Arngrove Northern League
01 March 2008
City quick off the blocks to down Town
by Ken Milgate

Durham City 4
Johnston 1, 35
Bowes 48
Graydon 67

Billingham Town 1
Yale 87

It took City only 32seconds to take the lead against a disappointing Billingham Town outfit, and only a defensive lapse three minutes from time cost them a clean-sheet victory.

Stephen Capper outwitted his marker to whip in a superb left-wing cross which Adam Johnston headed past Jason Hamilton with a glance over his right shoulder.

Despite playing into a fierce wind, City made light of the adverse conditions and adapted their game intelligently.

On the quarter hour Keith Graydon sent Steven Richardson free, but the ball ran away from him at the last moment; two minutes later the skipper’s free-kick was almost turned past his keeper by Robert Hutchinson, Hamilton’s frame obstructing the defender’s attempt at a back-post clearance from crossing the line.

Richardson’s snap shot from the ensuing corner bounced back off the bar before Hamilton saved Richardson’s shot on the turn as City swamped the visitors’ goal.

Hamilton rescued his side with a timely rush off his line to deny Johnston on 26minutes, but the City striker got his second with a goal of individual brilliance: after dribbling past his marker close to the goal line he beat Hamilton from the tightest of angles at his near post.

In a rare Billingham attack John Caffry saved well from James Magowan, the same visiting player then firing wide in first-half stoppage time.

City effectively sealed the win three minutes into the second half when Billingham failed to clear a wicked Capper in-swinging corner, giving an advanced Andy Bowes a simple tap-in for his fifth goal of the season.

Caffry got the better of the wind and a deflection to deal with a free-kick before Hamilton palmed clear a John Toft right-wing cross, both efforts pressurizing keepers with otherwise hugely different calls to duty in the game.

Richardson should have got his name on the score sheet on 65minutes when set up by Johnston, but he went broke for sheer power and cleared the bar.

City’s fourth and final goal came on 67minutes when Graydon’s low drive clipped a defender’s heel before creeping in at the far post.

City continued to bombard Billingham and Capper’s distant dropper completed its descent a mite too late to register City’s fifth of the match.

A late consolation goal for David Yale was the sole blot on City’s copybook for the afternoon, the visitors’ number six slotting low past Caffry after City had momentarily lost their composure at the back.

As a team City put in a good shift, but Lewis Dodds was my man of the match: he was City’s everywhere-man and was involved in every City move both in attack and defence; he won more than his fair share of headers against much taller opponents and his final ball exposed a lacklustre opposition.

Durham City – Caffry, Harrison, Davison (Calvin Smith 70), Dodds, Bowes, Smith (R), Toft (English 70), Graydon (Farrell 81), Richardson, Johnston, Capper

Subs not used – Mohan, Morris

Man of the match – Lewis Dodds

Billingham Town – Hamilton, Forster (Osmond 79), Clough, Scott, Hutchinson, Yale, Huggins, Harbron, Magowan (Burton 73), Smith, Flockett (Atkinson 73)

Man of the match – Mark Scott