Tuesday 10th August 2010, Skill Training Limited Northern League Division 2

Horden CW – Grant Herbert / Martin Langley / Liam Anderson / Lee Armes / Danny Parker / Sean Young / Danny Reeves / Shane Erskine / Anthony Hume / Anthony Davies (Michael Toth 77 mins) / Adam Cheung (Kevin Boddy 70 mins)

Substitutes not used – Christopher Rookes & Harry Taylor (only 4 subs)
Bookings - none

North Shields - Michael Robinson / Martin Graham / Daniel Patterson / Richard Goodman / Steven Robinson (Steven Swinyard 11 min Paul Watson / James Luccock / Mark Rasmusson / Femi Akinbolu (Mohammed Abdullah 46 mins) / Keith Douglas / Andrew Wright (Gary Cook 62 mins)

Substitutes not used – Andrew Bowman & Jonathan Hall
Bookings – Mark Rasmusson 53 mins

Referee – Mr R Cushing
Assistant Referee’s Mr I Owens & Mr A Powles


Horden Colliery Welfare were unfortunate not to share the points in what was an end to end encounter with the visitors from North Tyneside backed by their enthusiastic band of vocal supporters. Goalkeeper Grant Herbert made his debut for the Colliers along with a number of other players who made their home debuts for the club.

It was Horden who started the brighter, and in the 4th minute the advancing Lee Armes was cruelly tackled from behind by centre half Steven Robinson on the edge of the box. Danny Reeves took the resultant free kick which was parried by the keeper with Anthony Davies following up though his close range strike was deflected wide for a corner which Adam Cheung took and this was headed clear to the edge of the box with Reeves first to react and powered his half volley just over the bar.

Horden when on the attack dominated the play down the right hand side, with Cheung and Martin Langley involved in the build up play. In the 10th minute Cheung crossed to Anthony Hume whom advanced into the 6 yard box with the central defender brilliantly poking the ball wide when it looked like Hume would score for sure.

Lee Armes was again tackled from behind after a quarter of an hour by Watson whom like his team mate Robinson was very fortunate not to be booked. Though the 1st half was all counter-attacking football and from Reeves’s resultant free kick the visitors gained possession advanced forward quickly, Akinbula and Luccock combined in setting up Watson whose 12 yard shot took the slightest deflection off Danny Parker with the ball spinning goal bound and Douglas helping it on its way though he was in an off side position to the relief of the home contingent.

Both Horden forwards worked tirelessly throughout the 1st half, in the 17th minute the pair combined when Hume lost his marker to tee up Anthony Davies whose 25 yard shot was well saved by the keeper. A minute later Hume, this time set up Armes whose drive from just outside the box was again well saved by the keeper. Though Horden needed to thank their keeper Grant Herbert when he punched clear Rasmusson’s teasing cross come shot when Akinbula should have got to the ball first on the edge of the 6 yard box.

Reeves then advanced forward from a wonderful Shane Erskine pass and it needed another good save from the Shields' keeper when he pushed over the 25 yard drive.
Horden’s best move of the 1st half came in the 26th minute with a superb pass and move play, the effective Erskine played a square ball along the centre to Reeves who split the visitors defence with Cheung combining with Davies to set up Hume and his goal bound shot was once again deflected wide.

In the closing stages of the 1st half Horden came close to opening the scoring on a couple of occasions. The first when Davies won a corner which was taken by Cheung and this was cleared off the line with the keeper in no mans land. Couple of minutes later and again Hume led the line, shielding the ball from Herbert’s long goal kick which Armes advanced forward and was played in by Hume only to see his shot across the face of the goal go narrowly the wrong side of the post with the keeper beaten.

Though it was the visitors whom came the closest with a minute to go, the experienced Keith Douglas fired in a 30 yard free kick that hit the post much to the relief of the Horden players. Immediately on the counter Reeves beat two players in the centre of the park and laid the ball to the right for Davies to square to Armes whose shot from the edge of the box went just wide of the far post once again.

Really entertaining 1st half where either side could have been 3 goals up and just how it remained goalless I just don’t know.

Half Time Score – Horden Colliery Welfare 0 North Shields 0

Once again it was Horden who started the half the stronger, man of the match Lee Armes again involved in the action when his shot from just inside the area was again well saved by the keeper. In the 48th minute, Hume again came close when he got himself between the two central defenders only to see his powerful 10 yard drive brilliantly pushed round the post by the keeper.

After 53 minutes the visitors again hit the woodwork, Rasmusson put Douglas through and he again hit the post with his shot from the edge of the box.

The deadlock was broken in the 74th minute when the visitors took the lead, the lively Douglas picked out the advancing unmarked substitute Gary Cook who thundered in his 8 yard shot that gave Herbert no chance.

Horden responded well and so very nearly equalised in the 79th minute, Erskine’s corner from the right was brilliantly headed by the unmarked advancing Kevin Boddy and it needed a top class save by the excellent Michael Robinson to push it over the bar.

Erskine’s corner was cleared by Watson to Rasmusson whom, at lightening pace, advanced deep into the Horden area and found Cook whose shot appeared to fly across the face of the goal and James Luccock fired home to double the visitors lead.

Into injury time and both Hume and Boddy were unfortunate not to score, Hume just couldn’t get round the keeper whose out stretched arm cleared the ball from underneath Hume’s feet. The resultant corner taken by Erskine and just headed wide by Boddy in a carbon copy of a move 11 minutes earlier.

One can only feel for the Horden youngsters who gave it their all with no reward as they did deserve a share of the points.

Full Time Score – Horden Colliery Welfare 0 North Shields 2

Man of the Match

1st Lee Armes (though after being on the end of two crunching tackles this has taken its toll as he is injured for a month).
2nd – Anthony Hume (never stopped running in search of a goal for which he did deserve).
3rs – Shane Erskine (some really intelligent play in the centre of the park