Match Report | Spartans 1-1 Tonbridge Angels

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Image by Bill Broadley[/caption]

Saturday 16 July 2016

Blyth Spartans 1-1 Tonbridge Angels

Pre-Season Friendly | Croft Park, Blyth

Attendance: 213

The honours were split evenly between Blyth and Tonbridge Angels on a blustery day with a 1-1 draw on Saturday at Croft Park.

The game got off to a flier when in the first minute Luke Armstrong made a surging run down the wing before teeing up Sean Reid who hit the ball first time and gave Blyth the lead with a thunderous shot into the top corner. Blyth were keeping possession well and dictating the tempo of play which nearly led to a second goal. Robbie Dale played a pinpoint cross-field pass to Alex Nicholson who cut inside of the defender before striking a powerful shot which forced the Tonbridge goalkeeper into a good diving save.

Despite a lively opening fifteen minutes the game settled down and both teams were able to have comfortable possession of the ball but both teams failed to take advantage of this for the rest of the first half.

In the fifty-second minute Tonbridge's striker Nathan Elder found himself behind the Blyth defence but was denied by Peter Jefferies who managed to make an important save with his legs. Tonbridge continued to search for the equaliser and were starting to up the tempo and take the game to Blyth. On the seventieth minute Tonbridge were nearly rewarded when a cross was met at the near post but the striker was unable to redirect the ball into the net.

Moments after, in the seventy-first minute, Blyth created a great chance after a perfectly weighted through-ball from Michael Richardson was received by Nicholson who whipped the ball across the face of goal which was only just out of the reach of Sean Reid.

In the eighty-second minute Tonbridge took advantage of their spell of possession and were able to grab an equaliser. A low shot was driven into the corner by Nick Wheeler, Jeffries was able to get a hand to the shot but could not keep the shot out.

Match Report by William Reynolds.