REED IS DELAVAL HERO

By Bill Gardner
Seaton Delaval who, after three defeats on the trot, hammered title-chasers Harraby Catholic Club 5-0 at Wheatridge Park achieved the weekend’s most impressive result. Steve Anderson fired Delaval into a fourth minute lead that was doubled only three minutes later by Connal Reed. And Reed turned out to be the home side’s hero when he went on to add a second half hat-trick to his goals haul.

This was a major set-back for third-placed Harraby who have two games in hand but featured in a goal-less draw with neighbours Gillford Park before their defeat by Delaval. They’re now trailing fifteen points behind current leaders Walker Central. And Walker retained their unbeaten home record by beating Blyth Town 3-0, only three days after hammering midweek hosts Wark 8-0.

Walker Central are four points clear of Gillford Park with a game in hand. And against Blyth, Paul Gardiner ended an hour of stalemate with his opener fired home from close range as he met a low cross from Michael Lamb.

On 83 minutes John Campbell doubled the Central’s lead and when Garry McCartney was fouled he smashed home his free kick, giving the Blyth keeper no chance. Then with two minutes to go Walker’s winning tally was topped up by McCartney who prodded the ball over the line from a chance set up by earlier scorer Gardiner.

In second place, Gillford Park are now Walker’s most potent rivals although they’ve played a game more and have a four-point gap to bridge. After drawing three games on the trot the Park got back to winning ways and remained unbeaten on their own patch after beating Ashington Colliers 3-0. Tyran Taylor opened Gillford’s account midway through the first half and Steve Skinner doubled their lead in the 55th minute. The Colliers battled hard but were killed off by Alistair Lang’s goal for their hosts eight minutes from the end.

Wark leapfrogged over Ashington and gave themselves breathing space in the basement by winning 3-2 at home to Alnwick Town. Three days after an eight-goal drubbing by Walker Central the Wark lads bounced back with goals by Marc Nixon (2) and Mark Elliott. Richard Brown and Ben Keenan replied for Alnwick but their earlier form has deserted them.

Cramlington Town moved up a notch to third from bottom after an impressive 1-1 draw with in-form visitors Heaton Stannington. After taking a second minute lead through Paul Joisce, the Town were unlucky to concede an equaliser to Heaton’s Andrew Weeks in the 80th minute.

Newcastle University’s games in hand could get them out of relegation trouble and they ended a run of four home defeats by beating Carlisle City 2-1. After losing 3-0 against Alnwick Town at Cochrane Park in midweek the Students picked up three precious points. City’s Jamie Heath cancelled out Martin Hill’s opener for the Students but Hill’s second goal settled the issue.

City’s Jamie Heath cancelled out Martin Hill’s opener for the Students but Hill bagged himself a late second goal to settle the issue.

With only a point separating them at the foot of the table both Murton and bottom rung neighbours Peterlee Town lost again to increase their fears of the drop.

Murton had Karl Jarvis putting them in front at home to Heddon but late replies from John Pearson and Joe Kerry earned Heddon a 2-1, verdict. In fact it proved to be a good week for Heddon who had beaten Seaton Delaval 2-0 at Bullocksteads a few days earlier with both of their goals on that occasion tucked away by Craig Horsfall.

Murton’s partners-in-trouble Peterlee also went down 2-1 away to Shankhouse who had Craig Johnson and Darren Naylor scoring on either side of the break before Jonathan Monaghan got the visitors off the mark.

Meanwhile, there were reports last week that neither of the league’s two applicants – Walker Central and Gillford Park – will be stepping up to the Northern League this year. Walker have evidently withdrawn their application while Gillford are unlikely to satisfy ground requirements.

DIVISION ONE – VILLAGERS JOIN THE FRAY
Seven wins on the trot have put Percy Main firmly in the reckoning in the First Division and they’ve leapfrogged over Whitley Bay ‘A’ into second spot behind clear leaders Stocksfield. And the Villagers could be set to deprive the Bay of a promotion slot.

The Main won 2-1 at Seaton Burn with goals by Joe Betts and Jason Ritchie (penalty) and followed up with another 2-1 success away to Newcastle East End. This time their scorers were Betts and Tony Browell with Gary Dixon replying for the East Enders.

