Tag: Billy Greulich-Smith

Shildon v Hebburn

This was a one-sided affair. Even more so than the scoreline suggests, with one first half shot finding the wrong side of the upright and Mark Hudson’s 100% penalty conversion record coming to an end with his unlucky thirteenth in the second half.

Countless corners and a number of last ditch blocks and saves prevented Shildon from notching the highest goals tally of a day that saw 41 scored across seven Division One ties (that accolade went to Ashington, who netted eight times at bottom side Billingham Town).

However, there weren’t many in the ground prepared to denigrate Hebburn’s performance. Most were sympathetic of their plight, being abandoned as they were in the summer by their management team and entire player squad, all of whom decamped to Jarrow.

The makeshift side, hastily assembled in the close season, were no competition for a strong Shildon and, unfortunately for an otherwise well-respected club, their chances of remaining in the top division look remote indeed.

That said, Shildon, for all their dominance, went in to the half time break with a two goal lead consisting of two fortunate strikes. Of course, as the old adage reminds us, diligence is the mother of good luck, and it wasn’t for want of creating chances that Shildon’s total wasn’t greater in the first forty-five.

Paul Connor, who had seen one shot on the turn cannon off the upright, did his best to get out of the road of Lee Scroggin’s shot on 14 minutes. However, fortunately for him and for the home side, the shot, which was going wide, found his shin and deflected past the helpless Andrew Hunter in the Hebburn goal.

It took until the final seconds of the half before the Railwaymen found the net again, and again it was a goal of good fortune. The ball was swept wide to the marauding Darren Richardson on the left and his cross sailed over Hunter and under the bar. His own bemusement at the nature of the goal was confirmation, if it was needed, that the strike was not premeditated.

In the second half, the floodgates opened, although the defences were briefly held back by Hunter when he saved a Mark Hudson penalty. Hudson himself was fouled and rose to place the ball on the spot for the thirteenth time in his Shildon career. The previous twelve  had been dispatched successfully, but whether superstition got the better of him or not, this effort was probably his weakest to date. In saying that, Hunter had to travel and drop low to his left in order to make a fine stop.

It was a mere finger in a widening crack and within minutes, the defences collapsed and the runaway Railwaymen flooded the net with four more goals in short order.

Billy Greulich-Smith, who had replaced Sam Garvie, was on hand to nod Richardson’s cross into the path of Ben Wood who swept the ball home from 12 yards.

Just two minutes later, a Mark Hudson corner once more found the head of the tall Greulich-Smith. In the subsequent scramble the ball was headed out to the eighteen-yard box, only for Richardson to thunder an unstoppable rocket past the rooted goalkeeper.

Then Ben Wood collected the ball from Jamie Harwood and, with a smart turn, left the defence trailing. Paul Connor, in an acre of space in the box, deftly controlled Wood’s pass and sold the goalkeeper the opposite way before tapping into a now empty net.

With more than 15 minutes remaining on the clock, Hebburn were hit for six when man-of-the-match, Ben Wood, collected the third brace of the day.

Wood, whose footballing career looked to be cut devastatingly short last season as the result of a serious bone illness, has been a revelation this season. Where last season he may have held on to the ball for too long at times, this season he is already stretching away at the top of the assists chart, having set up a third of the side’s goals so far. And with his second strike of this game – a fierce angled drive from the corner of the six yard box – he also takes over at the top of the scoring chart with five for the season.

The medical staff are constantly monitoring his condition and, with Ben in this magnificent form, everyone at the club will be hoping he can be kept fit, if not for all of it, then for as much of the season as possible.

With the game well out of sight, the rampant Railwaymen eased down the gears, satisfied with their day’s work. Hebburn may have feared further humiliation, but neither their adversaries nor the spectators were clamouring for more. The afternoon’s goals were scored and Shildon left the field at full time to a standing ovation.

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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.