BELFORD BOYS’ AGONY AS LEAM LEAVE IT LATE
GRAHAM’S DOUBLE IN VAIN AS ASHBROOKE BELFORD MISS OUT IN SEVEN-GOAL THRILLER
Ashbrooke Belford House went down 4-3 in a dramatic game to Leam Rangers at the Gateshead club’s Hilltop Ground.
Micky Young gave Leam the lead, but Nathan Burrell equalised from the penalty spot, only for Nathan Bailey to restore Rangers’ advantage.
Harry Graham then netted twice as Ashbrooke rallied strongly to see the visitors 3-2 ahead.
But Lee Jaretzke levelled things up and Karl Taylor converted a 90th-minute penalty to see Leam home.
Belford will look for a much-needed win when they host bottom club Harton & Westoe on Wednesday.
Sunderland West End battled well in vain against runaway leaders Jarrow at Ford Quarry but still succumbed to a third successive 2-1 home defeat.
West End had the better of a goalless first half, but they fell behind a minute into the second period as Peter Kane headed home Kris Allen’s cross a minute after the restart.
Jarrow had the upper hand and added a second goal when Jordan Mellish scored with a back-post header from a Kai Elliott corner.
Mark Catcheside pulled one back for West End with five minutes left, sparking hopes of snatching a late point, but they could not force an equaliser.
Jarrow’s win extended their lead at the top to 18 points from Richmond Town and Redcar Athletic, with the chasers having, respectively, five and three games in hand.
Silksworth CW saw their hopes of a fourth-place finish hit by a 2-1 defeat to Hartlepool at Grayfields.
Andrew Stobbart’s side had the perfect start, going ahead after just 90 seconds when Adam Storey tapped home following an error from goalkeeper Josh Noble.
But Pool rallied to equalise with Jamie Tumilty’s goal in the seventh minute.
Tumilty then came up trumps with the winner for Hartlepool, converting a cross from Luke Naylor in the 71st minute.
Silksworth are five points above fifth-top Boldon CA, who have two games in hand, and eight clear of sixthplaced Hartlepool, who have three extra matches to fit in.
Victory would have moved Silksworth within a point of the second and third-placed sides.
Boldon CA defeated visitors Annfield Plain 2-0 for a 16th league vicgory, with the goals coming from Adam Bell in the 39th and 87th minutes.
Seaham Red Star Reserves remain second bottom, after they were beaten 4-1 at home by Prudhoe Town.
Liam Henderson volleyed the visitors ahead after 32 minutes, but, five minutes after half-time, Harry Thompson equalised, finishing well at the far post.
Red Star fought hard to protect their point, but three goals in the final 15 minutes saw Prudhoe home in comfort. Kieran Barker got them back in front, before Henderson’s second of the game and an Aaron Fletcher effort made it four.
Harton and Westoe CW secured only their third league win of the season, edging home 3-2 away to fourthbottom Wolviston.
Brandon Kirkbride made it 1-0 to the South Tynesiders on five minutes and then a bizarre goal was scored by Kirkbride to make it 2-0, when he was passing the ball back to the home goalkeeper.
Harton sportingly allowed a “walk in” goal by Junior Masandi to immediately get Wolviston back into the match.
The Metcalfe Park side equalised two minutes into the second period, when David Johnson converted from the penalty spot, after Masandi was brought down in the box.
However, in the 89th minute, Kirkbride completed his hat-trick when he headed in when left unmarked in the box.
Harton are 10 points adrift of second-bottom Seaham Red Star Reserves and have played two games more.
Eighth-placed South Shields Reserves completed a quickfire double against Windscale, following up last week’s 5-2 away triumph with a 2-0 home success, which leaves the Cumbrians third bottom of the table.
On-song Darlington 1883 Reserves won a narrow game 1-0 at Stokesley SC, with the all-important goal coming courtesy of Anthony Verity in the 75th minute.
Coxhoe Athletic put up an excellent fight away to second-top Richmond Town in the TWR Shipowners Cup, but they were pipped 4-3.
Coxhoe fell 2-0 behind when Ben Darville scored twice in the first 30 minutes, but they responded brilliantly to take a 3-2 lead as Ross Morrow scored a fantastic four-minute hat-trick, which included two penalties.
But Richmond drew level in the 57th minute, when Josh Knox headed home, and won the game in the 80th minute, as Darville completed his hat-trick, with a strong shot which found the corner of the net.
The other tie, the scheduled semi-final between Cleator Moor Celtic and Redcar Athletic, was postponed.
Blyth Spartans maintained their 10-point lead at the top of the Evo-Stik League Premier Division, sinking lowly Skelmersdale United 4-0.
Dan Maguire’s fourminute double late in the first half was added to by Jordan Watson before Luke Armstrong bagged a late fourth in front of a 667 Croft Park crowd.
Spennymoor Town boosted their play-off chances with a 5-0 romp at Mickleover Sports, with Kallum Griffiths, Mark Anderson, Graeme Armstrong, David Howson and Robert Ramshaw all on target.