This was a very entertaining game for the neutral observer but torture to watch as a manager of one of the teams. The brutal honest truth of the matter is that Sacriston threw away 2 points having twice given up the lead with self inflicted mistakes but fair play to East Rainton for getting back into the game and they showed good spirit not to give up on the game.
Sacriston started the game really well and were quickly out of the blocks pressing high up the field and forcing all the early chances and pressure on the East Rainton goal.
Gary Draper got into a good shooting position but his shot was saved from 14 yards out by the East Rainton keeper. Sacriston then took the lead when a cross from the right was put into the box where Sean Gregory headed his effort off the post but Ward did well at the back post to squeeze in his shot in from the rebound at the far post.
Ward doubled Sacriston’s lead 1 minute later when a ball was played by Gary Draper over the top where Ward who was easily second favourite to get there put pressure on the East Rainton defender and he dispossessed the defender before turning towards goal and he lifted the ball superbly over the keepers head and into the roof of the net.
At this point the result didn’t look in doubt and Sacriston kept pouring forward but didn’t get the 3rd goal and started to become to care free with the ball trying fancy flicks and wasting possession at times. On 15 minutes Marc Bladen charged up field with the ball out of defence before injuring himself after challenging for the ball and from this point until the end of the first half the Sacriston defence all of a sudden started to look very shaky and it was from here where the mood of the game started to change.
We had already had one warning sign on 13 minutes when an East Rainton player ran straight through the middle unchallenged before having his shot well saved. Then on 31 minutes the same East Rainton player got through the middle of a very square and static defence again but this time made no mistake with the finish to make it 2-1.
Sacriston still had chances but were beginning to panic defensively and looked vulnerable to any ball over the top and then on the stroke of half time Callum Appleby got caught in possession and was over powered by the East Rainton forward who went on to finish his chance well and the game which looked over after 10 minutes was now all square at 2-2.
Michael Mellor came on for Appleby at half time as Sacriston resorted to a back 3 and the team looked far more assured in the 2nd half as a defensive unit as a result and East Rainton hardly had a chance in the 2nd half.
Sacriston started the 2nd half much better but were still not playing at the level that they had shown at the start of the game and fewer chances were being created but the team looked more stable. Ryan Grayson replaced Greg Coates on 68 minutes and then Graeme Embleton had to leave the match on 69 minutes when the call came from his girlfriend that there were expecting they first child very soon and James Thornton replaced him.
Then on 70 minutes Sacriston re-took the lead when Ward managed to find some space in a crowded penalty area following a goal mouth scramble from Gary Draper’s throw in to place his shot into the bottom corner to complete his hatrick.
Then an outrageous moment occurred on 81 minutes when a big booming kick out of his hands by the East Rainton goalkeeper caused panic in the Sacriston defence and bounced inside the penalty area and over Potts’s head in the Sacriston goal and then gathered enough pace to go into the net totally untouched by any other player. The moment got even worse for Sacriston has the East Rainton forwards and the Sacriston defenders closest to the incident all followed the path of the ball and the back pedalling Potts into the goal where Potts was pushed through the net and stayed down injured with a jarred back from the incident. Potts was eventually substituted 3 minutes later with Greg Coates taking the gloves for the final few minutes.
Sacriston then went up the field looking for the winner and through Gary Draper went close with a shot going just wide then his cross only just had too much on it from a free kick to find Gavin McCormack at the back post who was unmarked. The game shortly finished afterwards to make the final score 3-3.
This was an incredibly frustrating night and two points were literally thrown away here. Anthoy Ward & Michael Mellor apart there were few positives to take out of the game. We must put things right quickly!