To assist Percy Main’s cause, both of their top-of-the-table rivals Stocksfield and Whitley Bay ‘A’ slipped up. Stocksfield had beaten midweek visitors Northbank 2-1 thanks to strikes by Wayne Stewart and Phil Murray but were then beaten 4-3 at home by Gosforth Bohemian Garnett. Despite having Stewart and Ben Pearson (2) on target the league leaders were left empty-handed. The Bohs were impressive opponents and John-Paul McDonald and Harry Tulip bagged a brace each to just edge out their powerful hosts.

Goals supplied by Dean Porter (2), Jonathan Kew and Malcolm Morien earned Whitley Bay ‘A’ a 4-2 verdict on their visit to Hebburn Reyrolle in midweek. But three days later they were brought down to earth and suffered a 3-1 defeat at Hillheads administered by fourth-placed Killingworth YPC. Ian Lee netted for Whitley but Killy secured a deserved victory with their goals shared by Jorge Bollado, Lee Fairley and Kevin Grahamslaw. And Killingworth are now only two points behind the Bay with a game in hand to aid their late bid for promotion.

Having played fewer games than any other team in the division, Cullercoats are still aiming for a top two finish although their fixture backlog will test their stamina. The Seasiders were restricted to a 4-4 draw by midweek visitors Wallington who had Alex Slack (2) and John Angus (2) on the mark to cancel out the efforts of the Cullercoats marksmen Alex Burnett, Ben Gardiner, Craig Deighton and Rob Watson. But the Cullercoats lads were in more determined mood when they visited Berwick United and ran out 6-1 victors. Their goals against the Borderers were equally shared by Andy McColl, Alex Burnett, Sean Smith, Femi Akinbolu, Steve Hart and Ben Gardiner.

DIVISION TWO – AMBLE TAKE THE INITIATIVE
The ongoing battle between current leaders Amble United and rivals South Shields United for the championship in the Second Division was tipped in Amble’s favour last week. They collected maximum points from their two games and kicked off by beating strong visitors Stobswood Welfare 2-0 with first half goals for Ronnie Warwick and Sean Kelly. Another victory followed and Amble repeated the 2-0 score-line against their next visitors Wallsend Boys’ Club. On this occasion both of their goals were put away by Darren Riddell who took his personal tally of league strikes to nineteen.

In comparison, second-placed South Shields United started their week shakily and had to come from behind with goals by Kyle Yorston and Phil Enlund to salvage a point in a 2-2 draw with bottom rung hosts Tynemouth United. Things improved however and the Shieldsmen followed up by winning 2-1 at home to Stobswood Welfare as an own goal plus a Mark Davey strike extended their unbeaten run to eleven games.

The two pace-setters have the title race all to themselves and there’s a twelve-point gap separating them from Willington Quay Saints in third spot. The Saints are finishing strongly however and collected two more scalps last week. Visitors North Shields Athletic were their first victims and were soundly beaten 6-0. Glen Gallon scored four of the Willington goals with Gareth Pugh and John Foggett also on target. The Saints then visited lowly Tynemouth and won 3-0 thanks to goals by Gareth Pugh (2) and Chris Lowes. And while they are out of the running themselves Willington could sill have a big influence on who claims the title. This Saturday they are entertaining Amble United in what could prove to be a crucial encounter.

At the wrong end of the Second Division table Tynemouth United are propping up the rest with only four meagre points to show for their efforts in this campaign. Newcastle BT look likely to end up second from bottom and another two defeats didn’t help. They were beaten 1-0 by visitors Wallsend Town whose goal on the half hour was claimed by Paul McCutcheon. And hosts North Shields Athletic were BT’s next tormentors, winning 5-1. The Athletic’s marksmen were Glen Churchman (hat-trick), Matt Donkin and Simon Moslemi with John Baker replying for the losers.

Wallsend Town could save a largely disappointing season at Whitley Park this Friday night when they take on Blakelaw Crofters Lodge in the Ideal Stelrad NFA Minor Cup Final kicking off at 7-00 p.m.

EIGHT GOAL BLAST SINKS NEWTOWNERS

By Bill Gardner
Walker Central’s chances of a second successive title success in the Premier Division improved again as they hammered bottom rung visitors Peterlee Town 8-1. Peterlee, the only team to have beaten Walker in the league this term, were soon in trouble and were 4-0 down at half time.

