Blyth Spartans under 12’s 5 Whitley Bay Under 12's 2

A winning start to the league campaign season for the Spartans against a well organised and capable Whitley Bay team

Whitley applied pressure straight from the kick off and during the opening minutes looked the likeliest to score but it was Spartans who broke the deadlock albeit against the run of play with a well taken goal from hard running midfielder Liam Tweddle. Bay responded well and put themselves back in the game when Callum Hepple fired low into the Blyth goal for a well deserved equaliser. A fine first half performance from Callum Preston helped the Whitley Bay defence subdue the Spartans front line and for the remainder of the first period it was the visitors who looked more likely to score with Blyth holding on until the interval thanks only to a fine save from keeper Reece Dobie.

In the second period Spartans clicked into gear and took the lead when a left wing cross left Sam Johnson to finish well from close range. Minutes later Blyth went three one ahead when Liam Proud fed the ball out to Brandon Nadeem on the right who cracked home a shot which left James Glendinning in the Whitley Bay goal with no chance.
At three one Spartans started to look comfortable but it was a credit to the visitors that they did not roll over and Whitley got themselves right back into the game a few minutes later when Ross Murray fired in a long range shot from the left which flew into the Spartans net. Bay almost scored an equaliser but were thwarted when Dobie produced another fine save.

Ayrton Browning calmed Blyth nerves when he capped a fine performance by firing home a long range screamer to give the home side a two goal cushion.

Blyth’s fifth goal came from striker Tait Donaldson who produced a calm finish from ten yards to put the game out of reach of the hard working but tiring Whitley Bay team.

Spartans work rate and a strong second half performance made them worthy winners of this match but in truth the scoreline flattered the Blyth side a little and the return match later in the season will be no foregone conclusion.

Divisional cup second round
Blyth Spartans Under 12’s 8 Morpeth 12’s 1

There was only one goal in it when these sides met a few weeks ago in a pre season friendly but Morpeth were unable to recover from an early period that saw Blyth fire in three goals inside of ten minutes.

The first goal came after five minutes when Spartans winger Liam Tweddle produced a well flighted cross from the left wing that found the head of Brandon Nadeem who skilfully guided the ball into the Morpeth goal.

In form Nadeem scored Blyth’s second a few minutes later when he came up with a tremendous long range drive from well outside the box that left the visitors keeper with no chance.

The home team’s midfielder Sam Johnson produced what was Blyth’s third goal inside of ten minutes when he too found the net with a well aimed long range piledriver.

Spartans gained a four goal advantage following a corner when captain Robbie Potter who had moved up from defence following a Blyth corner brought down the ball with his thigh before unleashing an unstoppable drive from the edge of the Morpeth penalty area which buried itself into the right hand side of the visitors goal.

Blyth went in at the interval five goals to the good with a well taken goal from striker Jake Whisson who controlled a through ball into the box before drawing the keeper and calmly slotting the ball low into the Morpeth goal.

The second period started with a revitalised Morpeth taking the game to the home team and a period of sustained pressure from the visitors was rewarded when a well struck shot from the edge of the box flew high into the Blyth goal.

Spartan’s four goal advantage was restored after Potter picked the ball up on the right hand side of the pitch midway into the visitor’s half. He set off on a run towards goal and beat three players before firing a fiercely hit shot across the keeper and into the bottom left hand corner of the Morpeth net.

The visitors refused to give up and would have been rewarded with another goal had it not been for impressive Spartans stopper Reece Dobie who stood up magnificentlyl to deflect a goal bound piledriver around his left hand post.

Blyth’s Liam Tweddle made the score seven one when he let fly with a looping long range shot that came off the post before finding it’s way over the line.

The last goal of the game came as the result of some neat interplay between the Spartans players. Potter controlled a high ball with his chest and laid it off to Whisson who then fed a perfectly flighted through ball for Johnson to calmly strike the ball into the bottom of the net.

Another good cup win for Blyth and Morpeth were unlucky to come up against a team full of confidence as the result of three (and now four) recent cup victories.

Divisional Cup 1st Round
KYPC Under 12’s 2 Blyth Spartans under 12’s 6

Killingworth were unlucky to come up against a Spartans side high on confidence following last week’s victory over Cowgate in the NFA Cubs Cup.

Ten minutes into the first half Liam Proud opened the scoring for Blyth showing great awareness when running onto a loose ball and smashing it into the left hand corner of the goal from fully twenty yards. The score was increased to two nil when a few minutes later Liam Tweddle fired in an equally fine shot from the left hand side of the penalty area which gave Billy Downes in the Killingworth goal no chance.

Blyth went into the interval three goals to the good thanks to yet another long range effort, this time from Sam Johnson.

In the second half Spartans pressed home their advantage and Brandon Nadeem’s perfectly timed back post run to get onto the end of a well flighted James Golding cross made the gave Blyth a four goal advantage.

Nadeem scored again with a blistering thirty yard piledriver from the right hand side of the pitch and it looked like a cricket score was on the cards but Killingworth never let their heads drop and continued to play with spirit and determination. They were rewarded when Justin Shotton was quickest to react to a loose ball following some confusion in the Spartans penalty area to fire the ball skilfully into the visitor’s goal.

Spartan’s striker Tate Donaldson restored Blyth’s advantage with a well taken goal from just inside the box that found the back of the net despite a heroic effort to keep the ball out from Downes.

The home side fought to the end of this game and were rewarded for their efforts with a fine individual goal from Daniel Young who picked the ball up just outside the Spartans penalty area and cleverly checked inside before striking a perfectly flighted lstrike which looped over the despairing oustretched arms of Spartans keeper Reece Dobie and into the back of the Blyth net.

Spartans were the stronger side on the day but Killingworth can take a good deal of credit from the fact that they refused to act like a beaten team and this attitude should see them in good stead for the season to come.

NFA Cub Cup 1st Round
Cowgate Pinpoint under 12’s 1 Blyth Spartans under 12’s 2

A winning start to the season for the Blyth team against a very well regarded Cowgate outfit should give The Spartans grounds for believing that this campaign will prove to be more successful and less nerve racking than the last when relegation was avoided by the narrowest of margins.

Blyth were busy straight out of the blocks and would have taken an early lead when Sam Johnson found himself through on goal but for a spectacular flying save from Cowgate keeper Jack Walker who flung himself full stretch to his left to claw the ball to safety.
The sides were evenly matched with two well drilled defences cancelling each other out until the twentieth minute when Tait Donaldson fired a well struck shot past the despairing Walker into the Cowgate net.

Blyth went two-nil up minutes later through a first rate strike from Brandon Nadeem who picked the ball up on the right wing and carried it into the home penalty area before confidently producing a terrific measured lob from a narrow angle over the keepers head and into the back of the net.

Pinpoint came back strongly and were perhaps unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty just before half time when a strong challenge was deemed to have taken place just outside of the visitors the box. The half finished with Walker in the Cowgate goal producing another fine save to again thwart Spartan Sam Johnson. On another day and with a less impressive keeper Johnson’s hard work during this tie could easily have been rewarded with a hat trick.

Ten minutes into the second period Connor Brown put the home team right back into the game thanks to a well worked move and an equally well struck shot.

A frenetic final ten minutes saw chances at both ends but Cowgate’s resistance was finally broken when Spartans keeper Reece Dobie pulled off the save of the match (and maybe of the season) by flinging himself low to his right to palm away a strongly hit goalbound shot.
The last few minutes saw Cowgate laying siege to the Blyth goal and had they managed to put the ball into the net to draw level it was the home team who looked the more ready for extra time but it was not to be. Blyth defended doggedly and on balance deserve to be in the hat for the next round.