Highwaymen victory worth 45-minute wait
MORPETH TOWN 3 SPALDING UTD 0
AFTER the first 45 minutes of Morpeth Town’s home game against Spalding United, anything other than the match remaining 0-0 at full-time would have been a surprise.
So, as the referee blew the final whistle to end the game in a 3-0 win to Morpeth Town, most fans left wondering just what they had witnessed in the second half.
Three goals, two red cards and a three points for the Highwaymen that, coupled with a 5-2 loss for nearest rivals Brighouse Town, could prove decisive at the end of the campaign.
Stretching their lead to 10 points at the top of Evo-stik East, Morpeth started the game in timid fashion, lacking the usual verve and swagger going forward on a frustrating afternoon.
Misplaced passes were the scourge of the home side as they failed to really trouble visiting keeper Michael Duggan.
With no goals at the interval, Spalding were in a solid position heading into the second half, but fell apart on 62 minutes when Joe Walton slotted home a penalty kick after Jack Foalle was pulled down needlessly in the area by Rudy Misambo, who was booked and then received a second yellow card minutes later for another needless act in barging Foalle over.
Twelve minutes later and Town were two to the good, Michael Turner powering a header off the bar which then cannoned off the back of keeper Duggan’s head and into the net.
As the visitors lost the plot, they were down to nine men soon after when James Cullingworth – a regular visitor to the referee – was shown a second yellow for a rash challenge on Sam Hodgson.
There was still time for Sean Taylor to come off the bench and score late on to register a 3-0 win which few would have expected at half-time.
For all their lack of fluency in the first half, winning on days when you are not at your best is a strong sign of a potentially successful side.
Following victory, Morpeth were able to raise a glass to their closest title rivals succumbing to another defeat, with Brighouse losing surprisingly at Loughborough Dynamo after a recent loss at Stocksbridge Park Steels.
It leaves the Highwaymen with a 10-point lead and 10 games left to play as they seek a maiden title in their first season in Evo-stik East.
MORPETH TOWN: Lowson, Forster, Turner, Sayer, Petrache (Reid), J.henderson, Dav Carson, Hodgson, Foalle, Phillips (Taylor), Potter (Walton). Subs (not used): Fry, L.henderson. SPALDING UNITED: Duggan, Moyses, Marshall (Fixter), Cullingworth, Misambo, Hare, Cooper, Everington, Wells, Mettam (Zuerner), Hugo. Subs (not used): Martin, Brownell, Acar.