Sunderland RCA 3 Hebburn Town 2

Arngrove Northern League Division 2

Saturday 8 December 2007

Another good win for Sunderland RCA who made it four wins in a row with this victory over Hebburn Town. A miserable, wet, cold day saw only die hard fans making the effort to get to Meadow Park for this clash. RCA started brightly attacking with the advantage of the slope, and chances came and went at regular intervals through the first period. After four minutes a ball from the left flashed across the box with no one reaching it and after seven minutes Lee Owens had his first attempt of the afternoon, shooting wide from the edge of the box.

Hebburn broke occasionally and looked dangerous in the 17th minute as their centre forward, Garry McCartney, turned and shot smartly, but just wide. In the 21st minute the long serving Hebburn keeper, Gary Rogers dropped the ball from a corner and RCA skipper Paul Moss should have done better than to poke it wide. More chances followed, mostly for RCA before Lee Owens broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, pushing the ball home from a yard in the middle of an enormous scramble. Four minutes later Lee doubled the lead with a superb goal for his and RCA's second, waltzing past 2 defenders and planting a shot past the Hebburn keeper from 12 yards.

RCA pressed from then to the break but the score stayed level. Early in the second half however the game seemed to be in the bag as, in the 52nd minute, Craig Lines got the faintest of touches onto a Lee Owens cross and directed the ball into the far corner. RCA seemed well on top at this point, but Hebburn were handed a lifeline by a good Mick Younger header after the hour, and, when Paul Donaghy made it 3-2 in the 69th minute, it was definitely game back on! From then until the final whistle it was end to end stuff, with chances being created and spurned by both sides. The referee found five minutes of injury time from somewhere, and right at the death Craig Shields made a tremendous save to keep RCA in front. For the resulting corner the Hebburn keeper joined the attack and the game ended with him stranded as RCA broke and looked certain to score into an empty net, but the ref saved Mr Rogers blushes, blowing for time before the goal could be scored. A very entertaining contest in tough conditions, very well done to both sides, Sunderland RCA up to 7th and march on!