Newcastle Benfield vs Shildon

A tough game was expected with today's opponents as Newcastle Benfield had not beaten them in the league in three seasons and they had Warren Byrne in their team who scored over forty goals last season. The home team included Chris Carr, Shaun Bell, Paul Willary and goalkeeper Scott Pocklington who were all making their debut.

Both teams started brightly and it was the home team who opened the score in the fourth minute, when a Dean Fuller free kick was met at the far post by Chris Carr who buried a header into the net at the far post to make it 1-0.

Benfield continued to battle well against a good footballing side and struck again in the 16th minute when Chilton passed to Young who chased the ball down with Brumwell the Shildon defender who then collided with his goalkeeper and the ball broke loose to Michael Chilton who side footed the ball into an empty net from the edge of the penalty area.

Paul Willary then had two opportunities’ to score but his first went high over the cross bar but good build up between Young & Chilton saw Willary just shoot inches past the far post. At this moment Shildon were relying on set pieces to try to score but young goalkeeper Scott Pocklington dealt confidently catching and punching well under pressure.

Shildon's first real chance to have a shot at goal came in the twenty-fifth minute with a free kick on the edge of the Benfield penalty area but to the disappointment of the Shildon fans it hit the wall and ballooned up into the air and Pocklington tipped it over for a corner.

The home team nearly added to their total in the thirty-sixth minute when a corner was cleared out to Willary and he controlled it and hit a shot which hit the post and within 3 minutes Shildon halved the lead when Sam Garvey played a one two in the penalty area and hit a firm left foot shot past the goalkeeper to make it 2-1 which was the half time score.

The first fifteen minutes of the second half were pretty even but Shildon were playing football which looked nicer on the eye but things changed in the sixty-second minute when within the space of three minutes substitute Karl Everitt made two late tackles and was dismissed from the field for two yellow cards.

Chances then fell to both teams when firstly Byrne was denied by an instinctive close range save by Pocklington and then Shaun Bell shot narrowly wide. From then on the ten men of Shildon then took control and had the majority of the possession and started to be a bit more direct and although they got more balls into the home penalty area they never created any clear chances.

With ten men and going for the equaliser Shildon were leaving gaps at the back and this was expertly exploited by Steven Young who timed his run perfectly from his own half to run clear and confidently slot the ball past Keith Finch in the Shildon Goal to make it 3-1.

Despite this set back Shildon still kept coming forward and should have scored in the eighty-fifth minute when a cross from Byrne was met by Tinkler six yards out but he shot very weakly straight at the goalkeeper, the whistle soon went with Benfield winning by threegoals to one.

MOM… Chris Carr.

Reporter: Allan Young