Guisborough 2 Sunderland RCA 0

skilltraining Northern League

28 February 2009

Hicker started with Paul 'Delta ' Wardle at centre half today, playing alongside Glenn Moan who was recalled to the side. Dava Lee was missing through illness so Adam McGuiness played left back and a fit again Sean 'Taz' Joseph took his place wide left. Andy Reay, Wayne Henderson, Anth Laidler, Gary Shields and Wyn Fremlin took their places on the bench.

The Guisborough pitch was in very reasonable condition after a light rolling pre-game and the match started in very fair conditions, although with a few spots of rain. Both sides started quite brightly and within the first few minutes both keepers had to look lively against threatening attacks. The game soon settled into a pattern with RCA probably having the bulk of the ball, but with Guisborough showing good control in midfield and getting forward well when they got the chance. Taz seemed to have the regular beating of his man on the left though, and from one good attack Mark Davison rattled the post with a firm header.

Scotty Richards was getting forward regularly and hit a good shot over the bar, before making a great break into the box, again getting onto the end of a Taz cross and looping a shot again over the bar, when he had a lot more time than he thought. Andy Jennings also had opportunities, but could not force the ball home, particularly from one desperate scramble. At the other end the lads were having to stay alert, and after 30 minutes Delta went into the referee's book for a shirt pull, when it looked to many like half a dozen of one and six of the other. But worse was to follow in the 43rd minute when again the ref reached for his pocket as Delta went in on the edge of the box. Two fouls, two bookings and off! It looked very harsh indeed.

HT 0-0, and Hicker had a problem. To be fair draws are not much better than defeats to us in the present circumstances so it was understandable that he chose not to replace the missing defender from those on the bench, and instead went with three at the back, hoping to take the lead before making the change. And the pattern of the second half was much as the first despite the numerical disadvantage. We pressed, Guisborough looked dangerous when they could and chances came at both ends.

The Boro centre forward, Dave Onions is always a handful and you could tell he fancied his chances of leading his side to victory now. After the hour Guisborough took the lead with a well-worked goal which saw them exploit the gaps as one of their midfielders made it into the box and finished well. Hicker still kept pressing, brought Wyn Fremlin and Gary Shields on to refresh the attack, and we continued to press. But it wasn't until Guisborough made it two after 75 minutes, with what looked like a bit of a spawny goal as the ball spun in off the post, before we made some real chances again. As always happens we now had four or five good efforts, a great shot from Wyn Fremlin well saved by the keeper the pick of them, in the last 15 minutes, but it wasn't to be. A 2-0 defeat against a very decent young Guisborough side was no disgrace, but a real blow all the same.