred percent record in their eight league starts, replaced Whitley Bay ‘A’ at the head of the First Division table. The Tyne valley outfit were comfortable 7-2 winners away to bottom rung side Red Row Welfare who are still pointless. Ben Pearson completed a hat-trick for the new leaders whose other scorers in a one-sided match were Phil Murray (2), Tom Finnerty and Anthony MacDonald.
Whitley Bay ‘A’ extended their unbeaten run top six games with a 3-3 draw away to Chopwell Officials but slipped down to second place. After having Dean Porter (2) and Mark Fenwick on target with Chopwell replying through Lee Brown, the Bay were leading 3-1 with only ten minutes to go. But their hosts staged a late recovery with strikes by Dave Fitzpatrick and Lee Best earning them a share of the spoils and hoisting them up into third spot.
After winning two games on the trot Gateshead Rutherford were brought back down to earth and were soundly beaten 5-1 at home by up-and-coming Northbank. Mark Worrall banged in all five of the Cumbrians’ goals with Rutherford’s single late reply coming from Danny Hill.
Percy Main have won all three of their home games so far and their latest success at Purvis Park was at the expense of Hebburn Reyrolle. Graeme Troughton opened the scoring for Reyrolle late in the first half and they led until the 70th minute. At that point substitute Sean Potts got the Villagers back on terms, firing home from a Jason Ritchie flag kick. Then, with seven minutes left and from another Ritchie corner, Tony Browell fired past Hebburn keeper Anthony McGowan for the Main’s 2-1 winner.

DIVISION TWO – HEXHAM CLOSE TO CAUSING CUP UPSET
There were four quarter-final ties in the Pin Point Recruitment Amateur Cup affecting Second Division sides with Forest Hall, Amble United, Amble Town and Benfield Chemfica all making progress.
Amble United had hammered cup hosts Hexham 6-0 up at Amble in an earlier league encounter but had to be content with a more modest 2-1 success this time. Lee Harker and Chris Moffitt struck to give United a clear interval lead but there were some anxious moments after Ian Strachan reduced the deficit for Hexham.
Amble Town did well to beat cup hosts Stobswood Welfare 2-1 and they simultaneously avenged a 3-0 defeat by the Welfare in the identical league game. Stobswood threatened a repeat when Matthew Graham fired them in front but Amble responded positively with two goals both scored by Dave Whenray.
Forest Hall ended the cup hopes of visitors Willington Quay Saints by winning 2-1 but it was a close thing. Kevin Baldwin gave the hosts the lead and it was doubled by Willington’s Stephen Telefoni when he steered the ball into his own net. The Saints threatened a recover after Gareth Pugh got them off the mark but the Forest defence held firm.
Despite having home advantage, Wallsend Boys’ Club failed to complete a league and cup double and instead were beaten 4-1 by Benfield Chemfica. Simon Bell was a lone marksman for the Boys’ Club while an own goal plus strikes by Liam Knowles (2) and Chris Jones made up Chemfica’s tally.
With the game between Tynemouth United and Whitley Bay Town postponed, there were only two league games going ahead in the Second Division. And South Shields United extended their lead at the top of the table to five points although second-placed Amble United have two games in hand. The Shieldsmen beat visitors Wallsend Town 1-0 to stretch their unbeaten sequence to seven matches. Their winner was put away in the 35th minute by Kyle Yorston who was red-carded in the 85th minute. Losers Wallsend had three players booked and are still seeking their first point away from home.
Wideopen & District are still in third place after losing their hundred percent away record. They were beaten 2-0 by a fast improving North Shields Athletic side which has lost only once in the last six outings. After a goal-less opening half Daniel Walton bagged a brace to get the points wrapped up for the home side.

THIRTEEN LEFT IN NFA MINOR CUP
In three delayed ties in the Northumberland Minor Cup involving Northern Alliance sides there were two failures and only one success. Seaton Burn bowed out after losing 3-1 at home against Whitley Lodge Baptist Church and Newcastle East End were beaten 4-1 by hosts Red Star Benwell.
Killingworth YPC Sporting however made comfortable progress with a 5-1 home win against North Sunderland thanks to goals supplied by Jorge Bollado (2), Anthony Burns, Kevin Westphal and Kevin Grahamslaw.
The Northern Alliance will now have 13 clubs involved in the third round of the Minor Cup on 6th December with the relevant pairings being: Amble v Procter & Gamble Cobalt;
Amble United v Killingworth YPC Sporting; Hexham v Cullercoats;
Newcastle BT v North Shields Athletic; Whitley Lodge Baptist Church v Wallsend Town;
Stobswood Welfare v Kicks Wallsend; Tynemouth United v Berwick Town;
Wallsend Town Reserves v Forest Hall; Whitley Bay Town v Killingworth YPC Town;
Willington Quay Saints v Blyth Town Reserves.