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September 2011
New Fordley 3-2 Hexham (3rd Sep 2011)
Hexham looked to carry on their good start to the season when league debutants New Fordley were their hosts. But unfortunately old failings came back to haunt them and they returned to Tynedale with no points. They went behind after only ten minutes when Graeme Turner felt he was harshly adjudged to have a penalty awarded against him when his opponent did appear to go down in the box easily. But the back line did appear a little shaky during the early stages of the encounter as the pace of match day signing Lee Isbister was causing some concern. After thirty minutes the match had settled down and Hexham looked far better, Scott Robson went close from a Thomas North cross before eventually getting his team back on level terms. The goal was a scrappy one but they all count, a flick on from Liam Heenan was misjudged by Fordley stopper Daniel Mullen before Scott grabbed his chance to roll the ball into the empty net. At the break it was level but it only took Hexham five minutes to take the lead in the second half with a well worked team goal. It started with Mark Gibson whose ball into the box was helped on by Heenan to Robson and his left foot drive gave Mullen no chance. Hexham really had several good opportunities to finish off the game but these were not taken and they were made to pay for this in the closing stages. The equalising goal came when the ball was not cleared far enough and a fierce drive was well saved by Carl Robinson, but his parry went straight to Isbister only a couple of yards from the goal line and he had an early task to bring the score level. Robinson was called upon only minutes later when he produced a tremendous save from a vicious thirty yard drive. Hexham still looked dangerous and centre half Stephen Brown had a header from a corner saved and Scott Robson felt he should have completed his hat trick when his headed effort just shaved the post from a Scott Coates cross. But when chances come you have to take them and as Hexham made Alston suffer in their previous game with a late goal it was New Fordley’s turn to administer the punishment. Hexham will claim they were unlucky as there was more than a hint of offside about the goal but match day signing Isbister took full advantage to hit the killer goal with only three minutes left. There was still time for Hexham to have another last effort and it came from Man of the match Thomas North, his effort crashed against the crossbar which summed up the visitors day. This result puts Hexham in seventh place in the table with New Fordley sitting in eighth only two points behind. A break from league duties for the next two weeks starting with a tough away tie against one of the Premiership favourites Harraby Catholic Club on Saturday in the George Dobbins League Cup and the following week a home Amateur Cup encounter with Alnwick Town Reserves
Stephen Brown
Carl Robinson
Harraby CC 6-0 Hexham (10th Sep 2011)
Due to an event taking place on Hexham’s home pitch this George Dobbins League Cup first round tie was switched to the British Rail Sports Club, Petrill Bank in Carlisle home of Premier League side Harraby Catholic Club. The score suggests a torrid afternoon for the Tyne Valley side but the score be little’s their performance. Harraby actually represent the Northern Alliance in the FA National Inter League competition and only recently beat the “Lancashire & Cheshire “league on penalties. At the end of October they are due to tackle the “Yorkshire Amateur” league in the next phase of the competition, so even before a ball was kicked this was to be a tough test. Both teams tried to play football on the floor and it prove an entertaining start Harraby having the edge bringing the best out of Carl Robinson between the sticks for Hexham. It was a very uncharacteristic slip by Carl when he miss controlled a back pass and got caught in possession by Simon Tucker who rolled the ball into the empty net. A great shame for Carl as normally he is very secure, but these teams don’t give you a second chance. Hexham’s plans went further downhill when an accidental clash involving centre half Tom Hacking meant his
afternoon finished early for an appointment with an ice pack on a knee injury.
This was mid way through the first half but by the time the half time whistle went
Hexham were three goals behind both to fierce drives with Tucker adding to his
earlier strike. The half time team talk was difficult as Hexham had played well creating chances but running up against a team in great form. Michael Robson could hardly believe his luck when two good efforts either side of the break just cleared the crossbar. Star of the second half was right winger for the Cumbrian’s Chris Ferrie he made left back Orin Parkinson’s life very difficult. Ferrie scored twice in the second half the first a tremendous short from outside the area and his second a tap in at the near post after a very well worked goal. Despite the score Harraby were put under spells of pressure by Hexham and at home bench’s admission could have scored two or three in quick succession in the second period. Both Mark Gibson and Liam Heenan tested home stopper Andrew “The Bear” Casson but unfortunately the found Casson in super form. Thomas North playing his usual attacking game found some space to draw the home defenders away which created room for Liam Heenan to break into the box and round the bear only to be brought down in grizzly fashion. Hexham’s man of the match Paul McLean stepped up to take the responsibility but his shot was pawed to safety by Casson. The game ended up as six of the best for Harraby and they now enter the second round as one of the favourites when Heaton Stannington will be making the trip along the A69. For Hexham they will now drop into the Charity Cup with the other defeated first round teams but before then its cup action this weekend when Alnwick Town reserves are the visitors to the Wentworth in the Amateur Cup
Hexham 1-3 Alnwick Town Reserves (AET 17 Sept 2011)
This was a typical hard fought cup tie between two well matched teams which went all the way to the wire and beyond. There was not sufficient time in ninety minutes to separate them it took a cruel twist of bad luck in extra time before a winner could be decided in this Amateur Cup first round tie. Alnwick are a fit team with pace in the attack but so are Hexham and this really equalled out and for the first twenty minutes it was more like a game of chess with both sides trying each other out. First real goal scoring chance fell to this seasons leading goal scorer for Hexham Liam Heenan. A ball played into space behind the defence gave Liam the chance to outpace his marker but unfortunately the pass had a little too much weight on it and it ran out to wide for a strike on goal. Liam tried his best but he could not get enough on it to divert the ball into the net as Alnwick keeper Saunders advanced off his line.
