Tuesday 3 November 2020

Gainsborough Trinity 0 v South Shields 1 - NPL Prem

Tuesday 3rd November 2020
Pitching In, Northern Premier League, Premier Division
at the Martin & Co. Arena/ Northolme
Gainsborough Trinity (0) 0
South Shields (0) 1
Rob Spriggs 66 pen
Attendance: 557
A disconsolate sounding Trinity manager, Curtis Woodhouse, gave a distinctly downbeat (but very open and honest) interview to the clubs media section in the aftermath of Saturday's game, after his side slumped out of the FA Trophy in a Third Qualifying Round match (i.e. the first stage at which Northern Premier League Premier Division teams enter the competition) against Peterborough Sports, where he said: "It would be wrong of me to go in there and tear strips off the lads when they're doing their best and... our best isn't very good and that's the harsh realities"... quite why the home club had to crank up the volume of the hideous music spewing out of their PA system while the interview was being conducted, some thirty minutes after the ground had emptied, is anyone's guess.
The 'Holy Blues' also fell at the first hurdle in the FA Cup qualifying stages back in September, when they lost 3-0 at the Forest Town Arena against AFC Mansfield, meaning that they're now concentrating and focusing on the league, which will always have been their priority all along anyway... or at least they will be doing once football re-opens for business again, following this morning's announcement by the FA that all 'non-elite' football is hereby suspended after tomorrow, until such a time that it can resume again safely, possibly and hopefully on Wednesday December 2nd.
But, I fear that: possibly and hopefully are the operative words at this juncture. Because the devil is in the detail as regards any potential 'return to work' date, taking into consideration that all training is also curtailed during 'Lockdown 2' for clubs at this level as well. Meaning that players are going to need time to readjust again after another enforced four week lay off, even if football actually does restart at the beginning of December.
In other news: Santa has told his reindeer to renew their Netflix subscription and be prepared to go into furlough this year. 
At the weekend, tonight's visitors South Shields, beat Colne to progress through to the next round of the FA Trophy where they'll now take on Ashton United in an away game that is currently scheduled for Saturday 14th November (lockdown restrictions are still pending at the time of writing). They're still firing on all cylinders in the FA Cup too... and following tonight's narrow win at the Northolme, they face a trip to Cheltenham Town in the first round proper on Saturday. 
Apparently all FA Cup ties are exempt from the latest ruling and are still going ahead B ut rather bizarrely, if the Mariners should safely navigate a route past their League Two opposition, as things stand they may well be forbidden to train during the lockdown, in preparation for the second round.
Liam Guilliat Rest In Peace
When non league football ground to a halt last season, Shields held a commanding twelve point lead at the top of the NPL Premier Division, with nine games left to play. But their ambitions were thwarted when the 2019-20 campaign was declared null and void by the powers that be. 
The Tyne & Wear based club understandably made a legal challenge to that ruling, based on the premise that other competitions had been settled via different means, but the decision to deny them a prize that they had, to all intents and purposes, justifiably earned and were on the verge of winning fairly and squarely, was upheld... hence South Shields are still a Northern Premier League club.
The Mariners arrived in Gainsborough this evening level on points with their Lincolnshire hosts, but one place above them in the table (in eighth) by virtue of their goal difference being one better. 
However, Trinity still have a game in hand over their visitors and prior to tonight had actually scored two more goals than them too (but had conceded three more). Subsequently the visitors moved into the top six when the popular match referee: Jamie O'Connor (my hearing aid batteries had died, but I could have sworn that I heard sections the home crowd shouting that he was an 'anchor man') sounded the whistle for full time and now sit nicely poised, just four points behind the joint league leaders: Mickleover and Basford United, for when/if the NPL gets going again.
Anchor man. Oh no! It's that bloody Jamie O'Connor.
Meanwhile Trinity went into the game looking to break a consistently inconsistent sequence of results in the Northern Premier League, that started back on September 19th, with a home win against Hyde United... and prior to tonight had continued in a 'you win some and you lose some' rollercoaster manner of WLWLWLW.
It would seem that I wasn't going to need to consult my Grandma and ask her to read my tea leaves to predict how this contest might probably end... even though the home side battled gamely to buck the trend, especially after going behind to sixty-sixth minute penalty, after which they probably did enough to warrant a draw, although that said, Shields could've already had the game sewn up by then had it not been for Gainsborough's tenacity at the back and a string of top drawer saves by Tom Jackson.
One plus of the NPL pushing the pause button again... and probably the only plus at that... is the extra recovery time that Trinity's legion of injured players will now have... which given the level of performance reached by tonight's make do and mend squad, bodes well for Gainsborough's strength in depth. 
The youngsters who were chucked in at the deep end against very strong opposition, were up to the task, and never shied from anything that they were confronted with, but they still need to learn their trade and can't be expected to aspire to such heights twice every week, when the fixtures start clocking up thick and fast again. 
Football is a squad game and Trinity's next generation have a big part to play in this crazy beast of a season, but I'm sure that Mr Woodhouse would rather have selection headaches as regards who he is going to leave out, when he has a full hand available to him, than having to patch together a horses for courses side of (as of yet) unproven quality, born out of necessity. 
That is to take nothing away from any of the players who pulled on the blue shirt tonight, who all put in an immense shift and wholly deserved the excellent response, backing and support that they received from the appreciative Northolme faithful, who played their part too in what was a no place for the faint-hearted and thoroughly enjoyable battle of a game. I've heard less enthusiastic support after Trinity have won handsomely in front of their own crowd than heartfelt applause and noise the team was afforded at the end of the game.
