Arngrove Northern League Division 2

Saturday, 9 February 2008

Get a high resolution copy of the team photo, with credits and partners' logos, taken just before the Guisborough match and celebrating eight wins on the trot. Please right click on this link and select 'Save Target As...' Please note that the file is very large at 3.57 MB. The file is set up for 10 X 8 printing.

RCA finally got a game on Saturday when they faced Guisborough after a frustrating couple of weeks of postponements. Craig Shields failed a fitness test with another recurrence of his increasingly troublesome leg problem, and may face further surgery and be out for some considerable time. Hard luck for Craig who has been rock solid since returning to the club, but an opportunity for Jon Minniss to step in and show his worth. Dean Goodwin returned in central midfield for the suspended Scott Richards.

The game started scrappily, with RCA showing the effects of their break in some sloppy play, while Guisborough failed to make much headway against rugged defending from the RCA back line. Andy Jennings had the ball in the net after five minutes but was rightly pulled back for offside, the first of a large number of such calls, both right and wrong, which were to frustrate the RCA strikers all afternoon. Jon Minniss made a good save after 12 minutes, before RCA took the lead with a goal of real quality. Lee Owens carried the ball 60 yards past three defenders before playing in Gary Shields with a superb pass. Gary went past the last defender, rounded the keeper and slotted the ball home with great confidence. The goal clearly boosted RCA who began to play with more fluidity, and after having a strong shout for a penalty turned down, Shieldsy doubled the lead with a good turn and finish from 12 yards after 33 minutes.

It looked like plain sailing for RCA, but a minute later the referee, who did not have the best of games, turned the match on its head, first harshly dismissing Lee Owens after mishearing a shout from the bench, then sending manager Neil Hixon to the stand for expressing his frustration. Guisborough were lifted by the prospect of facing 10 men for an hour, and after Sean Davies had blasted a dangerous free kick over the bar, the referee intervened again on 41 minutes to award a controversial penalty to the home team for a challenge in the box. Jon Minniss very nearly saved the spot kick, getting a good hand to the ball which just crossed the line, but nonetheless a 2-1 scoreline at the break looked less than secure under the circumstances.

The second half was goalless as Guisborough huffed and puffed without threatening very much or very often, against the RCA back four of Davies, Henderson, Wardle and Anderson, well in command of things with a no nonsense display, and Jon Minniss proving a more than capable deputy in goal on the rare occasions he was called into action. On the break RCA always looked dangerous, and Jon Newton, who was always lively, could have marked his debut as a 65th minute substitute for Andy Jennings with an immediate goal, but his close range shot hit the side netting. Ash Davis, who had replaced Adam McGuinness at the half time interval, always looked to carry the ball on his trademark long runs, and Gary Shields adapted well to life out wide as RCA went to a one up formation. Paul Sammons, man of the match for me, was his usual tigerish self at the heart of the RCA midfield. Shieldsy should have got what would have been a well deserved hat trick when played in by Newton after 73 minutes, but chose power when a careful place might have done better, and the game finished with Anth Laidler, on for Dean Goodwin, holding the ball well in the corners to count down time. A solid if unspectacular performance, against the odds for a lot of the time, and the run goes on, now eight wins on the spin. Come on Esh!

Arngrove Northern League Division 2

Saturday, 16 February 2008

The run comes to an end! After a fantastic eight consecutive wins, a hard working and skillful Esh Winning team held RCA to a 1-1 draw in Saturday's encounter before a decent and appreciative crowd of around 100. Let's hope we can get such gates from now until the end of the season.

A draw was no more than Esh deserved for a very tidy and solid display, which saw them have the majority of possession, although on another day RCA would have taken more advantage of the chances created, and stolen the spoils.

The game started in bright but cold conditions, with Esh starting as they intended to go on, with good possession and swift passing, without posing too many problems for Jon Minniss in the RCA goal. Play was scrappy until Esh took the lead in the 17th minute with a soft penalty awarded for a clumsy foul in the box.

On 22 minutes Gary Shields should probably have equalised when a good pass from Andy Jennings gave him a clear shooting opportunity, but he shot straight at the keeper, who saved comfortably. The leveler came however in the 30th minute when a good Lee Owens run and excellent pass saw Gary Shields cross and Adam McGuinness slide home from a few yards out.

Between this and the break chances were few, although Lee Owens made a good opening with one of his trademark runs, and Jon Minniss had to save smartly from an Esh effort. The second half continued in the same vein, with good Esh possession being matched by RCA with breaks from deep. The game came alive in the last quarter as both keepers starred, showing great anticipation and good hands to make several saves as the game opened out. It could have been settled either way as Esh created chances while Lee Owens made a number of excellent runs only lacking the final ball, but the keepers had the last word. Honours even, still 10 games unbeaten, and into a real testing part of the season, where our destiny for next season will be decided, I can't wait!

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.