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Arngrove Northern League
16 February 2008
Speedy bags a poacher’s hat-trick on the rebound
by Ken Milgate
Durham City 3
Richardson 73, 87, 90+1
West Allotment Celtic 1
Fremlin 90+2
Steven Richardson scored his tenth goal in the last three City fixtures to rescue a poor game and keep City’s title hopes alive.
In a ragged opening quarter of an hour the visitors managed two attempts on goal, Thomas Vickers first shooting wide of the post and then sending a free-header from a Ben Dawson free-kick over the bar.
Then ex-City Michael Fenwick scuffed a shot wide before City first troubled Kevin Morton, the keeper needing two grabs at an Adam Johnston left-wing cross.
Johnston summed up City’s collective frustration at their inability to threaten the visitors’ goal when his speculative thirty yarder was well wide of the post.
Two minutes later his left-wing cross should have been the assist to City’s opener but Richardson contrived to miss the proverbial sitter when he skewed his shot past the post.
The second half saw John Caffry take over goalkeeping duties from a groggy John Mohan, but he was not called into early play as Johnston cracked a shot wide and Richardson’s lofted drive missed the far post.
As City upped the tempo Johnston headed over from a Stephen Capper left-wing cross before Caffry denied Kevin Hughes.
The deadlock was finally broken when a visiting defender back headed a John Toft cross into the box for the safety of a corner, but Capper retrieved the ball before it crossed the line and centred for Richardson to volley home from close range.
With three minutes remaining the outcome of a scrappy game in which City’s passing and link play was all to pot was settled when Morton failed to hold a Lewis Dodds shot, the supporting Richardson stroking the rebound into an empty net.
A second rebound earned City’s eager beaver a well-deserved hat-trick in stoppage time when he chased a mighty clearance from Caffry to score off Morton’s body inside the post.
Wyn Fremlin’s subsequent consolation header denied City a clean sheet, but at 4.30 the game looked all over a goalless draw.
City just could not get going this afternoon but still managed to dig in and record a third successive home victory and keep up the pressure on the other title aspirants.
Richard Smith was as resolute as ever in defence to be my man-of-the-match, but Speedy ran him mighty close with his selfless running and opportunist finishing.
Durham City – Mohan (Caffry 46), Harrison, Davison, Dodds, Bowes, Smith (R), Toft (English 74), Graydon, Richardson, Johnston (Smith (C)86), Capper
Subs not used – Morris, Farrell
Man-of-the-match – Richard Smith
West Allotment Celtic – Morton, Hughes, Walmsley, Johnson, Anderson, Locker, Richardson (Watson 74), Dawson, Vickers (Hay 70), Fenwick (Fremlin 80), Patterson
Man-of-the-match – Marc Walmsley
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