Home

Club

Events

Contact

History

News

2007-08 Season

Matchday

Club Shop

Commercial

Links

Archive

2006-07 Season

League Table

Player Statistics

Match Reports

Home > Archive > 2006-07 Season > Match Reports > Spennymoor Town (02.09.06)

2006-2007 Season

Match Reports

Spennymoor Town 3 v Bamber Bridge 1

FA Cup Preliminary Round

at Brewery Field

Saturday 2nd September 2006

By Dave Rowland

Bamber Bridge went out of the FA Cup once again in the Preliminary Round after a fine performance by County Durham side Spennymoor Town. It was a humiliating defeat by a side two divisions below them in the pyramid. Last season the Irongate club fell at the same stage to lower opposition when losing 1-2 at North West Counties League Second Division outfit Cheadle Town. The result makes grim reading for the Irongate faithful.

Their County Durham opponents, Spennymoor Town, were formed as recently as the beginning of the 2005-06 season, following the demise of Spennymoor United who were unable to complete the 2004-05 season in the Unibond League. They floundered after being unable to pay players wages and complete their fixtures and as a result were eventually removed from the league and folded.

Town playing on the Brewery Field Ground, vacated by their predecessors, finished in a respectable 8th position in the Second Division of the Northern League last season and have started well enough this term. They remain undefeated in the league, and now the cup, occupying 4th spot in the table and won convincingly 4-0 at Crook Town during the week.

Bamber Bridge were looking for a return to winning ways after the disappointment of defeat at Skelmersdale United on Bank-Holiday Monday. Midfielder Stephen Brown returned to the fray after missing the opening four games of the season due to suspension and replaced Monday’s goalscorer Tom Ince. The other two changes from the Bank-Holiday game saw Allan Fleming replacing Lee Clitheroe at left-back and Ryan Salmon who was preferred to Karl Noon in leading the attack. Clitheroe, Ince and Noon were consigned to the bench.

The opening moves of the tie saw the teams testing each other out cautiously but the ’Moors’ almost got their noses in front on 8 minutes when Craig Bishop hit the post.

The home team were playing some good football and there was little to suggest that there was two divisions separating the sides. Brig lost their shape a little when centre-back Jamie Squires left the field injured on 17 minutes being replaced by Lee Clitheroe. It was to be a defining moment for Bamber Bridge with the defence disastrously weakened for the rest of the afternoon.

There was little seen of the visitors as an attacking force early on and they were lucky not to concede a goal after 30 minutes when Bishop knocked the ball just wide after a smart cross by Adam Clough had found him unmarked in front of goal.

Three minutes later Bamber Bridge came close with their first meaningful effort when Greg Brickell was unlucky to see his header strike the crossbar after a pin-point cross from Porter out on the left.

The visitors began to come more into the game as the first-half wore on but it had not been the best of days for the Irongate men and the County Durham minnows were making a real go of it.

Bishop once again fluffed his lines near to the break - heading wide a Jason Ainslie cross when he really should have done better.

Brig began the second period looking sharper and almost grabbed the lead on 55 minutes when Porter saw his shot scrambled off the goal-line after being put through by Brickell.

Things took a turn for the worse for Bamber Bridge on 65 minutes when Brickell went off injured, being replaced by newcomer Karl Noon and then a minute later they went a goal down when Warren Byrne turned full-back Fleming and shot low past the despairing dive of goalkeeper David Newnes.

Bamber Bridge drew level on 74 minutes when a Porter free-kick was diverted into his own goal by David Morgan.

However, this set back spurred ‘Moors’ on to greater deeds and within a minute they deservedly got their noses back in front when Byrne collected his second with a low shot after the Brig defence failed to pick him up.

Bamber Bridge were showing little appetite for the fight and creativity had all but disappeared as the ‘Moors’ began to sense that the day was theirs for the taking. Squires authority and experience was being sorely missed at the back with basic errors ultimately causing the Lancastrians undoing. At the front there was little to fire the imagination and overall the Irongate side looked decidedly poor.

The game was up for the visitors on 83 minutes when substitute William Cooper took advantage of a static defence and waltzed past Newnes to roll the ball into an empty net and complete the visitors humiliation.

Bamber Bridge: Newnes, Fleming, King, Bain, Squires (Clitheroe 17mins), Woodruff, Brown (Ince 58mins), Reynolds, Salmon, Brickell (Noon 65mins), Porter. Unused Sub: Fletcher

Goals: Morgan own goal (74 mins)

Attendance: 159