Tag: Paul Connor

Shildon in seventh heaven

It was top versus bottom at Dean Street today, and Shildon demonstrated the gulf between the sides with a thumping 7-0 victory over Billingham Town. A brace from man-of-the-match, Lee Scroggins and from Mark Doninger and a goal each from Sam Garvie, Billy Greulich-Smith and Paul Connor comfortably swept aside Town, who have yet to register a point in this season’s campaign.

Perhaps sensing an opportunity to rest some players before Wednesday night’s vital league match against title contenders, Celtic Nation, Gary Forrest gave Greulich-Smith and Mark Stephenson a starting berth ahead of Paul Connor and Carl Jones.

While many fans arrived expecting a significant increase to the home side’s goal difference, the opening ten minutes suggested the Billingham side may prove sterner opposition, matching Shildon – as they did – in the game’s early moments. But it proved to be a false hope for the visiting fans as Shildon hadn’t yet moved through all the gears. Indeed, even in that shared opening spell, Ben Wood and Darren Richardson both spurned chances to give the Railwaymen the lead.

However, Town’s resistance could only last until the thirteenth minute when Lee Scroggins stepped in to steal a loose ball from Nathan Evans in the midfield. Striding forward uncontested, he unleashed a shot from 22 yards which curled past the last defender and the keeper for his first goal of the season.

Shildon continued to press and Scroggins almost notched his second in the 19th minute, but Javis Wiggan in the Billingham goal saved well with his feet.

It took until the half hour for Shildon to add to the scoreline. A long ball forward by Scroggins picked up pace on the slick surface. Nevertheless, the industrious Billy Greulich-Smith – as is his trademark for chasing lost causes – raced Wiggan to the ball. The keeper’s clearance cannoned off the striker who was able to steer the ball home from the narrowest of angles.

Five minutes before the break it was three. After a corner was half cleared, Ben Wood returned the ball across the box to Doninger, who controlled it superbly before passing to Darren Richardson. The ball was returned to Doninger, who flighted it to the back post. Greulich-Smith rose highest to nod the ball back across the box to the unmarked Scroggins who headed past a helpless Wiggan and doubled his season’s tally.

With the result essentially decided by the break, Mark Hudson and Darren Richardson were permitted a rest ahead of Wednesday evening, with Sam Hodgson and John Brackstone – demonstrating the strength in depth of the Shildon squad – replacing them.

The expectation of a regular rippling of the visitors’ net throughout the course of the second half was to prove as false as the initial hope of the visiting fans – at least until just twenty minutes of the match remained.

The Railwaymen continued to bear down on the Billingham goal, but reverted to last season’s profligacy as several excellent chances went begging.

It wasn’t until the 71st minute that Shildon added to the scoreline and, as if to make up for lost opportunities, the goal opened the floodgates. Billingham won a free kick, which was easily cut out. Sam Garvie took the ball from box to box, feeding Paul Connor, who had replaced Ben Wood. The ball reached Greulich-Smith who moved it on to Scroggins. Looking for his hat-trick, he let fly fly from distance. The blocked shot deflected to the feet of Garvie who seemed surprised to find himself, and two others, onside. He had time to look up and confirm the lack of a flag before stroking the ball home.

In about the same time as Garvie was given to score his goal, another three flew into the visiting net. Billingham appeared to have forgotten the danger posed by the home side and pushed high up field in a misplaced determination to pressurise the home side. Instead they left gaping holes for the speedy Garvie to run into, and he duly set about a ten minute reign of terror that increased the deficit with regularity.

However, it was Scroggins’s slide rule pass from the left that led to the fifth, leaving Doninger to tap in from six yards.

Then Garvie was released, and again fed Doninger, whose shot cannoned off the post, hit Billingham’s Jack Williams and rebounded into the net.

And moments later there was the diminutive terror again, chipping the ball onto the head of Paul Connor, who nodded home from underneath the bar to send Shildon and the delighted home support into seventh heaven. The sound of the final whistle before the infliction of any more punishment was the only hope remaining to the hapless visitors. It was the only wish they were to have fulfilled on an otherwise desperate day.

The result ensures that the Railwaymen remain at the top of the table before Celtic Nation come visiting on Wednesday night. The big-spending Carlisle outfit, managed by ex-Celtic player, Willie McStay, will be the biggest test to date of Shildon’s title credentials. A number of rested players will be fresh, and hungry, for the task.

Shildon top league table

Shildon marched to the top of the Northern League Division One table tonight after a comfortable win against ten-man Morpeth Town.

The home side had their numbers reduced within 15 minutes when Steven Anderson received a straight red card for kicking Mark Hudson in the face while the Shildon captain lay on the ground after being fouled.

Although both sides had chances in the first period, Shildon’s numerical advantage saw them come closest to opening the scoring. Ben Wood’s curling shot cannoned off the bar while Paul Connor forced an excellent save from Steven Mundy. The home goalkeeper was performing heroics to keep Shildon at bay during the first half.

The home side went into the break having survived the onslaught, but they had barely drawn breath in the second half before the Railwaymen were two up.

Two minutes after the restart, Ben Wood scored a curling, dipping free kick from 22 yards and, almost immediately, Sam Garvie fed Paul Connor who deftly chipped the keeper for a swift two-goal lead that allowed Shildon to take complete control of the match.

The Railwaymen cruised through the remainder of the tie before adding two late goals to more accurately reflect the dominance of the visitors. Mark Hudson fed Sam Garvie on the right edge of the box for the striker to slot home before the captain added to the tally himself by dispatching a penalty in the 90th minute.

Shildon’s competitiors for top spot both slipped up in tough ties this afternoon. Celtic Nation lost at home to ten man West Auckland while Spennymoor were held at Heritage Park by Bishop Auckland.

The results mean that Shildon, for the first time since season 2009-10 – and with six home matches in a row coming up – sit proudly atop the league table this evening.

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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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.