During a goalmouth scramble, John Campbell opened the Central’s account and midway through the half their lead was doubled by Martyn McGonigal at the end of a flowing move. And things didn’t improve for the visitors who were hit twice more before the break. A 35-yard special by Craig Scott flashed into the Peterlee net and then Campbell claimed his second goal. This time he scored from fifteen yards when his chance was carved out by Michael Cave.

Straight after the change-over Ian Dunn joined the scoring spree and went on to complete a second half hat-trick for Walker who also had Dean Walker on the mark to complete their tally. Peterlee’s only response was a single 54th minute reply by Martyn Lacey. And with only five games to go to complete their season things are continuing to look black for the Newtowners.

Walker, still to be beaten at home, went two points clear of nearest challengers Gillford Park and have a useful game in hand. And Gillford, despite lifting the Challenge Cup in midweek and then extending an unbeaten run in the league to eleven games, came unstuck and only managed a 1-1 draw at home to Alnwick Town. Chris Grainger netted for the Park with Ben Keenan on target for the plucky Northumbrians.

Harraby Catholic Club, the only other team with a realistic interest in the championship race, stayed in third spot but were fortunate to beat visitors Ashington Colliers 1-0. Harraby have spilled nine vital points in their last six games and after a goal-less draw in midweek were lucky to win this one. The Colliers put on a great show until Ian Cummersky slotted in his 85th minute winner for the Cumbrians.

After winning three away games on the trot Seaton Delaval were brought to a halt by hosts Heaton Stannington who have only lost one of their last nine games. Heaton avenged an earlier defeat by winning 5-3 and Gary Yates bagged an early brace to give them a flying start.

Delaval however came back strongly to go in front with replies from Steve Howes, Craig Johnson and Connal Reed. But Joe Wear got Heaton back on terms and they went on to secure the points with two quick-fire goals by Adam Donaghey and Yates who completed his hat-trick in the 75th minute.

Both Ponteland United and Ashington Colliers have dragged themselves clear of the basement and, after beating Murton 1-0 at home in midweek, Ponteland won by the same margin on their visit to Newcastle University. Their winner this time was scored straight after the break by Marc Dummett to leave the Students fighting for their Premier Division future.

Murton are only one point better off than their Durham neighbours Peterlee at the foot of the table, despite winning 4-1 at home to Wark. Wark actually opened the scoring through Martin Hardy but his goal was cancelled out by Karl Garside’s spot kick before half time. And Murton wrapped up the precious points with later strikes by Garside and Paul Wintrip (2),

Cramlington Town remained in danger of the drop after their 2-1 defeat by Heddon at Bullocksteads. After seven home games without a win Heddon stopped the rot, scoring first and last through John Dunn and Liam Heenan. David Atkinson replied in vain for Cramlington.

Blyth Town became only the second team to claim the NFA Senior Benevolent Bowl in successive seasons with a 2-0 victory over league colleagues Percy Main at Whitley Park last Friday night.

A very scrappy encounter only came to life in the 75th minute when Joe Race put Blyth in front. Good work by Danny Beresford culminated in the award of a free kick which Race curled into the top corner of the net from just outside the area. Then with six minutes to go Danny Beresford’s goal ensured that Blyth held onto the silverware. From just inside the box and after dispossessing a Percy Main defender he found the net with a perfect right-footed drive.

DIVISION ONE – SEATON BURN SURPRISE LEADERS
As in the Premier Division, three teams – Stocksfield, Whitley Bay ‘A’ and Cullercoats, have retained hopes in the race for the title and possible promotion, although Percy Main could also figure in the final weeks after coming up on the rails.

Leaders Stocksfield, still with a clear seven-point lead, suffered a midweek shock in losing 2-1 at home to lowly Seaton Burn who had goals by Jonathan Wood and Stuart Taylor outweighing Ben Pearson’s strike for their hosts. But the Tyne valley table-toppers bounced back quickly to beat their next visitors, bottom rung outfit Red Row Welfare, 5-2. This time the Stocksfield scorers were Wayne Stewart (2), Sandy Tordoff, Ben Pearson and Josh Brooks with both of the Welfare’s replies coming from Paul Pescod.

Whitley Bay ‘A’ in second spot are only a point better off than third-placed Percy Main with the same number of games played. Percy Main took a rest after Friday night’s 2-0 defeat by Blyth Town in the NFA Senior Bowl Final while the Bay leapfrogged over them by winning 2-0 away to Berwick United. Goals by Jamie Lyndon and Malcolm Morien completed a league double over the Borderers.

