A Disappointing Performance

Billed as the tie of the Round, Shildon AFC travelled to local rivals West Auckland Town on Saturday 16^th November in the 2^nd Round of the F.A.Vase and Shildon were beaten by a solitary goal.

The game on paper should have been a classic with two of the fancied teams playing each other, but it was a scrappy affair with neither team able to create any real scoring opportunities in the first half, and it looked like it might end up as the 5^th draw in a row between the two teams.

Half Time:  West Auckland Town  0  Shildon  0

Shildon should have been ahead on 46 minutes when Ben Wood was through but with the goal at his mercy he fired well wide.

West looked more dangerous and on 65 minutes the unmarked sub. Paul Garthwaite drove a powerful shot from 20 yards out past Lewis Graham for 1 – 0 to the home side.

West were able to contain the Railwaymen, who never looked like scoring all of the game.

Near the end West nearly made it 2 – 0 but Mark Stephenson cleared the ball off the line from a Mattie Moffat lob.

Final Score:  West Auckland Town  1  Shildon  0

Subs: Doninger for Turnbull 54,  Kerr for Brackstone 85, Stephenson for Hudson 85.

Bookings: (Y)  Connor 18, Wood 37.

Man-of-the-Match:  Hard to choose one, as the whole  team underperformed and were well below their best. On the day West were the better side and deserved to win.