Dunston UTS 3 W. Allotment 2

DUNSTON UTS v WEST ALLOTMENT CELTIC

Report by Tom Clark

Tuesday 10th January 2015

Ebac Northern League – First Division

Final Score: Dunston UTS  3   West Allotment Celtic  2.

 

Dunston welcome West Allotment Celtic to the UTS Stadium for the Ebac Northern League Division 1 game.  Dunston without a game in 2 weeks will be glad to get back into action before there important 5th round FA Vase game at Glossop. Dunston through cup games and postponements find themselves slowly sinking in league position but still command a respectable 6th position with 54 points from 28 games, whilst their opponents West Allotment Celtic are in 17th position with 32 points from 29 games.

Dunston will remember the reverse fixture earlier in the season when they lost 2-1 after controlling the greater majority of the game and were leading 1-0 in the first-half. Manager Billy Irwin had a near full squad to choose from except for Stephen Harrison and Craig Hodgson but rested Liam Connell in preparation for Saturday.

Dunston started well and immediately put Allotment under early pressure and on 8 minutes Bulford picked up a poor clearance by keeper Mullen but his lofted shot went over the bar. A minute later Andy Bulford made no mistake as he moved onto a ball in the area and on his second touch a shot was hammered into the roof of the net. 1 - 0 to Dunston.

 

 

After 12 minutes Allotment had their first chance as a Henderson shot from 20 yards was deflected but Clark prevented a corner. On 17 minutes a McAndrew cross was deflected goalwards by a defender but Mullen was alert and saved well. 2 minutes later Kane went down the left-wing and played in a low cross which was blocked and cleared, this was followed by a first time cross by McAndrew on the right-wing which found Bulford whose shot was just wide of the far post.

 

On 24 minutes Halliday played a defence-splitting ball into the run of Bulford, but as Bulford broke clear he was fouled by Pendlebury who should have received more than just a ticking-off by the referee as Bulford was clear on goal. From the resulting free-kick Dunston got their second goal on 25 minutes when Dale Burrell drove into the net with aid of a slight deflection. 2 – 0 to Dunston.

 

Dunston were well on top and could have got a third goal as McAndrew received a ball from Bulford, but his shot went over the bar from a good position. Allotment were still in the game and on 30 minutes Sean Reid combined with Fenwick and his shot from 20 yards  just beat Clark’s despairing dive and crept into the bottom corner. 2 - 1 to Dunston.

 

 

This goal lifted Allotment and on 35 minutes Halliday did well to head clear a cross from Hudson for corner. The Dunston defence failed to clear and when an effort went past Clark, the covering Luke Gilhespy instinctively threw out a hand and prevented the ball going in. Gilhespy received a red-card and the resulting penalty was hammered home to Clark’s left by Sean Reid for his second goal of the game. 2 – 2.

 

Dunson reacted and Ormston got in a shot from 25 yards which went narrowly wide. Allotment attacked the reorganised Dunston defence at every opportunity and Henderson had a shot blocked by Coulson on 38 minutes. Dunston now playing with 10 men had a further opportunity just on half-time as Kane got in a header from a McAndrew cross which hit a defender and bounced out for a corner with the keeper beaten.

Half-time score:  2 – 2

The second half started with Dunston regaining their composure and on 51 minutes Kane received a ball on the edge of the box but as he was turning he fell and so the opportunity passed. 2 minutes later Kane got a powerful shot in but it went harmlessly into the side netting. On 60 minutes Allotment’s Henderson had a shot from 20 yards that was deflected into the path of Fenwick whose shot was saved by Clark. On 64 minutes Ormston headed on a Halliday long-throw into the area and Smith was only inches away from making contact at the front post as Mullen collected. On 65 minutes a long free-kick into the Allotment area just evaded the onrushing forwards at the back post and went out for a goal- kick.

 

 

Allotment responded and only a good back-tracking challenge by Dixon broke the move down on the edge of the box. A minute later Clark saved low down from a Bell shot. On 76 minutes Burrell advanced into the Allotment box and his venomous shot was deflected onto a post and out for a corner. The flag-kick resulted in a good Halliday cross being collected by Mullen under pressure from Coulson. With both sides pressing for a winner and defences holding out the attacks it was Dunston again on 80 minutes who almost broke the deadlock as a Bulford shot was defected but an alert Mullen again saved.

 

On 85 minutes Parkinson, on as a substitute for Allotment, had a shot which was deflected for a corner from which Henderson hammered a volley towards goal but Ormston did well to block and clear. A minute later McGlen played a low ball dangerously across the Dunston goalmouth but the strikers were unable to apply the finish. As the game approached the minute of added-on time Wightman, on as substitute for Bulford, played in a shot which beat Mullen but was cleared off the line by the covering Allen for a corner. The corner was played deep to the back post and when Allotment failed to clear Gary Ormston somehow managed to force the ball past a sea of bodies in the packed area and into the net for the deciding goal. 3 - 2 to Dunston.

 

The Referee blew for full-time immediately after the restart to ensure a hard won victory by the ten men of Dunston.

Full-time score:  Dunston UTS  3  West Allotment Celltic  2

Dunstons Man of the Match: Dale Burrell – back to fitness and put in a great shift at covering as a full-back for the best part of an hour, his tackling and attacking efforts were an inspiration to the rest of the team.

Dunston UTS: Clark, Cattanach, Halliday, Burrell, Coulson, Gilhespy, Kane (Wilson), Ormston, Dixon, Bulford (Wightman), McAndrew (Smith). Subs not used: Williams Scorer.

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West Allotment Celtic: Mullen, Allen, Dummett, Dunn, Pendlebury, Anderson, Bell, Henderson, Reid, Fenwick (McGlen), Hudson (Parkinson). S ubs not used: Hogg, Lancaster, Schekoske.

 

Match Pictures Can be viewed here