Points picked up on road so satisfying
WHEN the fixture list came out last June, Blyth was a game that most of the County faithful would have pencilled in as a must.
A club with a great record of FA Cup giant killing, managed by a true County legend – Alun Armstrong – and the fact that it was also the final away fixture would surely mean a packed ground.
It was a great day out; we started pretty early on the Fingerpost Flyer and arrived in Blyth in plenty of time for a pint.
The only point of call was the Masons Arms where a SCAN presentation was to be made; the pub was only 100 yards from the ground so it was packed with both sets of supporters creating a happy atmosphere.
No disrespect to David Lawson but for me Tommy Sword is another Legend and it was an honour to shake the man’s hand.
After the ceremonies it was all round to Croft Park where County all but secured a fifth place finish.
It was hard to choose the more satisfying – the point we won at Chorley earlier in the week or the three we won in the North East.
At Chorley we battled against a team set up not to concede, which meant a stop start game with loads of time wasting, until Scott Duxbury scored with an amazing header, whereupon the Magpies tried to up their game but it was too little too late for Matt Jansen’s men and the County contingent, (which clearly made up more than half the attendance, whatever they try to say!) cheered like promotion was won.
Back at Blyth we witnessed the proverbial game of two halves. We dominated the first, Matty Warburton chipped the keeper with a deft touch only to see the ball clear the top of the net, Jason Oswell had one disallowed for a contentious off-side before Jimmy Ball’s first time shot nearly burst the net right at the end of the first half.
In the second the home team, clinging to the faintest possibility of the play-offs themselves, turned up the pressure.
Our defence stood strong and when called upon Ben Hinchliffe made a couple of saves that could be described as match saving! But hang on we did. We’ve a final game next weekend against Darlington and then at least one more against who knows who, at the moment it could be one of either, Chorley, Spennymore or Bradford PA, I really don’t care, we’re in rich form and I’m not scared of anyone.