In sixth place at present, Cullercoats had a week of mixed fortunes starting with their impressive 7-1 home win against Killingworth Y.P.C. Femi Akinbolu and Steve Hart bagged a brace each for the Seasiders whose remaining marksmen were Craig Deighton, Ben Gardiner and Peter Bradley. Three days later however the Cullercoats lads were beaten 2-1 by hosts Chopwell Officials who had Joe Bell and Rowland Lee on the mark to edge it after Stuart Wright claimed the goal for their visitors.

Cullercoats are still nine points short of a promotion slot but have four potentially-crucial games in hand. This week they were due to face Newcastle East End away, Wallington at home and Red Row Welfare away as they continue to tackle their fixture backlog.

Wallington won 4-2 at Red Row in midweek with goals for Jack Palmer (2), Sam Walton and Peter Southern but only managed a 1-1 draw with visitors Northbank last Saturday. Walton’s goal this time wasn’t enough and Martin Rickerby levelled for the Cumbrians.

In two games in the space of three days Killingworth YPC conceded twelve goals and after being hammered by Cullercoats they went down 5-1 to their next hosts Gateshead Rutherford. Jorge Bollado was their only scorer while Rutherford made it six home wins on the trot with strikes by Dan Robinson (2), Robbie Frame, Wayne Roberts and Ross Taylor.

Gosforth Bohemian Garnett lost 3-1 away to Berwick United before picking up a point from their 1-1 draw with visitors Seaton Burn who are still trying to escape from the drop zone. The Burn’s David Hewitt opened the scoring early in the second half but within ten minutes a rare goal for Danny Sherwood got the Bohs back on terms.

DIVISION TWO – HEAD TO HEAD AT THE TOP
Amble United are level on points with South Shields United at the head of the Second Division table, having played the same number of games. Amble have a vastly superior goals difference but their two victories last week were marginal affairs. After an early Paul White goal allowed them a 1-0 home win against strugglers Tynemouth United there was a 3-2 success at Hexham. Gavin Cox scored both of Hexham’s goals while Amble had to call on two substitutes to rescue them. Darren Riddell (2) and Ronnie Warwick netted after coming off the bench.

Joint leaders South Shields United were idle in midweek before a 4-4 action-packed draw away to Willington Quay Saints ended their winning streak. In a see-saw encounter Glen Gallon claimed a hat-trick for the Saints whose remaining marksman was Gareth Pugh. Aaron Kah (2), Tijan Kah and Kyle Yorston found the net to earn the Shieldsmen a share of the spoils.

Thirteen points are now separating the two table-toppers from their closest rivals but they’ll have to keep- an eye on Stobswood Welfare who are currently in fifth spot. The Welfare have four games in hand as they push for a promotion slot and could soon be overtaking both Forest Hall and Wideopen & District.
Stobswood had Chris Glass, Mark Sinclair and Michael Harmer finding the net in their 3-1 home win against Wideopen in midweek and followed up by beating hosts Newcastle BT 4-1 with goals shared by Dave Farrell, Kerry Shotton, Harmer and Chris Glass. Unbeaten in their last seven outings, the Stobswood lads seem set to finish with a flourish and were due to take on both Amble United and South Shields United this week.

A Mark Knights goal was all Forest Hall had to show for a 4-1 defeat away to Willington Quay Saints who had Mark Henderson (2), Stephen King and Glen Gallon finding the net. But the Hall’s luck changed when they visited Wideopen & District and this time they were on the right end of the same 4-1 score-line. A Michael Reay hat-trick took his Forest Hall tally to twenty-two goals. His colleague Matthew Smith also got his name on the score sheet while Wideopen’s replies came from Liam Jubb and Chris Sword.

Tynemouth United’s future in the Northern Alliance may be in doubt. They’ve become completely isolated on the bottom run with Newcastle BT and Amble FC above them. Tynemouth followed up their narrow defeat by Amble United with a heavier 7-3 punishment by visitors North Shields Athletic whose goals were provided by Matthew Donkin (hat-trick), man-of-the-match Glen Churchman (2), Dan Walton and Chris Connor.

Amble FC were beaten 1-0 at home by Benfield Chemfica whose winner was put away by Ryan Stobbard while Whitley Bay Town shared eight goals with visitors Wallsend Town.

