F.A. County Youth Cup 3rd Round
Saturday 8th December 2007
at Hetton Sports Complex, Durham
The Suffolk contingent – players, officials and a small number of parent supporters – made the long journey North on Friday towards their overnight stay, before making their way to the ground on Saturday for the lunch-time kick-off at this Sports Complex. The journey along the A1 was punctuated by several major episodes of road-works and the visitors were glad of an evening to unwind before the big game. They were welcomed to the ground by a party of Durham officials, who were proud of the football heritage of the area – birthplace of the legendary Bob Paisley – and to the pitch by sleet and rain which persisted throughout the match.
Durham won a corner in the first minute, but after that it was Suffolk who impressed with fine build-up play - but not with their finishing! Douglas surged down the right, but his cross was cut out by a defender. Then a Read free-kick found Lorimer at the near post, but he was not able to turn quickly enough on the sticky surface and the chance was lost. A move involving Douglas, Lorimer and Read ended with the latter shooting tamely wide. Another cross from Douglas was beaten out to Lorimer whose shot was blocked and Read hit the rebound wide. It was not all Suffolk, however, and Ross did well in the Suffolk goal to tip a cross from Moffat off the head of Ellis. At the other end, a poor clearance from the Durham keeper eventually presented an opportunity to Garnham who shot wide of an open goal. Sargent tried his luck from 30 yards – keeper McGuire tipped over for a corner, from which the ball was kicked off the line in a goalmouth scramble.
Mid-way through the first half, there were signs that the home team was establishing a foothold in the game, and Peck set up Calbraith, whose cross was headed out to Amar Purewal. His shot was blocked, and from the clearance, Suffolk had a golden opportunity to open the scoring when Henderson found himself clear of the defence, with only McGuire to beat, but again the shot was wide. 2 minutes later, Durham were awarded a penalty, when Hepplewhite was brought down by Smith – the defender being cautioned. Calbraith duly converted the penalty, although the keeper seemed to slip as he attempted to reach the ball. The teams were certainly providing entertainment for the small crowd, and the action continued as 2 minutes after taking the lead, Durham found themselves a man down. Their captain Sullivan was sent off after an off the ball incident with Sargent in midfield. Shortly afterwards, Suffolk survived a penalty appeal as Moffat went down under pressure from 2 Suffolk defenders – the referee waved play on. The final 10 minutes of the half belonged to Durham, whose attitude after going a man down was first class. Worsening underfoot conditions made passing more difficult, and both teams found keeping the ball almost impossible.
At the start of the second-half, Suffolk introduced Gammon for his first match of the season for the team, following a long period of injury, and the game swung Suffolk’s way in the first 15 minutes. The equaliser came in the 4th minute from Sargent whose surprise shot from 25 yards flew into the top corner of the net. Gammon’s first effort on goal was on target in the 10th minute, with McGuire saving well at the foot of% 2520the post . However, he missed a good chance shortly after this – running on to a through ball, he took it round the keeper, passed across goal for Henderson and snatched at the return, with his shot going wide of an open goal. He made up for this in the 13th minute by turning an angled drive from Douglas into the net from close range. Read had held the ball up well to provide the opening for Douglas. Both teams used their substitutes in the final half-hour, and although Suffolk continued to have the better of the possession, the Durham players never let their heads drop. A Read free-kick was headed over the bar by a defender, a shot from Henderson was blocked on the line and eventually collected by McGuire. Durham were dangerous on the break and Arjun Purewal had a shot blocked, with Garnham clearing long to Gammon – his shot was well saved by McGuire, who was performing well behind a hard working defence. On the break, Hepplewhite ran onto a long clearance, which caught out the Suffolk defenders who were playing a high line, and Ross charged off his line to dive at the feet of the forward to protect the Suffolk lead. With 15 minutes left, Smith missed a great chance to make the game safe, but somehow spooned over the bar from 5 yards. Henderson earned a free-kick on the edge of the box, which was driven into the middle by Read and defender Stephenson kicked it over his own crossbar. The defending was at times a little desperate, but it was effective. In the final minute, Gammon drove through the centre of the defence, past his marker, but shot across an empty goal, with no-one there to apply a finishing touch.
The final whistle came as a relief to the players who had worked hard and provided an entertaining match in quite dreadful weather conditions. Long before the end, the pitch had become dead in patches, making control difficult. The standard of football played by both teams, however, made light of this, and the players all deserve great credit. They were provided with a good hot meal after the match and thanks are due to the Durham FA for their hospitality. There was little talk on the way home of the next round – due to tiredness and because the opponents are not yet known. Suffolk will play away to the winners of the postponed tie between Westmorland and Sussex - now re-scheduled for the 12th January – in the quarter-finals.