It did not take long after that for the deadlock to be broken, it came from the penalty spot when Jordan Trotter sent Robinson the wrong way after the Hexham stopper was penalised for an infringement in the box. This perhaps was the only way a goal was going to be scored and Alnwick got a massive lift from this, for the next twenty minutes to the interval they had the home side rattled. The Tynedale outfit were not getting time on the ball and when they did stringing more than a couple of passes together was a rarity. Thankfully the defence held strong as they tried to get to the break only one goal behind. Just before the break the face of the game changed completely, a free kick was awarded to Hexham just outside the box and skipper Mark Gibson shaped up to try his luck. After the wall was pushed back to the required distance Gibson let fly and was disappointed to see his effort beat everyone but hit the cross bar and away from the goal.
. The disappointment only lasted seconds as Stephen Brown pounced to blast the ball into the goal to give Hexham an equalising goal.
This made the half time team talk a lot easier and lots of the problems were erased in the second half with passes finding their targets and confidence oozing from all sections of the team. Where the first half had belonged to Alnwick the home side defiantly were the better team in the second. Chances came and went for both sides Orin Parkinson could not connect when in a dangerous position and Mark Gibson repeated his first half strike by again hitting the crossbar but no one was there to finish this time. Hexham had at least four good chances to take the lead but none were converted, for Alnwick John Colly had two good chances from headers. The first when he should have hit the target and the second which was goal bound but was deflected away for a corner. In the dying moments of the ninety Tait for the guests almost broke the deadlock when he should have done better at the back post but thankfully for Hexham he missed the target. So extra time beckoned and tired limbs were called upon to run for a further thirty minutes or a penalty shoot out would be required to find a victor. A chance for both sides in the early part of extra time, for Hexham Paul McLean had an effort cleared off the line with Saunders beaten and at the other end Robinson produced a tremendous strong one handed save. Into the final fifteen minutes and with both sides visually tiring it is often the cruel hand of fate which decides the event. A deep ball from the right wing went to the back post and with Darren Dobson attempting to clear it hit him on the shoulder and past the stranded Hexham goalkeeper. Cruel luck for Darren, nothing really he could have done and the ball could have went anywhere. With only minutes left on the clock it was time to throw everything at the visitors back line in an attempt to force penalties. As very often happens with men pushed forward gaps appear at the back, from a long punt out of defence Ross Mackenly found himself with most of the Wentworth to himself. He still had enough strength left to take the ball on and shoot past the unguarded Robinson to give the score line a flattering look to the visiting team.
Hexham 5-1 Willington Quay Saints (24 Sept 2011)
After a couple of disappointing cup defeats in the previous fortnight Hexham were eager to get back into winning ways in this Division Two encounter with Willington Quay Saints. Immediately from the kick off Hexham tore into their opponents and really should have been two or three goals to the good within the first ten minutes. Both Scott Robson and Orin Parkinson created good chances but failed to convert and Thomas North produced an excellent run and shot but his effort was always just clearing the crossbar. So very early on in the game the home side should have been well on the way to claiming all the points but for all the pressure there was nothing to show for their endeavours. They were almost made to pay for it as the Saints came back at them as both Stuart Duffield and John Foggett had efforts saved by Hexham stopper Carl Robinson
That was a warning that Hexham did not heed as the visitors went into the lead after twenty six minutes when Captain Mark Henderson scored from the penalty spot. Henderson used power and not precision to score and Robinson was unlucky as he managed to get a hand to the shot but could not get enough on the ball to deflect it over the bar, instead it hit the net just under the bar. This brief lift for the visitors was soon snuffed out when Scott Coates drilled an effort hard and low into the keeper, Hutchinson in goal could only spill the effort and leading goal scorer this season Liam Heenan brought Hexham level only five minutes after going behind. Where Hutchinson was at fault for the first goal he more than made up for it moments later with a superb save low down to his left hand post. It came from a Parkinson long throw which Scott Robson managed to direct on target and a goal looked certain till Hutchinson produced at top quality save. But Robson was to eventually get his goal on forty four minutes with a well place side foot shot after a quality cross from the left wing. Hexham had left it late but they deserved there advantage at half time.
The second half performance ensured the points came to the Tyne Valley and Hexham were never really in trouble. As early as the second minute of the half David Smith cleared off the Willington goal line when Graham Turner came steaming in at the back post from a deep corner. The home side were using the space well and dragging the visiting defenders out of position which as always created spaces to exploit. Thomas North used this space well in the corner of the penalty area and his cross gave Scott Robson the chance to play the ball into the path of Mark Gibson. His effort looked to be heading goal wards when it was deflected off the chest of Stephen Cape and despite an agonising dive to hook it off the line he failed much to his annoyance and embarrassment. It was all going Hexham’s way in the second period and on the hour mark Robson got his second and Hexham’s forth, this attempt on goal was not the sweetest he has ever struck as he shinned it but it bounced enough times after to confuse the defence and the bemused goalkeeper but once again it was a chance created from a Thomas North centre.
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