SHORTER ODDS ON WALKER REPEAT

By Bill Gardner
Heddon had drawn five and lost three of their last eight league games but finally came good by beating hosts Newcastle University 1-0 and avenging an earlier defeat by the Students. It was a close thing however and Joe Kerry scored Heddon’s winner in the second minute of stoppage time.

Gillford Park, still in pole position, dropped crucial championship points when hosts Murton – at the opposite end of the table – restricted them to a goal-less draw. The result was welcomed by Walker Central who are now only three points behind Gillford with two games in hand.

Defending champions Walker helped themselves by beating fourth-placed Harraby Catholic Club 2-1 at Monkchester to retain their unbeaten home record. All the goals were scored in the opening half and John Campbell opened the scoring for Walker on the half hour mark with a great drive from the edge of the box.

Within another three minutes Campbell claimed his second goal to increase his side’s lead, aided by the strength of Ian Dunn when he met a cross from Michael Lamb. However, Harraby soon pulled a goal back and a mix-up in the home defence allowed Roy Holliday to unleash a shot which keeper Chris Bannon took the sting out of but the ball still managed to cross the line.

Alnwick Town have dropped out of the reckoning in the title race and lost 3-0 away to Blyth Town who are proving difficult to beat on their own patch. Chris Taylor opened the scoring midway through the first half during a goalmouth scramble.

Blyth’s lead wasn’t doubled until six minutes after the break and Jonathan Mann fired into the bottom corner when his chance was set up by Danny Beresford. And in the 59th minute the hosts added to their tally when Mark Waugh’s lofted ball into the area eluded everyone to find its way into the net. And the Blyth lads were looking forward to a big date this Friday, 17th April. As holders, they will be taking on league colleagues Percy Main in the Northumberland FA Senior Bowl Final at Whitley Park kicking off at 7-00 p.m.

Shankhouse leapfrogged over Alnwick into fifth spot but failed in their bid to make it five wins on the trot. At Northburn they drew 2-2 with Ponteland United who were pleased to salvage a point.

With former player Darren Naylor giving the Pont defence a torrid time a Shankhouse opener was always on the cards and after only 12 minutes when an unmarked Anthony Moran headed home from a corner kick. And three minutes later Shankhouse doubled their advantage from another set piece as Martin Bell’s free kick was headed in by Andy Sherlaw.

Ponteland hit back shortly after the change-over and Liam McIvor reduced the arrears who controlled a chipped pass from Phil Groom before slipping the ball past Shankhouse keeper Dave Dent. This goal gave Pont some added belief but suffered a blow when captain Craig Brown limped off injured. However United remained in good shape and in the 65th minute they got their deserved equaliser as a fine cross from Andrew Davidson gave Scott Fenwick his chance to head home at the back post.

There were changes in the bottom-of-the-table pecking order and Ashington Colliers and Cramlington Town both claimed rare victories to ease their fears of relegation.

Ashington ended a long lean spell with an impressive 2-0 success at home to Carlisle City to end a successful run by the Cumbrians. The Colliers secured the vital points with goals in each half claimed by Glen Bolton and Anthony Wright.

Cramlington took a leaf out of Ashington’s book and completed a league double with a 4-1 win against visitors Peterlee Town. David Atkinson and Stewart Hepple were on target early on for Cramlington and after Jonathan Monaghan hit back for the Newtowners a second half brace bagged by David Dormand proved decisive for the hosts.

Heaton Stannington extended an unbeaten run to five games with a 2-2 draw at Wark where their goals came from Kevin Carr and Aaron Jewell. Marc Nixon scored both goals for Wark.

DIVISION ONE – CULLERCOATS SUFFER ON TWO FRONTS
Cullercoats had a disappointing week in the First Division starting with a 6-2 defeat away to Gosforth Bohemian Garnett. And this set-back for their promotion hopes was followed by their 3-2 defeat by visitors Whitley Bay ‘A’ in the semi-finals of the Pin Point Recruitment Combination Cup. Steve Hart’s two goals for Cullercoats weren’t enough and the Bay booked their place in the final with goals shared by Chris Reid, Michael McMullen and Ian Lee.

Whitley Bay’s opponents in the forthcoming Combination Cup Final will be Red Row Welfare who, after a goal-less league draw at home to Berwick United in midweek, belied their league ranking to beat semi-final visitors Wallington 2-1. Lee Isbister claimed both of the Welfare’s goals with Peter Southern replying for the disappointed losers.

