25 November 2009
Brooks Mileson Memorial Cup
Sunderland RCA suffered their worst defeat of the season at home to Shildon in the Brooks Mileson Memorial Cup last night. A slick Shildon outfit killed off this tie in the first half with a scintillating display of football and some clinical finishing which left RCA with a mountain to climb in the second half. RCA probably shaded an entertaining second half but once again the finishing of Shildon's Andrew Johnson, who completed his hattrick, was the difference between the two teams.
Shildon looked comfortable from the start of this match with some slick fast passing which had RCA at sixes and sevens. The only surprise was that it took 12 minutes for them to register their first shot at goal when Lee Chapman fired in a shot which went narrowly wide. It only took another minute for them to take the lead when Johnson drove the ball into the bottom corner from 18 yards out. Within a minute they went 2 - 0 up when Johnson intercepted a defensive pass before finding Bell who hit another low shot into the same corner.
RCA were finding it difficult to create anything of note and there only shot on target was a header from Davison which looped into the arms of Finch. Stephen Halliday also had a half chance, but shot wide.
On 38 minutes Chris Bell, with a long ball from inside his own half set Andy Johnson free to run through and place the ball smoothly past Pickering to grab his second goal and make it 3 - 0 to Shildon.
In the second half RCA showed a lot more urgency and were unlucky not to pull one back when Shields crossed to the far post for Davison to power in a header which Finch did well to save at the second attempt.
RCA were, for the first time in the match, putting pressure on the back four of Shildon, but they were shaken in the 67 minute when Andy Johnson blasted home a right foot pile driver for Shildon's fourth goal and his hat-trick.
Both teams had further efforts on goal but none really trobled the respective goalkeepers until the 85th minute when Taylor was put through by Richards and the RCA sub sidefooted past Finch only to see the ball go narrowly wide of the far post.
