Durham City News

15 November                                                                                                   2003

City steam ahead back on track

by Ken Milgate

Shildon 0

Durham City 2

Dunwell pen 63,78

In the week's second entertaining game between the Citizens and the Railwaymen, City avenged two earlier cup defeats and increased their lead at the top of the Albany League to seven points.  Changes to City's line-up produced a more compact Sam Kitchen-inspired defence and an extra target man upfront in new signing Glen Robson.

The first attempt on goal fell to Shildon's Danny Key on 2minutes, but his shot from outside the box was way off target;  four minutes later Paul Gilmore saved well from Garry Barnes, racing off his line to narrow the angle before blocking a first-time shot.

For City, Michael Dunwell's shot from a Steven Stewart pass was easy meat for John Jackson, but Lee O'Donovan and Stewart were both featuring prominently down the flanks in a box-to-box encounter. 

On the quarter-hour new boy Robson was sent clear by Kitchen's powerful defensive header, but the close attention of two back-tracking defenders harried the striker into pulling the shot wide, while Dunwell blazed over following a Stewart free-kick on the edge of the box.

As City took the game more to their hosts, Dunwell's flicked header from an O'Donovan right-wing cross was not too far wide before a Robson volley was deflected into the keeper's arms.  Gilmore, however, had to come a long way off his line on 33minutes to intercept a Lee Ellison pass to danger man Barnes, but City finished the half on top, and O'Donovan blazed over the bar with only four minutes left on the clock to half-time.

John Hutton only managed three minutes of the second period before he gave way to substitute Gavin Mudd, after which City bravely defended two successive Shildon attacks, Justin Keegan robbing Barnes at the expense of a corner and Gilmore again smartly abandoning his line to rob the same Shildon player.

As in the cup game on Wednesday Stewart's pace and determination to take on defenders saw a tackle send him sprawling legs akimbo on 63minutes;  Dunwell struck the penalty powerfully into the top right-hand corner.

Within the next six minutes Robson missed two chances to extend City's lead, having done the hard work himself on both occasions to create goal-scoring opportunities.

By now City were fully in control of the game and forcing the home side into more and more errors and misplaced passes.  On 77minutes a trademark Dunwell shot on the turn was deflected over the bar for a corner which produced the decisive second goal, Dunwell heading home Keegan's flick-on after Stewart's set-play cross.

With Mudd harrying in midfield and setting up counter attacks, Robson again went close with six minutes remaining after Mudd had won the ball in midfield and sent the striker clear;  the same player was unlucky to see his chip narrowly clear the bar two minutes later, again from an astute Mudd through-ball.

City's second-half dominance more than compensated for a subdued performance in the Challenge Cup on Wednesday;  Robson will play worse and score in subsequent matches, but he showed he can create his own chances and thereby give City increased attacking options.

It is vital that City energize their desire and commitment in preparation for the FA Vase fixture at Selby on Saturday with an equally positive midweek performance at home to improving Synners.

Shildon - Jackson, Key, Tobin, Hainsworth, Middleton, Liddle, Ellison, Bayles, Richmond,

                 Barnes, Walton (Reid 74)

Durham City - Gilmore, Lake, Stanger, Hutton (Mudd 48), Kitchen, Keegan,

                           O'Donovan (Watson 69), Robson, Dunwell, Halliday, Stewart