Stocksfield are still five points clear at the head of the table but showed their vulnerability in a goal-less draw away to Hebburn Reyrolle. But Percy Main had a great week and two victories took them into second spot although they may have left their charge too late.

Goals for Pierre Coiffait, Jason Ritchie and Joe Betts earned the Villagers a 3-1 midweek verdict against Newcastle East End at Purvis Park. And three days later the Main won 2-0 away to Gosforth Bohemian Garnett to extend their successful run. Their goals this time were tucked away in the second half by Jon McEnaney and Sean Potts.

Whitley Bay ‘A’ remained in third place, still in with a good chance of winning promotion and they have a game in hand of Percy Main. The other promotion contenders appear to be Killingworth YPC but they suffered a setback and shed two vital points on their visit to Northbank. In the resulting 2-2 draw Dave Glendinning and Mark Graham netted for the Cumbrians with Killy’s replies coming from Liam Callaghan and Peter Mulholland.

Newcastle East End bounced back promptly following their defeat at Percy Main and beat Saturday’s lowly visitors Berwick United 2-1 with goals by Paul Bright and Gary Dixon outweighing a Simon Hargreaves strike for the Borderers. And Chopwell Officials, rapidly running out of games, were 3-1 victors away to Seaton Burn. The Chopwell marksmen were Dave Fitzpatrick, Graham Clark and Rowland Lee before Dave Hewitt replied for the Burn who are still in danger of being relegated along with Red Row Welfare.

DIVISION TWO – FOREST HALL MAKE SEASIDERS SICK
Last Tuesday night at Hillheads, Forest Hall lifted the Pin Point Recruitment Amateur Cup by beating promotion seekers Amble United 3-2. Ross Gair bagged both of United’s goals but their cause was hit by a sending off late in the first half. Thanks to Michael Reay’s hat-trick Forest Hall claimed the silverware and Reay has now scored 28 goals in all competitions so far in this campaign.

Amble United’s cup final defeat was followed on Saturday by another blow and the second-placed Seasiders could only manage a 2-2 draw in the league away to North Shields Athletic. It took a strike by Darren Riddell to cancel out Glen Churchman’s goal for the home side.

Although Amble United have a game in hand they are now trailing five points behind current leaders South Shields United who are showing no signs of easing up. They’ve made a habit of winning and added three more points to their championship chest with a 3-0 victory away to Newcastle BT. Although a weakened BT outfit battled hard they were sunk by goals supplied by Tijan Kah and Kyle Yorston in the first half and Phil Ormond after the break.

South Shields and Amble United are now locked in an exclusive battle for the title with the Shieldsmen apparently holding all the aces. No other sides are within striking range barring a severe dip in form for the pace-setters and the likes of Wideopen & District, Forest Hall and Willington Quay Saints may be only vying for an ultimate third spot.

Willington Quay entertained Wideopen last Saturday and emerged as 3-0 victors thanks to strikes by Glen Gallon (2) and Mark Henderson. And Forest Hall followed up their midweek Combination Cup triumph with a 3-3 draw away to Stobswood Welfare. The Welfare had beaten hosts Amble FC 4-1 three days earlier when their goals were shared by Michael Hogg, Josh Hay, Matthew Graham and David King. But against Forest Hall hits by Hay, Kerry Shotton and Dave Farrell weren’t quite enough and the Hall grabbed a share of the spoils with replies from Michael Reay (2) and Michael Kennedy.

On the bottom rung in the Second Division and still seeking their first league win, Tynemouth United are suffering from a single goal defeat syndrome and they suffered two such set-backs last week. First they were beaten 2-1 by hosts Wallsend Town and then went down to a late Ben Harding goal for visitors Whitley Bay Town.

Amble FC however took a step towards safety after losing to Stobswood and they beat visitors Hexham 2-0 to move up to fourth from bottom. John Charlton scored his first goal for the cub to open Amble’s account and Adam Shanks later doubled their lead later on.

LEADERS MARCHING ON

By Bill Gardner
Four of the eight Premier Division games down for decision resulted in draws but leaders Gillford Park picked up maximum points to go three points clear of second-placed Walker Central. The Park retained their unbeaten away record by winning 2-0 away to Ponteland United.