Matt Baker, James Williamson and Kamarl Grant, the Holy Blues three central defenders were tested to the full, particularly in the first half as the visitors went on the front foot from the off, with Darius Osei  Alex Kempster and Rob Spriggs looking particularly lively, but as the visitors all but laid siege to the attacking third of the field at times, each and every 'fair but firm' resounding challenge by the aforementioned trio was met with a roar of approval from the stands. In the case of Grant (on loan from Sheffield United), when you've been tackled by him, you stay tackled... I swear even the floodlight pylons rattled nervously in response to the impact of one blocking challenge he made as Spriggs homed in on goal.
If anybody had thought that South Shields might've been keeping anything in reserve, in lieu of their FA Cup tie at Whaddon Road at the weekend, the visitors soon dispelled those thoughts and were more than prepared to go that extra yard to get a serious title challenge on track.
Tom Jackson, the hosts keeper had to be on top of his game tonight too and as the home side were forced onto the back foot throughout the first half, he denied Osei in a one against duel, held onto Jon Shaw's strike on the turn and improvised well to save with his outstretched leg when Kempster's shot from the edge of the area took a deflection and changed direction.
HT: Holy Blues 0 v Mariners 0
Jamie Sterry, South Shields' impressive looking loanee from Newcastle United, was on hand to block Simon Ainge's thumping shot after he'd been set up by Dec Bacon's sideways pass right at the beginning of the second half and as Trinity began to impose themselves more attack wise following the interval, AJ Greaves clipped the ball narrowly wide of the upright.
Kempster stole the ball on the halfway line and the broke forward at speed, but when he got within range of the Trinity goal, Jackson was on hand dealt with his angled shot without any fuss.
Jackson makes moments like that look so routine and straight forward, but just moments later he demonstrated another string to his bow, with an agile double save to thwart both Jordan Hunter and Will McCamley in quick succession.
The deadline was broken, when Matt Dixon clipped Hunter's heel just inside the Trinity area and that cropped haired Spireite brute of a referee blew up and pointed to the penalty spot.
In fairness... and though my pals at the Northolme might want to chastise me for saying such a thing: Mr O'Connor had called the decision correctly.
Jackson was placed ahead of Hunter when he went to ground and there were snarling defenders coming in at him from all angles, gnashing their teeth and displaying their 'They shall not pass tattoos', pretty much as they had been doing all night... so if you had been in the same situation and felt contact from behind, what option would you have taken? 
The resulting penalty was delayed as a few squabbles broke out in and around the Gainsborough penalty order, which thankfully never got too out of hand and when calm was restored, Spriggs stepped forward and slotted the ball away, to claim what proved to be the only goal of the game.
Hunter was initially subjected to a hail of taunts questioning his parentage and solo sex habits from the ladies and gentlemen gathered on the Carlisle Street terrace, but hey! Michael Owen won a Ballon d'Or in 2001 and picked up 89 England caps by making the most of any given opportunity that fell his way to influence the outcome of a game in the opposition area and he doesn't get any grief for his actions... but anyway, that odd man with the whistle soon provided the gathered masses with another scapegoat to vent their frustrations towards, when he waived away Trinity's appeals after Dec Bacon hit the deck.
The Holy Blues manager himself said after the game, that he thought the referee had called the incident involving Bacon correctly, though conceded that he didn't have a clear view of a second talking point late in the game when Ainge went down under a challenge.
In all honesty I was walking around the ground to get myself into a good position to shoot off home after the game, so I was behind the goal at the far end of the ground from the alleged foul and couldn't say clearly what had actually happened either way... although the referee and his assistant did both have a clear view at the time and saw nothing untoward between them. 
But, I've been told by several friends (all of them sporting Trinity colours) that it was a stone-waller, I guess we'll just have to wait until the video footage is posted online, before deciding, but from my experience of being involved at games over the years that have been officiated by Jamie O'Conner, he's a stickler for the rules and gets infinitely more right than he doesn't... and he is approachable too, when spoken to in the right manner.
But as full-time approached, not getting the rub of the green as regards the 50/50 decisions could've been immaterial, as a flowing, passing build up by the home side opened the Mariners up one final time, but when Ainge diverted a right wing delivery over the head of Myles Boney, beating the visitors keeper all ends up, the ball crashed back of the crossbar with a resounding thwack and South Shields held on to the win, in spite of Trinity's determined efforts to claw their way back into the game.
FT: Gainsborough Trinity 0 v South Shields 1
In the final analysis: Trinity lost, but they went down fighting tooth and nail and gave their all against a very good side, who were restricted to just the one goal, from a penalty, despite having created a string of chances, especially in the first half. And the fact that they didn't score in open play was due to the hard work, grit and determination of a very effective rear-guard action by the home side tonight and a man of the match performance by Tom Jackson.
On the balance of things, South Shields deserved their win, but credit where it is sure, Trinity warranted a whole lot of plaudits tonight too.
The South Shields fans who travelled in good numbers to bolster the impressive attendance figure, deserve a special mention too, for making such a long return trip in midweek. The banter between both sets of fans was lively, but never hostile... and the presence of a vocal away support contributed greatly to a cracking atmosphere at this fine old ground tonight.