Tag: Darren Richardson

Billy Greulich-Smith on action against Newcastle benfield

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.

Shildon march on in FA Cup

After a minor derailment in midweek, the Railwaymen got back on track in West Yorkshire with a clinical victory in the FA Cup at Garforth Town.

Shildon took full advantage of the wind at their backs to score three first half goals and effectively put the tie beyond the reach of the home side within half an hour.

A goal on the hour mark gave the home side a glimmer of hope, but Shildon made sure their name would be listed in the next round with a fourth goal ten minutes from time.

While the strong wind made for difficult conditions, the over-zealous referee somehow contrived to produce eight yellow cards and one red in a match that was competitive but, for the majority of the 166 spectators, sportingly contested.

It was the stiff breeze that led directly to the first goal, with Garforth keeper, Dominic Smith struggling to get any distance on his kick outs. Sam Hodgson picked up the short clearance inside the Garforth half and fed Ben Wood, who fired low and hard from 22 yards. Smith’s fingertips were not enough to keep the ball from nestling in the corner of the net.

Just three minutes into the tie, Shildon suffered a major blow when Paul Connor limped out of action, to be replaced by Darren Richardson, and one wondered whether the Railwaymen might struggle up front. But a second goal on 25 minutes put paid to any such fears.

Garforth found themselves a man light on the right side when Andy Hawksworth was halted by a ball to the face. As play continued, Shildon worked the ball well in the gap, with Sam Garvie feeding Ben Wood in the box. Wood was forced to the byline but held possession and cut the ball back to Hodgson who fired an unstoppable volley from 16 yards high and wide of the despairing Smith.

Six minutes later the tie was virtually over as a contest when Jamie Harwood latched on to a curling John Brackstone free kick to nod powerfully past the hapless goalkeeper.

Shildon eased down significantly in the second half and conceded a goal on the hour mark that gave the home side some hope of a comeback. A precise pass through the Shildon back four from Gary Storer found Alex Booker alone at the right side of the six yard area and his sidefooted shot across Lewis Graham found the side netting.

Shildon’s defence remained solid containing Garforth to shots from distance that failed to trouble the target. Perhaps Garforth’s best chance to close the gap further came in the 68th minute when it seemed that Darren Craddock had poleaxed C J Lyle in the box. However, in keeping with his run of strange decisions, the referee elected to book the home forward for diving.

As the players tired the match became ever scrappier, which suited Shildon, who duly put the tie beyond any doubt in the 80th minute. The bounce of a Ben Wood through ball was badly misjudged by Smith, and as it sailed over his head, Richardson was on hand to hook the ball into an empty net.

All that remained was for the referee to finally get the opportunity to wave his red card alongside the myriad of yellows he had already produced. On this occasion the yellow received by Tawanda Rupere was merited after he scythed down Richardson in frustration. It was his second of the match and he was forced to an early bath. One wonders whether the presence of an assessor got the better of the man in the middle, who seemed to have coped the least well with the conditions and, perhaps, the pressure of the occasion.

Shildon will now face Penrith at Dean Street in the next round after they ran out 3-1 winners over Newcastle Benfield. The tie will be played on Saturday, 31st August, with a 3pm kick off.