With eight first team players unavailable through injury and illness Ponteland faced an uphill struggle and a first start was given to youngster Ricky Fenwick while local boy Chris Walpole was also in the starting line-up following his return to the club from Shankhouse.

As expected, Gillford posed the greatest threat in the opening stages with experienced brother Chris and Ian Grainger combining well. And the first goal for the Cumbrians after thirty minutes was a ‘route one’ affair. A long punt up field wasn’t dealt with by United’s central defenders and the when the ball fell kindly to Ian Grainger his squared pass was fired home by Mike Riding.

Gillford remained in charge after the break with the wind at their backs and after a couple of missed opportunities doubled their lead in the 65th minute. In a quick break down the right Riding crossed and Chris Grainger had time to pick his spot. David Redhead and Craig Daglish tried hard to keep Ponteland going but the difference in confidence between the two sides was perfectly clear.

With a couple of games in hand, Walker Central extended an unbeaten run to fourteen games but had to settle for a 1-1 draw with hosts Heddon. John Pearson’s goal for Heddon promised a rare and much-needed win but in the 75th minute Craig Scott set up Dean Walker to equalise for the Central.

Seaton Delaval hitched themselves back up into third spot with a 2-0 home win against Wark whose recent successful run was brought to an abrupt halt. After a scrappy goal-less opening half Steve Howes opened the scoring in 65 minutes and only two minutes later Delaval’s lead was doubled by ex-Whitley Bay ‘A’ striker Andy Hay.
In fourth place, Alnwick Town did well to share the spoils from their 2-2 draw with Carlisle City over at Sheepmount. After winning six of their eight previous games Alnwick fell behind to City’s first half opener scored by Scott Priest and things looked bleak when Priest bagged his second straight after the break. But the Northumbrians rallied and two replies in two minutes by Gary Patterson and regular marksman Ben Keenan saw them salvage a point.

Harraby Catholic Club have at least four games in hand compared to the other sides at the top of the table but their title challenge was dented by their 1-1 draw away to Murton. Harraby fielded a weakened team due to work commitments and a virus affecting their squad but still went close to opening the scoring through James Earl and then Roy Holliday.
Murton also had their moments and Harraby’s keeper Andrew Casson blocked Steve Turner’s angled drive when he was put through by Jarvis. But Harraby took the lead after 25 minutes when Mike Swift’s corner from the left deceived the home defence to creep into the net at the back post. 

The home side equalised after 77 minutes and, when a right wing corner was headed back across goal by Steve Turner, Andrew Upperton scored from ten yards out. And although Brett Swift was inches away from claiming a last minute winner for the Cumbrians a draw was probably the fairest result.

Ashington Colliers are level on points with Cramlington Town at the foot of the table although the Colliers have played two games less than their partners-in-trouble. Both lost to compound their relegation problems and Ashington were beaten 3-0 at home by Heaton Stannington. Heaton made it five wins in six outings with goals supplied by Kevin Carr (2) and Gary Yates.

Cramlington Town meanwhile suffered a fourth successive defeat away from home and lost 2-1 against Shankhouse. First half strikes by Shankhouse’s Paul Armstrong and Craig Johnson put their visitors on the back foot and, although David Atkinson reduced the deficit straight after the change-over, Cramlington continued to be thwarted in their push for a leveller.

Newcastle University moved up a couple of notches in the basement after drawing 1-1 with hosts Blyth Town. Chris Lisle opened the scoring for Blyth after 17 minutes after racing onto Danny Beresford’s lofted pass and curling his shot round the keeper. The Town’s slender lead survived until the final minute of the game when Marc Levine got the Students back on terms.

DIVISION ONE – RED ROW MAKE THEIR POINT
A weakened Wallington side still managed to beat Chopwell Officials 2-1 and clinch their sixth successive First Division win at their base at Scots Gap. Ashley McAlpine scored both of Wallington’s goals with Andy Smith hitting back with his tenth goal of the campaign for fourth-placed Chopwell.

After a midweek defeat at Whitley Bay, Red Row Welfare secured only their fourth league point by drawing 1-1 with hosts Berwick United who are only two places above them at the foot of the table. Mike Robinson’s opener for the Borderers was cancelled out by Ben Lavender’s reply for the Welfare.

