Durham City News
Pre-Season Friendly
Cleadon keepers on their toes
by Ken Milgate
Durham City 2
Farrell 41
English 70
Cleadon 1
Pitt og 73
City maintained their unbeaten record in pre-season friendlies with a narrow win against competitive opponents, but the margin of victory would have been more convincing but for the agility of keepers Steven Bird and Jak Walls.
Jamie Clarke’s left-foot drive from distance drifted wide of the far post on 8minutes, while two minutes later Finbar Lynch’s shot from outside the penalty area proved a comfortable take for John Mohan.
Sean Bell and Calvin Smith were refreshingly creative and belligerent in midfield, but it was the impressive Stephen Capper who crossed from the left only for Clarke to rise above his marker and head over the crossbar.
On the half-hour it was Smith’s turn to profit from a Capper surge down the left wing, but his fierce drive from way out was watched all the way by Bird.
After a Capper snap shot flashed wide of the post, Bird made a top drawer save to keep out a Clarke bullet header from a Craig Price cross, but five minutes before the break the Cleadon keeper was powerless to defend Jimmy Farrell’s back-post header from a Stephen Harrison cross.
The same combination almost made it two a minute later, the striker’s header bouncing back off the crossbar with the keeper rooted to his line.
In the second period of play both sides made wholesale changes on a regular basis, but it was City who were continually on the attack: Capper’s right-foot shot missed the post, Clarke rolled his shot wide from a Smith left-wing cross and Bell’s stinging drive produced a magnificent save from Walls.
Richie Pitt and Clarke both connected with half volleys from a Keith Graydon corner before Clarke brought out the best again in Walls on the hour with another half volley from a Tommy English cross.
On 65minutes Walls kept out Clarke’s left-foot pile driver with another great save before City went 2-up, somewhat fortuitously, when both Ivan Lua Lua and English were on hand to poke home a loose ball in the six-yard box, the latter getting the last touch and the ball also being deflected en route.
English was at full stretch two minutes later in an attempt to reach Lee Chapman right-wing cross before a Pitt header gave the visitors a sniff of parity despite having being on the defensive for most of the game.
Unfortunately, Cleadon did not manage to lift their game sufficiently to put City under pressure, and it was left to English to underline City’s dominance with a drive on 82minutes, but once again Walls was on top form.
Pre-season fixtures rarely produce a cohesive game, but both managers can be pleased with their players’ commitment and energy in a match with nothing at stake that never flagged. For City, an industrious midfield augured well for the new campaign.
Squads
Durham City – Mohan, Harrison, Capper, Butler, Pitt, Dodds, Smith, Bell, Clarke, Farrell, Price, English, Graydon, Lua Lua, Ball, McCleod, Greenwell, Dennis
Cleadon – Bird, Potts, McKee, Oliver (S), Shakespear, Brown, Trosh, Graham, Efford, Lynch, Newton, Whelan, Palmer, Oliver (M), Walls, Brand, Poarce, a trialist
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