Tuesday, 03 March 2015
EBAC Northern League Division 1
Goalscorers: SRCA: None, Morpeth Town: Fry, Chilton.
After a disappointing display on Saturday against Jarrow Roofing SRCA had an early opportunity to put things right on the pitch.
Morpeth Town were the opposition and they were looking for their fifth straight win, so not an easy task for the lads in red.
RCA were forced to make one change as Davis was working, so Charlton stepped in. During the warm up Callen pulled up with a recurrence of a groin problem and had to be replaced by Hughes.
The home team attacking up the slope and against a strong wind started really well and were unlucky in the fourth minute when Wood slipped the ball into space behind the Morpeth defence for Hughes to run onto, the RCA striker burst into the box but his intended pass to Larkin was intercepted by Jewels.
Morpeth were struggling to come to terms with RCA’s passing game although they were using their wide men to good effect and an early ball into the box from Taylor was met by Chilton but his header went straight into the arms of Carmichael. RCA’s next chance came when Armstrong and Larkin combined to set up Hughes but he shot wide of the target from a good position, a minute later and the RCA striker had the ball in the net but was adjudged to be offside.
Two minutes after this let off Morpeth showed why they have gone 4 games unbeaten when Henderson picked up a ball from Harrison and sent a 45 yard cross-field ball to Fry who whipped in a dangerous looking cross which was controlled on the edge of the box by Taggert and it was only a last ditch block from Brown which kept the score line level.
RCA were coming under a little pressure and if was Henderson again who found space on the right before sending in a lovely cross which Taggert managed to head forward toward Chilton, but Bythway got to the ball first to clear.
Morpeth switched their attack to the left where Novak was able to send in a quality cross which Chilton could only guide into the hands of Carmichael.
RCA were closing down quickly and winning a lot of possession in the midfield area, however the ball forward to the attackers were lacking that quality which produces goals.
In the 25th minute a strong appeal for a penalty from the RCA players was quite rightly turned down when Armstrong fell inside the area.
Immediately Morpeth went on the attack through Taggert who picked up a long clearance from Jewels but sent his shot straight at Carmichael. It was a measure of the way the game was being played that the first corner of the game wasn’t until the 30 minute when RCA conceded after some pressure by Morpeth, Fry took the corner, finding Graydon, for once unmarked on the corner of the area, he switched the ball to Taylor who drilled in a cross which Taggert met but could only head straight at Carmichael.
Then like the proverbial No: 11 bus along comes another corner this time won by a combination of Hughes and Larkin with the former firing in a shot which was blocked by Henderson, Megran took the corner and Brown met the ball with a header which he could not direct on target.
The first half ended with no further goalmouth incidents.
In the second half, with the advantage of the slope and the wind RCA supporters were quietly optimistic that they could get something from this game and in the second minute of the half they should have broken the deadlock when a lovely ball from Richardson split the Morpeth defence and Hughes had time to cross low into the six yard box where Armstrong, who only had to touch the ball for a goal, mis-judged the ball and it went wide for a goal kick to the relief of the Morpeth team.
In the build up to this attack Richardson suffered a worrying injury to his knee and had to receive lengthy medical treat from both physios before being carried off the pitch with suspected knee ligament damage.
In the 55th minute Bythway played the ball forward to Wood who clipped a pass into the path of Armstrong, the winger curled in a tantalising cross which eluded Harrison in the Morpeth goal and fell to Larkin whose shot was deflected for a corner.
At the other end RCA were guilty of committing a number of fouls and in the 63rd minute Harrison took a quick freekick to Chilton who smashed his shot well over the bar.
This should have been a wake-up call for the RCA defence.
However four minutes later Graydon was fouled on the edge of the box, he picked himself up, spotted Fry making a run into the box and curled the freekick into the path of the nippy winger who blasted the ball home from 10 yards out.
Morpeth shut up shop, making it difficult for RCA to create anything meaningful by way of attack and with twenty minutes remaining they secured the three points when Graydon again found Taggart inside the area and his low shot was saved by Carmichael, unfortunately Chilton was lurking inside the six yard area and pounced to prod the ball over the line.
RCA continued to push forward looking for some reward for all their effort and on another night against less resilient opposition they might have gotten something out of the game. In the final minute of ordinary time Wood, auguably RCA best player on the night swept past three defenders before cutting the ball back towards Hughes; he dummied the ball and it ran to Larkin who fired wildly over from 10 yards out.
Grandstand finish averted Morpeth saw out the injury time without much trouble.
This was a much better performance than Saturday and we were unlucky not to get something from the game. RCA manager Martin Swales, reflecting on the game commented “sometimes you just don’t get what you deserve out of football”. How true that comment is. We have played a lot worse than tonight and come away with points. Next up the long trip to Celtic Nation, another six-pointer they are saying, still I will settle for three points, but it is going to be another hard battle.