The race for promotion in the First Division is involving about five teams. Cullercoats and Killingworth YPC face fixture backlogs to wade through while the other front runners are Stocksfield, Whitley Bay ‘A’ and late developers Percy Main.

Having played fewer games than any other First Division side, Cullercoats made it three wins on the trot by beating hosts Seaton Burn 3-0 but the score didn’t reflect the action in what was a close encounter. David Owen opened the visitors’ account but it took a Femi Akinbolu brace which included a penalty to take the heat off the Seasiders.
If Killingworth YPC manage to turn their spare games into points they can still figure in the promotion battle and they’ve won their last four home games. Latest victims Gateshead Rutherford are poor travellers and were beaten 2-1. Killy’s goals were supplied by Daniel Smee, with his eighth of the season, and Frankie Di Pietro while Neil Patterson replied for the losers.

Stocksfield still have a six-point lead at the head of the table but their hundred percent home record was ended and they were defeated 2-1 by Percy Main who slipped into third place. Only beaten once themselves in their last ten encounters, the Main battled hard for this result which precisely avenged their earlier loss at Purvis Park.

In a game in which six players were booked – one from Stocksfield and five for Percy Main – the Villagers were fired into a 54th minute lead as Joe Betts punished an error by the home keeper. The lead was doubled very promptly when Jonathan McEnaney scored from one of Pierre -Luc Coiffait’s trade mark long throws which was headed on by Kris Carr. Only a minute remained when Stocksfield replied and a terrific cross from Wayne Stewart was turned in by Phil Murray at the back post.

Whitley Bay ‘A’ had a fruitful week, winning on Wednesday night and again on Saturday. In midweek they beat lowly Red Row Welfare 3-1 at Hillheads with goals shared by Craig Smith, Darren Reay and Ian Lee. And they followed up by claiming another 3-1 verdict on their visit to Gosforth Bohemian Garnett three days later. This time Dean Porter (2) and Ian Lee supplied the goals with Darren Campbell replying for the Bohs.

After losing three games on the trot, Northbank shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw with visitors Newcastle East End who have won only once on their travels this term. Dave Glendinning and Mark Worrall netted for the Cumbrians and the Eastenders’ replies came from Gary Dixon and Dieu-Donne Lomana.

DIVISION TWO – SEASIDERS STUNG BY THE WELFARE
Leaders South Shields United and second-placed Amble United have cut themselves loose from the chasing pack in the Second Division and are becoming favourites for promotion. While South Shields were lying idle they were heartened by news of Amble United’s 1-0 defeat by hosts Stobswood Welfare. For the first time this term Amble failed to find the net and the Welfare harvested the points with an 82nd minute strike by Mark Sinclair and they are yet to be beaten on their own patch.

Wideopen & District in third spot are the nearest challengers to the two pace-setters but shed two more points as they featured in a goal-less draw with hosts Wallsend Boys’ Club. A teenage side performed well for the Boys’ Club and they almost claimed a late winner. In the dying seconds it took a tremendous save by the Wideopen keeper to deny Rob Nolan.
Before taking on Amble United in the Pin Point Recruitment Amateur Cup Final at Hillheads, Forest Hall were beaten 1-0 by Willington Quay Saints. After winning three home games on the trot the Hall were brought down to earth by Wesley Fidler’s winning strike for their visitors.

At the wrong end of the table Tynemouth United have become completely isolated on the bottom rung with only three points to their credit. And, in a bottom-of-the-table tussle with fellow-strugglers Amble FC, United were narrowly beaten 1-0 with Carl Sayer scoring the game’s only goal midway through the second half.

Lying second from bottom there was no luck either for Whitley Bay Town and they were beaten 2-0 at home by Hexham. This was only Hexham’s second away win and it was secured before half time. Scott Coates opened the scoring direct from a corner kick and the lead was doubled with a clever lob by Iain Strachan.

NFA Minor Cup finalists Wallsend Town had lost four home games on the trot prior to the visit of North Shields Athletic but Stephen Dodd bagged a brace to earn the Town a point from a 2-2 draw. Meanwhile, Newcastle BT suffered a fourth successive defeat and went down 4-2 against visitors Benfield Chemfica. Chemfica were two goals up after only five minutes thanks to Damon McGrattan and Mike Smith. Replies from BT’s Simon Mattick and Dave Thompson got them back in the game but a second half brace bagged by Andy Smith settled the issue in the visitors’ favour.