Tag: Ben Wood

Bishop Auckland v Shildon AFC

Derby matches often fall into one of two categories: dour draw or end-to-end entertainment. Fortunately for the near-400 spectators who paid in to witness this encounter, it turned out to be one of the latter.

Shildon travelled the short distance to Heritage Park on the back of a successful first Friday night football (successful in the result at least, if not in the financial experiment – but it’s early days for that yet) and looked to top off a long weekend of games with a Monday night win to continue their climb toward the top end of the table.

The signs were positive even before kick off as an almost full strength squad warmed up on the Two Blues turf. With Paul Connor back to full fitness and Lee Scroggins adding brawn to the midfield, the side had the combination of grit, skill and balance that the fans have been looking forward to seeing since the beginning of the season.

In typical derby fashion the game ebbed and flowed in the opening quarter and while both sides probed, neither created an opportunity of note until Ben Wood was released by an incisive Sam Garvie pass. Howarth in the Bishop goal did well to quickly close the angle and force the striker to slide the ball wide of the upright.

It was a sign of what was to come. The final ball was now slicing through the Two Blues defence with regularity and in the 22nd minute, Paul Connor’s razor sharp reverse ball found Garvie racing through on goal. The forward keep his cool to sweep the ball past Howarth and put the Railwaymen into a deserved lead.

Shildon had continued where they left off against Bedlington the previous Friday, but rather than keep their foot on the neck of their opponent, they eased off and allowed the home side into the game. It seemed as if they were content that, having created a number of chances as well as taking the lead, the game was already in their grasp. But they would soon be taught the harsh lesson that no games are a gimme at this level.

Bishop pressed forward and their hard work was rewarded just after the half hour when a through ball found Dean Douglas bearing down on goal. Lewis Graham rushed from his line but succeeded only in toppling the forward and conceding a penalty.

Shildon hearts were in mouths as the home side appealed for a red while the visitors pointed out that a number of defenders were between the incident and the goal line. The referee allowed himself pause for thought before brandishing a yellow card. It was a decision Graham and the Shildon fans would prove grateful for in the game’s closing moments.

In the meantime, Kieran Moncur made no mistake from the spot, firing an unstoppable shot high and wide for the equaliser.

Bishop had stolen the initiative and the momentum, and while Shildon struggled to shift back up a gear, the home side poured forward relentlessly. It took until the stroke of half time for their energy to reap further reward. Another quick break down the left was followed by a floating cross to the back post, where Daniel Brunskill need only nod at the ball from under the bar to guide the home side into a merited lead at the break.

A goal immediately before the interval is one of those often considered advantageous to the scoring side, but one couldn’t help but wonder whether, on this occasion, it may have had less than the desired effect, adding as it must have a sense of urgency and focus to the half time talk in the visitors’ dressing room.

It certainly seemed so as Shildon took control of the game in the second half. The scoreline could have unsettled the Railwaymen, but rather than attempt to force the game, the side showed a mature patience that might be expected of a group that now contains several highly experienced individuals.

Before long, another of those important times to score arrived, duly accompanied by the goal that drew the sides level.

Just five minutes after the restart, Shildon won a throw midway in the opposing half. It was a moment tinged with some controversy as Mark Wood collapsed to the floor clutching his ankle after a challenge by Scroggins. The linesman could easily have signalled for the foul but instead allowed Shildon the throw. The ball found its way across to Connor, whose glancing header deflected into the path of the other Wood – Ben – who fired home from 12 yards past a helpless Howarth. The injured Wood – Mark – could only berate the linesman as Ben celebrated gleefully alongside the lame defender.

The goal knocked the wind from the home side’s gusto and like the proverbial boiling of a frog, the visitors steadily raised the temperature, pressing almost inexorably towards the home goal. Although it only seemed a matter of time before Shildon would regain the lead, it took until the 78th minute before the inevitable arrived.

The always busy, always tricky Sam Garvie collected the ball on the left wing before cutting inside and feeding Ben Wood who, with what is becoming a trademark pass with the outside of his boot, moved the ball across to the opposite wing. In a microcosm of the patience with which Shildon played the ball throughout the second half, there followed half a dozen focussed passes before Mark Hudson fed Paul Connor on the edge of the box.

The tall striker is proving unplayable with his back to goal and it is imperative that Shildon keep this vital player fit throughout the season. The ball sticks to his boots and his close control, vision and speed of thought allow him to manipulate it as he sees fit. On this occasion, rather than lay it off, he made the space to turn and fire a low, left-footed shot out of the reach and inside the left hand post of the despairing keeper.

Even as the sides left the field at the interval, there was a hint that the game was not yet up for Shildon and this excellent comeback will surely signal to the squad and the rest of the league that, excepting some early season hiccups, this is a team capable of reaching great heights this season. The watchword, as ever, is injury-free.

