Penrith 3 Sunderland RCA 2

Arngrove Northern League Division 2

Saturday, 23 February 2008

SRCA's long unbeaten run came to an end in disappointing fashion at league leaders Penrith last Saturday, when two late Penrith goals in the 77th and 85th minutes gave the home side a 3 2 win in a game Sunderland RCA should have won comfortably. Andy Jennings will rarely score two easier goals, and, while leading 2 1 through most of the second half, RCA spurned a string of good chances to settle the game. Penrith though are nothing if not game and kept going to steal victory in the last 15 minutes with two sloppy goals that the RCA defenders will be very annoyed about, not to mention the manager...

The pattern of the game was settled early on, with Penrith seeing a lot of possession, but failing to trouble Jon Minniss in the RCA goal while when possession was won, RCA threatened on nearly every occasion. Gary Shields crossed dangerously in the second minute, Paul Sammons lifted a shot over the bar in five minutes, and a sustained spell of RCA pressure had Penrith defending hard around the ten minute mark.

The deadlock was broken after 20 minutes when Gary Shieids crossed superbly from the right for Andy Jennings to nod home unmarked at the far post from a couple of yards out. The pattern stayed the same with Penrith edging possession but Lee Owens threatening with long runs and good crossing.

Penrith equalised after 33 minutes when a hopeful effort from outside the box took a deflection from the challenging Paul Sammons and left Minniss helpless in the RCA goal. The score stayed that way until the break.

The second half started in the same fashion as the first with Penrith possession, and their first really threatening attack of the game coming in the 52nd minute when a header narrowly went over the bar, but a superb ball from Paul Wardle in the centre of defence was the early highlight as he sent Lee Owens away. As that attack broke down a great piece of Owens skill from the throw in saw Lee beat three men and cross low for Jennings to slide home from close range in the 54th minute to restore the lead. The next twenty five minutes was the decisive period of the game, as RCA spurned a number of excellent chances to make the game safe, with all the forwards at fault at one time or another.

The consistently excellent Lee Owens failed to round the keeper when he looked certain to score and a few minutes later Penrith, who always battled away, while only occasionally looking likely to score, capitalised on their let offs to score from a close range header. Although clearly rattled by this RCA continued to create chances, but were left dumbfounded when five minutes from time Penrith took the lead for the first time in the game with a low shot that escaped everybody to nestle in the corner. It was too late to come back, and RCA were left to rue their finishing, while Penrith march on at the top of the league, no doubt as surprised by the win as anyone.