STAR’S BIRD OF PARADISE
ROBBIE’S FIVE-MINUTE HAT-TRICK LEADS SEAHAM HOME IN STYLE, WHILE WASHINGTON EASE DROP FEARS
Seaham Red Star played well in their 4-0 home win over Guisborough Town, although they left it late to clinch all three points in Division One on Saturday.
The lowly visitors remained level until the 75th minute when Luke Proctor slid the ball home, following good work from Craig Lynch.
Robbie Bird then scored a remarkable five-minute hat-trick. His first came on 83 minutes when he sidefooted home. He finished a good team move in the 86th minute then fired in from close range to make it 4-0 two minutes later.
Washington eased their relegation fears, impressively hammering Newton Aycliffe 5-0.
Stuart Bramley opened the scoring with a powerful header on 17 minutes, and Jordan Jewson made it 2-0 on the half hour, when he finished well from close range.
Five minutes before the break, Matthew Waters scored at the front post top extend the lead.
Aycliffe were killed off by two goals in the final nine minutes, Jonny Wightman scored with a brilliant curling shot, then, two minutes from time, Waters scored his second with a neat header to complete the rout.
Sunderland RCA suffered a heartbreaking final 11 minutes as Shildon hit back for a 6-3 victory at Meadow Park.
Shildon were playing their first match under new boss Daniel “Bobby” Moore following Gary Forrest’s resignation after more than a decade in charge.
Although RCA went 1-0 down after just 20 seconds, through a Lewis Wing shot, James Cassidy equalised after 18 minutes, when his shot beat goalkeeper Peter Jeffries.
Billy Greulich-Smith then made it 2-1 for the visitors, but two goals in a blistering five-minute spell saw them justifiably 3-2 in front at half-time. Michael Charlton equalised with a closerange shot and John Butler then fired RCA in front.
They kept their lead until Greulich-Smith’s headed equaliser on 79 minutes.
Shildon powered forward from that point, going ahead with an 83rd minute Anthony Bell penalty. Mickey Rae made it 5-3 and, two minutes into injury time, Wing scored his second of the game to kill off RCA, who must now focus on this weekend’s FA Vase tie at Newport Pagnell Town.
Ryhope CW were outgunned 4-0 at Penrith.
Jamie Street’s cross somehow found the net to give the Cumbrians the lead. The second came in the 54th minute, following a scramble in the box, with Martyn Coleman poking the ball home.
Coleman made it 3-0 and then played in Andrew Murray-Jones to slide in a fourth.
Chester-le-Street lost a thriller 3-2 at home to Bishop Auckland, but moved off the bottom on goal difference.
The Cestrians took a seventh-minute lead, when David Latham smashed the ball home from inside the box, but Alex Francis’s 25-yard free-kick found the top corner to equalise.
Andrew Johnson’s 200th goal for Bishops (in just 209 games), a 65th minute penalty, put the visitors ahead, only for Lee Mole to head Chester level 12 minutes later. However, Bishops won it on 89 minutes when ex-Sunderland striker Ryan Noble got in front of keeper Jack Wilson to nod in a free-kick.
Chester boss Colin Wake said: “Overall, we were magnificent to a man, but football is a cruel game at times and when we were in the ascendency, we conceded in the dying seconds.”