Month: November 2013

Hat Trick Hopwood fires Shildon again

Under 10’s

Newton Aycliffe Juniors  0  3  SHILDON

Scorers  – Kane Hopwood (3)

Man of the Match – James Rusby

Shildon continued their good form this season with a convincing display against good opposition.  Starting brightly Shildon took the lead after 5mins when a good through ball by James Rusby saw Kane Hopwood thump a right foot shot in the top corner.  Continuous pressure saw Shildon double the lead after good approach work and a fine one two with Jacob Race, Kane Hopwood scored from close range.  With Shildon well in their stride they started to dominate and just before half time Hopwood completed his hat trick with a strong left foot shot just inside the penalty area. The 2nd half wasn’t as impressive but overall another squad performance from all Shildon players making an impact.

The 2nd hat trick of the day was by Ben Hopper in the friendly!

 

Under 11’s

SHILDON  1 3 Kirk Merrington

Scorer – LM Thompson

Man of the Match –

Under 16’s

Cargo Fleet  2  1  SHILDON

Scorers  – OM Rogers

Gary Forrest comments on FA Vase exit

In the wake of Shildon’s exit from the FA Vase on Saturday at the hands of West Auckland, who won by the game’s solitary goal, Shildon manager, Gary Forrest has released the following statement:

“I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all the people who turned up on Saturday and gave us such fantastic support, we could not have asked any more of you.

“If we are all honest it was a dreadful game in which both teams cancelled each other out, and it appeared like both teams were too frightened about losing to actually take the game by the scruff of the neck and go for the win.

“That was one of our poorest performances of the season. Of all the games in which to put in such a poor performance, we chose that one. After such a poor performance, I tend to sit and analyse the game and attempt to work out what we did wrong and what we could have done better. I genuinely cannot fathom out why we performed so badly and have come to the conclusion that it was just a really bad day at the office!

“I know the players are hurting today and feel that they let themselves and the supporters down, but we need to put this behind us and focus all our energy on challenging for the league title. Please don’t lose faith in us as we need to do this together.

“Over the last six years we have all worked really hard to build a fantastic football club with solid foundations. The club goes from strength to strength; we have a great supporters club, youth development set up, the best social marketing and the ground looks superb in comparison to six years ago.

“Unfortunately on the pitch the word ‘bridesmaid’ springs to mind. In those six years we have finished runners up in the league, 4th in the league, semi-finalists in the Vase, quarter-finalists in the Vase, league cup finalists, and lost 5 further semi finals.

“I would love to deliver silverware to the club as it appears to be the missing piece of the jigsaw. However, we will NEVER sacrifice our principals of playing attractive passing football. This season we have scored 61 league goals in 22 games and some of our football has been fantastic at times. Yes we take risks, yes we conspire to beat ourselves at times by attempting to play football on poor surfaces and in difficult conditions, but it is the way we believe a football team should play.

“So let’s put Saturday behind us and move on to another tough game at Crook on Friday night. If we manage to pick up three points on Friday we will extend our lead over Celtic Nation to seven points, Spennymoor to 9 points and West Auckland to 14, with both Spennymoor and West playing each other the following day.”

Chloe stars in away win

Under 8’s

SHILDON v West Auckland

Scorers  –

Man of the Match –

Under 9’s

21st All Star Jets  v  SHILDON

Scorers  –

Man of the Match

Under 10’s

SHILDON  1  0  Mount Pleasant Rangers

Scorers  – Kane Hopwood (1)

Man of the Match – Aiden Kirtley

Shildon played extremely well against a well organised and skilled opposition.  It was an open game in the first half, with both teams creating chances.  After 10mins Shildon came close to taking the lead with a strong shot from the corner by James Rusby which hit the bar.  Just before the end of the 1st half, good passing from the midfield put Kane Hopwood through on goal and finished well to the bottom corner.

The second half started much the same as the first with both teams pushing forward.  Shildon began to gain the upper hand as the game progressed and with 1 min left a brilliant shot by Ellie Geary was somehow headed off the line.

An excellent team effort once again by all players.

 

Under 11’s

Coulby Newham Blues   v  SHILDON

Man of the Match –

Under 13’s

Guisborough Town  2  3  SHILDON

Scorers  – Noah McCourt (2) Jack Mortimer (1)

Man of the Match – Chloe Geary

The Under 13’s travelled to Guisborough, and came away with a great 3-2 win.  On a tight pitch, most of the game happened in a congested midfield area, and from a through ball from midfield, Noah McCourt opened the scoring for Shildon on 10 min with a fine right foot shot.  On 13 minutes, Noah doubled the advantage with another clinical finish.  On 20 minutes Jack Mortimer increased the lead following up after a good save from the keeper.  A minute later, Guisborough reduced the arrears to 3 1, which was the half time score.

In to the second half, and the game became more of a midfield battle.  Guisborough squandered a couple of chances whilst Shildon had a number of chances to wrap the game up, but good goalkeeping kept the score down.  With 3 minutes to go, Guisborough set up a grand finish when they pulled a goal back, but Shildon managed to see the match out, to record their 4th victory of the season.

The Man of the Match award went to Chloe Geary for a fine performance, especially in defence, with some great tackling and non stop running.

 

Under 16’s

SHILDON  2  7  Northallerton Juniors

Scorers  – Jack Burrows (1) Dean Bainbridge (1)

 

West Auckland v Shildon AFC

The Twelfth Man turned out in force at West Auckland this afternoon for the game of the day in the FA Vase.

Unfortunately for the Railwaymen it was a bad day at the office, and although the sides were evenly matched throughout, a solitary goal for the home side separated the teams and saw Shildon exit this season’s tournament after just one match.

Shildon and West couldn’t have wished for a worse draw and the game proved to be a tight and tense affair with very few chances for either side.

There was no effort of note in the entire first 45 minutes and it was Shildon who should have taken the lead at the beginning of the second half when Ben Wood found space in the box and set up a glorious opportunity for himself.

But the normally composed finisher opted for power and, instead of calmly placing the ball into the inviting net, swiped wildly and sent it high and wide of the target.

It was a game in which the referee leaned heavily in favour the home side in his decision making and in the 65th minute, this tendency proved fatal for the visitors.

What appeared to be a free kick for Shildon when Mark Hudson was bundled to the ground was waved away by the official. However, he could not be blamed for the players’ failure to play on and, as they stopped to protest the foul, Garthwaite strode forward uncontested and drove a powerful shot high into the roof of the net from 20 yards.

Shildon almost equalised immediately, but a goalmouth scramble ricocheted harmlessly into Nixon’s arms.

Try as they might, Shildon could not find an equaliser and late in the game it took a goal line clearance to keep the score down to one-nil.

Unfortunately time ran out on last year’s FA Vase semi-finalists, but the Railwaymen can be consoled in the knowledge that they remain in top spot in the league and can now focus their attentions on an historic tilt at this season’s title.

The disappointment of the result will stay with the squad, the supporters and the town in the coming days, but this team of proven winners will be ready to go again in the league next Friday evening at Crook Town.