Late Spartans rally sees off brave Bay

In association with:

ALAN McLEAN FCMA CGMA
Chartered Management Accountant

Blyth Spartans 3-1 Whitley Bay (After Extra Time)
Northumberland Senior Cup Semi Final
Croft Park
Tuesday 17th February 2015
Attendance: 584

Dan Maguire's second brace in the space of three days sent Spartans into their second consecutive Northumberland Senior Cup Final as they saw off a dogged display from Whitley Bay. The Northern League outfit had taken the lead in the fourth minute as Robbie Bird had made the most of a defensive error. They looked set to shock Spartans but Damen Mullen snatched a late equaliser to send the tie into extra time and that was where Maguire took centre stage with a clinical pair of goals to see of the Bay.

Spartans created the first chance of note within the first three minutes as Dan Hawkins precise cross from the left fell to Michael Richardson but the former Newcastle United youngster could only fire over the bar from ten yards. That miss was punished a minute later when a weak headed backpass from Joel Dixon was seized upon by Robbie Bird and he calmly rolled past Peter Jeffries to put the Bay ahead.

The hosts could and should have been level within a minute as Dan Maguire wasted his first chance of the night. The striker was played into the right hand side of the area by Dan Hawkins but flashed a rising shot over the bar from the angle.

Tom Wade's side were dominating proceedings but couldn't find that elusive equaliser and were denied again on the quarter of an hour mark as Bay keeper Sean McCafferty just beat Hawkins to a clever cross from the right by Richardson, denying the former Bishop Auckland striker a certain goal.

Spartans continued to monopolise the chances and some neat interplay created their next opportunity to equalise just before the half hour mark. A clever Hawkins flick gave Richardson a sight of goal from twenty yards out but he could only drag his first-time effort wide of the left hand upright.

As the referee blew the whistle for half time he brought down the curtain on a frustration first half for Spartans. A half where they dominated proceedings but were left to rue a defensive lapse that gave their Northern League opponents the lead at the interval.

Within five minutes of the restart Dan Hawkins almost scored a blockbuster of an equaliser for Spartans. A Robbie Dale corner from the left was only partially cleared by the Bay defence and fell to Hawkins on the edge of the area. The striker caught the ball perfectly with a low, stinging drive that McCafferty did brilliantly to parry behind, despite the shot coming through a crowded penalty area.

Midway through the half the visitors almost doubled their lead as Alex Kempster seized upon a poor piece of defending from Joel Dixon. The winger crossed into the area to Robbie Bird and he looked set to smash the ball past Jeffries, only for Dixon to redeem himself with a brave block to prevent the striker getting his second goal of the night.

Spartans finally got the goal that their dominance deserved a minute from the end of normal time. Damen Mullen pounced on a loose ball in midfield and drove to the edge of the Bay area before lashing a low right foot effort into the bottom corner of the net.

As five minutes of injury time was signalled Mullen almost grabbed what had seemed like an unlikely winner. The full back broke on to a loose ball in the left hand side of the area but dragged his shot past the far post. Spartans laid siege to the Bay goal and Maguire repeated Mullen's effort, sadly for Spartans it was his narrow miss, not his late equaliser. That miss meant that the tie went into extra time.

A quiet opening half of extra was being played out until five minutes before the break when Neal Hooks found himself in a yard of space outside the Bay area. The midfielder tried an audacious curling effort that was magnificantly tipped over the bar by McCafferty and that sent the sides into the interval still level.

Spartans had the first chance of the second period too as Robbie Dale's swinging corner from the right was met by a header from Hawkins but in the melee in front of McCafferty the ball was deflected on to the cross bar. That miss meant little just a minute later as Turnbull's headed clearance released Maguire in on goal and the little striker held off two players before rolling past McCafferty. It was Maguire again two minutes from the end of extra time who put an end to the Bay's chances of a replay and he instinctively span inside the area before sending McCafferty the wrong way, much to the delight of his manager Tom Wade.

Maguire put in a great shift up front for Spartans and just as he had at Buxton on Saturday, got his reward as for the second time in three days he was his side's match winner. They now head into the Northumberland Senior Cup Final and it will be Northern League outfit Morpeth Town who will provide the opposition after the Highwaymen shocked Newcastle United U21s in the other semi final.

Spartans:

Jeffries, Nicholson (Hutchinson 42), Mullen, Dixon, Parker, Hooks, Hawkins, Dale, Maguire, Wade (Turnbull Stp 80), Richardson (Rivers 66)

Subs not used:

Lynch, Turnbull Stp

Goals:

Mullen 89, Maguire 109 and 118

Whitley Bay:

McCafferty, McFarlane, Cave, Stanger, McGarr, White, McMullen (Chow 90), Williamson, Watling (Laws 111), Bird (King 84), Kempster

Subs not used:

McDonald, Laws, Gladstone

Goals:

Bird 4

Referee:

R Clark