A rearranged League match Easington & it was a very good performance from the lads in what was a tough, entertaining & at times, frustrating game.
A goal-less first half may indicate a dull encountr but this was far from the case. The lads dug deep and looked defensively solid throughout the half, limiting Easington's opporunities. As an attacking force we looked stronger as the half grew on, creating numerous chance but somehow the ball wouldn't go in. Aaron McGregor suffered a bump to the nose and had to coe off after 10 mins with a nose-bleed but thankfully he was ok, he did make me laugh when he told me he was bleeding from both noses (meaning nostrils) ha ha. Carl came on to replace him and place a solid game in defensive midfield. After 20 mins Sam & Lewis were replaced by Niall & Azza, both Sam & Lewis would return in the 2nd half.
Half time 0-0
At the break, the lads looked a little down, they felt that they should be ahead, we told the lads to stay positive and that they had been playing really well, keep it up and the goals will come.
Well, the 2nd half was only 4 mins old when we deservedly took the lead, James pounced on a loose rebound in the box & forced the ball home 1-0. Things got even better 3 mis later when James grabbed his 2nd of the match - a nice set up by Mete & an unstoppable finish from James 2-0. We made a few more subs on 50 mins to balance the game time out & Easington looked to try and claw their way back into the game. They pressed forward more and we were caught on the back-foot few times however Alex dealt with the threats well but on 60 mins Easington got a goal back. It came from a corner and to be honest, defending set pieces seems to be one of our weak areas, the lads must be more determined and go 100% for the ball without fear, we hesitated and Easington didn't and so they got a goal that their determination deserved 2-1 & now a really nervy last 10 mins. Aaron McGregor to another knock and had to come off on 62 mins with Owen Crossley stepping in. Easington pushed forward looking for the equaliser & there were a few strange decisions being made in this last 10 mins, including a penalty being awarded to Easington when it seemd it was just a shoulder to shoulder challnge and nothing more but a penalty it was - tings got worse when Matt was very frustrated & and wrongly vented this frustration to the ref with bad language - the result was a straight red card, a big disappointment for us but you just can't rant and swear at the ref. For me, I felt we didn't deserve to be pegged back to 2-2 as I felt we fully deserved to win - fortunately for us, the Easington penaly taker didn't strike his effort well and it went over the bar - a let off ! in the dying seconds of the match we swiftly tunred defence into attack and broke quickly, Mete being clean through on goal, just about to strike a shot and he was brought down from behind by the defender, the result was a free kick and a yellow card. Azza who was the selected kick taker,gave the opportunity to James as it was going to be the last kick of the game & James superbly slotted it into the top corner for his hat-trick 3-1
Man of the match - James - was excellent up front and could have had more goals, well done.
In Summary - a very good match containing lots of highs & some lows but I felt we fully deserved the win. Some good performances, Rooksy & Mete looked good in new roles & Joe looked lively on the wing. With regards to the red card, we must have to wait and see if the Ref puts this to the FA or not, if he does then Matt will face a fine & a ban, not sure how many matches he will miss.
It'll be hard for Matt & the team but we must all take today as a learning curve - although we may not agree with the decisions the Ref makes, he is the Ref & the decision is final, everyone will need to keep their frustrations held back.
It'll be another tough match next week away to Harton & Westoe, who have still yet to lose a game this season so we must be 100% up for a competetive game.
