Arngrove Northern League
08 March 2008
City stray off target but stay on course
by Ken Milgate

Durham City 3
Richardson 24, 67
Graham og 46

Jarrow Roofing 1
Tate 8

City missed chances galore to boost their goal difference but kept their composure against initially obdurate opponents to claim yet another victory in their Championship quest.

Both sides had a good chance in the opening five minutes: first, Stephen Capper and Steven Richardson combined down the wing for the latter to cross only for an unmarked John Toft to head over, while Roofing’s Jon Gibson’s shot had John Caffry diving to his right to gather and complete his only serious save of the match.

It was the visitors, however, who took the lead when Craig Tate gave Caffry no chance from close range when the City keeper was exposed by Richard Smith’s suicidal pass.  Only Capper’s concession of a corner then denied Ryan Jenkins at the post before Toft sliced wide from a Lewis Dodds pass.

On 18minutes Toft pulled the ball back from the by-line to set up Adam Johnston but his goal attempt was blocked just when he seemed to have fashioned himself a goal scoring position.

Roofing were clearly fired up to give City no walkover victory given their respective League positions, but Richardson timed his run to perfection to beat the offside trap and put City on level terms on 24minutes.

Parity might have become lead a minute later when Richardson was marginally too late with his charge-in at the back post to meet an exquisite Tommy English curler.

Richardson was giving the Roofing defenders the run-around and had another goal-bound attempt deflected after again being set up by Dodds.

Richardson and Toft then headed wide and over respectively before Johnston cleared the crossbar from an English corner.

City’s inaccuracy in front of goal was being matched by some atrocious passing and a lack of bite in midfield, but Toft can count himself unlucky rather than reckless when the ball wrong-footed him in first-half stoppage time.

City eventually took the lead courtesy of a Philip Graham own goal as he turned a Toft right-wing cross past Adam Dowell under pressure from the lively Richardson, who then set up English only for the number eleven to pull his shot wide of the far post.

An upright denied Richardson just after the hour, but six minutes later Richardson slotted home his second after a defence-splitting English through ball.

Roofing did their chances of clawing their way back into the game no favours when Tate was dismissed on 76minutes for mulish behaviour with a foot, and a quick succession of tactical substitutions helped City see out the final ten minutes.

In a final three-minute flurry Toft might in hindsight have lobbed the keeper, Capper hit the post with a free-kick and Richardson lofted over the bar.

City struggled to beat a seemingly doomed side with any conviction but can take comfort from the continuing emergence of man of the match Richardson as a striker with bags of energy, a flair for positioning and a poacher’s hunger for bounty.

City’s website message board continues to be a hot bed of lively debate and opinion; it is significant that the management pair of Lee and Richie have quietly and hugely successfully gone about their business with solid resolve and full justification of their decisions.  They are both successful and lucky – how Napoleon would have liked them for generals.

Durham City – Caffry, Harrison, Capper, Dodds (Calvin Smith 81), Bowes, Smith (R), Toft, Graydon (Dixon 79), Richardson, Johnston (Morris 84), English

Subs not used – Davison, Farrell

Man of the match – Steven Richardson

Jarrow Roofing – Dowell, Oliver, Paxton, Graham, Pendergood, Hodgson, Jenkins (Hustler 60), Gibson (Kibble 75), Tate, Logan, Hutchinson (Thompson 19)

Man of the match – Paul Hodgson