After the goal-shy team of early season, Bishop Auckland Town have begun to find their goalscoring boots taking their tally to 13 in the last 2 games and yet another convincing team performance. With injuries hitting 4 players and the squad thin, a trip to Eaglescliffe was not an easy task on the heavy pitch. This proved to be the case after just a minute of the game as the defense switched off for a long ball and the resulting powerful shot saved well with one hand from keeper Cleminson, although the rebound from 3 yards out could not be missed. This seemed to rock the visitors for a short period with posession poor. But they came back strong and should have equalised when Knowles was played through - his shot only hit the side netting. They were level however a few minutes later as a through ball from Carr found Knight whos first effort was well saved before the follow up also pounced on. The could have taken the lead a could minutes later when a similar ball was well chipped by Knight, beating the keeper but narrowly bouncing wide. The lead was taken however in style after a wonderful deep cross from Simpson allowed Walton to swivel and stroke the ball home over his shoulder to take the lead - his first goal for the team! Advantage was increased minutes later in a game they were begining to control after a captain Matthew Ellisons free kick from wide left was brilliantly met by vice-captain Gill, who powered home the bullet header! Carr also came close after a jinky run and his shot-cross going just wide, and Walton striking a good freekick and forcing the keeper to tip just over.
Town started the second half slowly and were pegged back in the early stages to make it a nervous first 20 minutes, but the defending back 3 were once again solid and giving very little away. The nerves were lifted however with a contender for goal of the season from Knowles. Having picked the ball up 30 yards out he unleashed a piledriver effort that was pinpoint straight into the top left corner! From this point it was all Town and they increased their lead further with another wonderfully well controlled finish from Knight - a first time cross at pace from the ever present Carr giving Knight the task of controlling his finish first time with the left foot into the bottom corner (this another early contender surely for very different reasons). The roles were reversed 7 minutes later as a Knight cross from the right allowed Carr to bury the finish with his right! Knight could have got his second hatrick in as many games had his foot been an inch longer after an inswinging throughball from Thompson was narrowly missed. Thompson himself could have even been amongst the goals had he got it head up and shot with the Eaglescliffe goalkeeper a mile off his line! Town in this period also hit the bar and a number of other chances fell to Tom Knight with each one just being forced wide or questionably being called offside.
A comfortable victory in the end against a good opposition, but very well fought for!
