South Shields vs Newcastle Benfield FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

Although the final is still nine months away the road to Wembley started for the league champions

today at South Shields. The home team had a great win by 4 goals to nil in midweek against Shildon one of the fancied teams for this years league title, so were in confident mood as Benfield had been well beaten by Billingham Synthonia by 5 goals.

Benfield started kicking with quite a strong wind behind them but it was the home team who started to boss the game in the early stages and Benfield were giving away quite a few free kicks with some rash tackles. It all changed in the ninth minute when the visitors broke away through Dean Nicholson who ran 50 yards and passed to Adam Scope who we all thought should have hit it first time, but he brought it back onto his left foot and we all thought the chance had gone and despite the challenge of a Shields defender managed to get the ball into the net with the help of a deflection to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

The home team were unlucky not to level the score after 13 minutes when good play by Chris Feasey saw his cross to Anthony Coe cleared off the line by captain and Radio Newcastle player of the year Kevin Leighton.

The home team fell asleep in the seventeenth minute when a long throw by Adam Scope went over the top of all the Shields defenders and Steven Young controlled the ball and hit a cross shot which Andrew Clarke in the home goal parried and Dean Nicholson followed up to put the visitors two up. The game then continued pretty level with any crosses being confidently dealt with by Andrew Grainger in the Benfield goal.

The visitors scored the third goal of the game when a silly challenge on Dean Nicholson who was facing away from goal saw him tackled from the back with the referee pointing immediately to the spot. Michael Chilton crashed the penalty into the top corner to make it 3-0 to Benfield.

With the game nearing half-time Benfield got the killer fourth goal, when another lightening break by Paul Antony saw support from Dean Fuller who then curled in a great cross to the far post where Steven Young controlled the ball and smashed it past the home goalkeeper to make the half-time score 4 nil to the visitors.

With nothing to lose Shields again started very sharply and within two minutes of the second half the most dangerous player for the home team Anthony Coe floated a cross in from the right wing and it ended up in the back of the Benfield net to reduce the deficit to three.

This obviously inspired the home team and they kept on attacking again mainly by Coe who set in three shots with the first two being easily held but the third produced a top save by the visiting goalkeeper.

Although this was happening it was not all one way traffic and as the home team had to attack this left holes at the back and Newcastle Benfield should have increased the lead when the move of the match saw Paul Antony play a one two with Chilton leaving him one on one with Clarke in the home goal but from the penalty spot he side footed past the post.

Adam Scope then had the chance to again score but he went for power rather than accuracy and it went for miles over the crossbar. With the game drifting away from the home team who kept on going for the whole of the match, it was fitting that the South Shields man of the match Anthony Coe should bring a great save out of Andrew Grainger in the ninetieth minute.

The Referee then blew the final whistle with Newcastle Benfield winning 4-1 and will now be playing at home on August 29th against the winners of Whitley Bay vs Dunston U T S.

MOM...Dean Fuller

Reporter: Allan Young