Reported by Ron Hope
Darlington RA 1 BEDLINGTON TERRIERS 0
It was one of those games where the Terriers no matter how well they played were never going to score. In the first 20 minutes the Terriers could have easily been 5 nil up, a great save by the keeper from Rodgers, Scott and Rodgers hit the woodwork with efforts , Scott had a shot kicked off the line, and a Hall effort was somehow diverted away by the keeper as he was diving the wrong way,during this time RA only had one shot on target easily saved by Jak Wells. Gradually the game started to even up and the Darlington team were showing better form than their position in the league indicates with the game going from end to end in a very competitive first half.Wells had to make a couple of good saves and RA hit the post with a great effort, in extra time in the first half RA took the lead when Jak Wells had to got down low to his left to make a excellent save but he only managed to push it wide into the path of the in rushing Longstaff who cracked in a great effort from 15 yards giving the keeper no chance. HALF TIME 1 NIL to RA
The second half started with RA in the ascendency, and from a disputed free kick their centre back got in a header that hit the bar, Terriers came back and new signing Jon Wightman beat his marker and crossed for Scott to get in a shot well saved by the home keeper, in the next few minutes Jak Wells kept the Terriers in the game with 2 great identical saves getting down low and blocking with his feet from the sub No12 for RA.
On 70 mins the Terriers very nearly equalised when a cross from the left was touched just past the post by Sam Norris, There was now a short period of pressure by the Terriers that the RA defence coped well with or the luck was with them, especially when a cross from the right by Clark hit the RA defender and there were 3 Terrier attackers and one RA defender around the ball and it went to the defender 4 yards out and he was able to clear his lines. RA retaliated with a great attack thwarted by 3 great blocks from Terrier defenders before they were able to clear their lines. The game finished with the Terriers on the attack but it was to be one of those days where no matter how hard the team tried it was not their day.
A great result for RA considering their lowly position in the league and for Terriers it’s next week against a top team in Billingham Town at home.
TEAM Wells, Scarth, Locke, Rodgers, Armstrong, Wardle, Norris, McMahon, Scott (capt), Wightman, Hall subs, Henderson for Rodgers, Clark for Scott, Williamson for Wightman, not used Stewart gk and Oliver.