The final word in this match went to the vocal Lewis Graham in the Shildon goal. The side which had performed so coolly and patiently under the pressure of a half-time deficit, were afflicted by a mild case of the jitters in the dying moments of the game. As they attempted to see the match out they conceded possession and, with the clock running down, a free kick in a dangerous area when the diminutive Douglas was once again flattened – this time just outside the 18 yard box.

The cross was headed powerfully towards goal, but there was Graham – a young keeper who is proving himself as much of a game winner as the goalscorers up the other end of the field – launching himself to palm the ball to safety. He was called on one more time to block a goalbound effort before the referee brought relief to the fans and all three points – for the third derby in a row between the sides – to the reinvigorated Railwaymen.

Spennymoor shine in Bank Holiday sun

A guest match report by Adam Amos

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Sadly on a bank holiday Monday at the Brewery Field it was only the weather that was glorious for Shildon, after being defeated 4-2 by Vase holders Spennymoor.

Shildon, attacking up the slope  first, lacked any real bite in the first forty-five minutes. Perhaps it was the heat, the early kick off (1pm) or the second game in two days for the depleted squad, but they certainly struggled to spark.

The hosts were not much better, but they were the ones that found themselves two-nil up at the break.  Having loud claims for a penalty waved away in the first five minutes, when the goalkeeper Lewis got fingertips to the ball before the onrushing Cogdon, it wasn’t long before the referee would point the spot.

Brackstone brought down Dodds in the six yard box as a cross was coming in. You had to feel for Lewis in the Shildon goal as not only did he expertly save the penalty but two rebounds as well – only to be beaten at the fourth attempt.

Spenny’s second came from 25 yards out on the right wing when Dodds put the ball in the top corner of the net. Whether or not it was a shot or cross is up for debate. The fact that he had too much time and space to do it, isn’t. The half fizzled out after that with Shildon’s only real threat being Scroggins who saw a couple of speculative long rangers go well wide.

Whatever Shildon had at half-time it was more than the majority of the crowd, who were left complaining about the lack of the usual Burger van (a mix-up with kick-off time apparently).

Nevertheless, whatever Gary Forrest had said to his men it obviously worked, as within ten seconds of the kick off, Billy Greulich-Smith got on the end of a couple of clever passes to run clear and score with a clever lob.

It was just what Shildon and the game needed and five minutes later the visitors were level with Ben Wood latched on to a great ball down the right channel to keep calm and fire across the ‘keeper and in off the post.

Shildon, first to everything, were a different side, and Spenny looked rattled.

The large away contingent were really getting behind their team, but the game changed in the 55th minute. Scroggins, who had been at the heart of the resurgence, went clear through and should have put the Railwaymen ahead, but failed to hit the target, or indeed the tin shed behind the goal.

This seemed to wake Moors and give them time to compose themselves. And sure enough, eight minutes later, a clever run and cross by Dodds on the right set up a tap in for Cogdon.

Shildon did not give up and battled hard, but when the ref failed to give a free kick that left a man down in the Spenny half, they saw an opportunity to go on the counter and wrap the game up in the 76th minute.

Shildon will be left kicking themselves. If the second half efforts had been matched in the first they may well have got something from the home of the favourites for the title. They will have to wait until the reverse fixture on Boxing Day to have another pop, when the weather may be a little different.

Understrength Shildon hold West

Shildon’s bench for today’s home derby against West Auckland Town consisted entirely of its coaching staff: Keith Finch, who has ‘officially’ retired from goalkeeping duties to take up the role as coach to new number one stopper, Lewis Graham; first team coach, Phil Brumwell and assistant manager, Stuart Niven.

Mirroring last season, an injury crisis meant that the coach and assistant were forced to register as players in midweek to give this match any chance of taking place. Indeed, as late as lunchtime, there remained uncertainty about whether the match would go ahead with Shildon unsure if they could muster the required number of players.

Eventually a full starting compliment showed up, but Niven’s service were required in the second half, when he replaced debutant Adam Garrity after the new signing was thrown in at the deep end, having put pen to paper just hours earlier.

In the end, the makeshift side were unfortunate not to take all three points, having created several clear-cut chances while the back four shut out the visiting attack, Lewis Graham remaining untested virtually throughout.

The Railwaymen could have got off to a flier, but Billy Greulich-Smith, in only his second start, demonstrated his rustiness by missing the target from close range. Shortly afterwards Darren Richarsdon could also have given the home side the lead but squandered the effort.

