TWO CLASSY GOALS v TWO SET PIECE GOALS
Dunston UTS 2 North Shields 2 – Ebac Northern League Division One
It’s difficult to know whether both teams will be happy with a point apiece from this game, or if they’ll be slightly frustrated that they couldn’t find a way to grab all three points.
Dunston could have been a couple of goals ahead in the opening six minutes. In the fourth minute Liam Brooks latched on to a ball outside the box and he had a shot which I thought hit the post and came out. The North Shields Tweet suggested that Greg Purvis saved it. Whichever it was, it was a close shave for the visitors. Two minutes later Callum Elliott had a shot rattle off the bar.
Dunston’s passing was more effective. Shields tried to get into a quick tempo but their passing didn’t pass muster.
The home side edged the chances created, the best of which was a Jake Stafford shot from a tight angle which Purvis managed to save after getting his angles right. The Shields back four were a lot busier than Dunston’s until the visitors scored with a lightning quick, precise counter attack.
Left winger Bobby Taylor passed to Finlay Hayhurst who returned the compliment with a first time ball that bisected the Dunston defence and allowed Taylor to beat the offside trap. Taylor sprinted away and scored with a cool finish, scooping it past Dunston keeper Karl Dryden.
Dunston followed that up with a couple of shots, but none of them troubled Purvis, exposing a lack of a cutting edge up front. For their part, Shields didn’t hold on to the ball as well as they should have done, but would have been more than happy to go into the break a goal to the good.
Shields extended their lead in the 52nd minute with one of the best free kicks I’ve seen so far this season – a dead ball struck by Sean McRoberts which had placement, pace and dip to hit the top right of the Dunston goal. In their own different ways, the Shields goals had both been well executed.
And to coincide with Shields starting to keep the ball far better than they had in the first half, Dunston for their part seemed to lose focus.
Dunston then found Shields’ Achilles heel with long, high balls into their box from dead balls. The first came in the 65th minute when Dunston were awarded a disputed free kick 40 yards out from the visitors’ goal. The ball was knocked long to the far post where Dan Capewell was able to stick out a boot and score past a couple of defenders and Purvis.
The goal gave them a more confidence to push forward and they drew level in the 73rd minute, this time from a corner. Brooks headed the ball back across the goal and Jake Stafford met it with a follow-up header and placed it in. Six minutes after the goal, Shields struggled again to deal with a free kick into the box, but Tom Bexton put his chance wide.
Dunston No. 9 Jordan Nellis came closest to getting the winner when he controlled the ball with a great first touch close to the right touchline before running at the Shields defence and placing a shot which just scraped past the outside of the post.
Dunston keep their unbeaten record in the league.
Mike Snowdon