Blustery conditions blight Over-40s football fixtures
The wind was the overall winner last weekend in the Sunderland & District Mill View SC Over-40s Football League, with Storm Malik ensuring only 19 games were played out of 35.
Rolls Royce had both keepers missing through work and injury, so Micky Leach donned the gloves but,
thankfully, a resolute display from the back three meant his workload was kept to a minimum against
The Burn. Two long-range efforts gave Rolls a two-goal lead, the first a 20-yarder from Ian Usher and the second a wind-assisted 39-yarder from Kev Illingworth.
Houghton Burn then scored with two minutes to go to give Rolls-Royce a nervous end to the game but they held out for a deserved win.
Division Two’s Hartlepool Cricket Club entertained Sunderland Mill View at Brierton and a 3-0 win saw them move into the top half of the table. Credit went to both teams for getting the game played in terrible conditions. The game couldn’t have started any better for Cricket, with Paul Dougherty putting them ahead in the first minute.
Dougherty was making his first start following a lengthy absence through injury and finished smartly after latching on to a great ball forward from John Tumilty. Scott Newbegin was inches wide as Cricket continued their great start and was just crowded out by covering defenders as he looked to break through.
Mill gradually settled and, for the rest of the first half, coped better with the conditions without really threatening the home goal.
Cricket often start the second period slowly – but not on this occasion. Within five minutes of the restart, they had doubled their lead. Marc Gibson had a shot blocked and the ball broke to Dougherty, who put the ball away with another sharp finish.
Mill were always in the game but Cricket were always in control and they got
their third goal inside the last 10 minutes. Mark Taylor got on the ball in midfield and picked out Michael Ford’s run. He took the ball on and confidently placed it past the advancing keeper.
Dougherty was man of the match, with good performances from Tumilty and Paul Lindsay.
In the Premier Division, Hartlepool FC Blues made the short journey to Easington and came away with a 2-0 victory, extending their unbeaten run to seven games.
Making a bright start, they tested the home ‘keeper with efforts from Chris Birbeck and Jonny Payne. But they had to wait 25 minutes before taking the lead. Stu Greig was fouled and Brian Chambers took the free kick. It looked like the ball was heading in anyway but it took a touch off an Easington defender on the way. Alan Hoey hit the post after good work by Payne and Birbeck, and Lee Stephenson made a really good save to keep out the home team.
With half time approaching, FC got the all-important second goal. Good play between Ste Hodgson and Jon Kegans set up Greig to score from the edge of the box. The second half was fairly even, although FC felt they had a good shout for a penalty
when Greig went down in the area.
Greig was man of the match, Chambers, with Hodgson and Payne also standing out.
In the top-of-table clash in Division Four, between The Willow Pond and The Philadelphia, both sides
tried to get the ball down to play in difficult conditions.
Pond looked to have taken the lead from a Steve Jamieson corner that was powered home by Pond fullback Gareth Vincent but it was disallowed as Philly ‘keeper, Joe Walters, was impeded.
The game was end to end and disjointed but Pond’s leading goalscorer, Martin Lee, caused havoc before unleashing a ferocious goal
bound shot that was superbly saved by Walters.
In the second half, chances for both sides were at a premium as the wind got worse and mistakes, inevitably, were made.
A couple of breakaway efforts by The Philadelphia were off target and the game ended in goalless draw. Fixtures for February 5: Premier Division: Ferryhill Greyhound v Easington Colliery, Marden v Washington EMS, Pelton Crown Inn v Hartlepool FC Blues, Penshaw Catholic Club v Blyth Masons Arms, Sherburn Village WMC v Middlesbrough, South Shields v Hebburn Town, Sunderland Times Inn v Wallsend Boys Club.
Division One: CSSC Darsley
Park v Wearmouth CW Old Boys, Consett v The Milbourne Arms, Dubmire Club v Stanley, N/Shields Pineapple v Roseberry Hilda Park, Redcar Town v Hartlepool Jacksons, Sedgefield v Woodhorn Lane, Sunderland Plains Farm v Sunderland Grindon Broadway, Wallsend Community v Seaham Harbour Cricket.
Division Two: Hartlepool Cricket Club v N/Aycliffe Cobblers Hall, Hartlepool Raby v Newcastle East End, Hartlepool Tech v Durham County, Peterlee Helford v Boldon Colliery Old Barrel, Sunderland Mill View SC v S/Shields Catholic Club, Washington JFC Biddick v Richmond Town.
Division Three: Heighington Bay Horse v Bedlington United Sporting, Newcastle Blue Star v Durham Bede Lodge, Sunderland Ivy Legends v Shildon AFC, Trimdon Veterans v Billingham Vets, Walkergate v Sunderland Pennywell Comrades, Wingate Constitutional v Whitburn.
Division Four: Billingham The Lion v Houghton the Burn, Darlington Railway Athletic v Catchgate, Hartlepool Vets v Houghton Cricket, Sunderland Royal Navy v Sunderland Rolls Royce, Sunderland The Philadelphia v Sunderland Doxy Lad, Sunderland Willow Pond v Redcar Newmarket.