Having survived the opening attack, the visitors responded with their own counter, putting the Railwaymen under the cosh for a sustained period, although they failed to test Graham in the Shildon goal. In fact, the closest effort in the remainder of the first half fell to the hosts when Billy Greulich-Smith narrowly failed to reach a driven cross by Garrity.

One would be forgiven for mistaking which was the weakened side in the second half as Shildon took control of the game while comfortably dealing with most of what West could throw at them.

However, a succession of Shildon chances went begging as first, Darren Richardson couldn’t redirect a Ben Wood cross onto the target and Wood’s backward header from a free kick also missed the target.

Then came two strong claims for a penalty, although most of the pleas, waved away by the referee, were from the stands.

Undoubtedly the best chance of the game fell to Greulich-Smith in the 68th minute but he inexplicably failed to convert Ben Wood’s cross in front of an open goal from three yards. The striker, a fan’s favourite who otherwise had an excellent game, put the missed opportunity down to rustiness. Although one would have been hard pressed to realise he lacked fitness as, in trademark fashion, he chased every loose ball.

Perhaps West’s best opportunity came in the 80th minute when a right wing cross was headed back across the box to Luke Carr, who blazed over from 12 yards.

Shildon were able to create one other goalscoring opportunity late in the game. Greulich-Smith chased and won one of those lost causes before finding his fellow striker, Wood, who sidestepped his marker and fired a fierce goalbound effort that West keeper Neal Atkinson tipped onto the post.

West spent the final moments pressing against the Shildon defence but were unable to create any clear cut chances. It would have been rough justice had they stolen the match but in the end, Shildon, who began the match fearing it may need to be abandoned, proved they have strength in depth. And while they will be satisfied to have survived the pre-match crisis, they will feel unfortunate not to have collected maximum points.

Railwaymen see off Benfield resistance

It was the proverbial game of two halves as Shildon returned from Newcastle this evening with all three points after a stellar second half performance brushed aside Benfield’s stout first half resistance.

A Mark Hudson penalty after Sam Garvie was upended in the box got the ball rolling. Billy Greulich-Smith, in his first start of the season nodded home Ben Wood’s cross three minutes later and Sam Garvie finished the scoring with an expert finish nine minutes from time.

However, the victory was marred when debutant, Mark Stephenson had to be stretched off shortly after replacing Billy. We will keep you posted when we have news of his condition.

The first half was a stuttering affair, not helped by a referee intent on blowing for every minor infraction. Consequently, there was no flow to the game and chances were at a premium.

Shildon’s best effort came from a Ben Wood free kick that was tipped over the bar by Grainger in the Benfield goal, while the home side came close to taking a lead into the break when a goalmouth scramble required a clearance off the line before the referee blew his whistle one last time.

However, as the second half got underway, the referee kept his whistle away from his lips while the Railwaymen moved through the gears to take control of the tie. In 57 minutes, Ben Wood fed Sam Garvie who burst into the box before being fouled. Fit again Mark Hudson stepped up to resume penalty taking duties and made no mistake from 12 yards.

It was the breakthrough the side were waiting for and within minutes the lead was doubled. Billy Greulich-Smith was at the end of an excellent move to nod home a close range header from man-of-the-match, Ben Wood’s cross.

With a two-goal cushion, the Railwaymen never looked like conceding. Darren Richardson – another contender for the player of the game – slotted comfortably into the left-back berth and the defense looked more solid that it has so far this season. With Lewis Graham finding his voice (it appears he’s learning well from his tutor), the back five played extremely well as a unit and were rewarded with a deserved clean sheet.

Mark Stephenson entered the field for the final twenty minutes to allow Billy Greuich-Smith a rest after his first match of the season. Billy’s industry was rewarded with a goal, but he will need some more game time before he is fully match fit.

With nine minutes remaining, Sam Garvie capped the side’s second half performance with another fine strike. Shildon kept possession in the midfield after a Lewis Graham goal kick and Ben Wood lost his marker with a smart turn before playing the ball to Garvie at the edge of the box. Sam took a touch to side-step the defence before neatly directing his shot into the bottom corner.

Before the end, Shildon were unfortunate to lose Mark Stephenson when, reaching for the ball, he collapsed to the ground with no one near him. It looked entirely innocuous, but Sports Physio, Amy Gardner quickly called for the stretcher. The player was surrounded by the Shildon management team and we all wish him well for a swift recovery. Hopefully the injury is less serious than it appeared.

The Railwaymen played out the remainder of the game without ever looking under threat, although Graham was able to produce a smart stop on the one occasion Benfield beat the offside trap.

It was a far cry from last midweek’s loss to Crook, with the side looking sharp, determined and concentrated on the task of collecting all three points. In the end they did so with ease. Perhaps that early defeat served a positive purpose. It certainly seems so after scoring seven goals and conceding just one in the subsequent two matches.