Sat. 5th Nov.2011 – Morpeth 3rds v Richmond 3rds
Score:- 3-0, Scorers:- Craggs(2), Booth
MOM:- N.Larvin
An uncertain start was made by a home side looking to bounce back from the huge disappointment of losing the previous week’s game from a winning position. The away team were also floundering at the bottom end of the table and the significance of taking all three points was self-evident. The play was scrappy from both sides with inaccurate passes hampering any truly progressive play. However, as the match moved towards half time, Morpeth started to adapt to their new 3 – 1 – 5 – 1 formation withIrelandfeaturing strongly in his centre-half role. Brind, returning after an extended break from the game, was steady in his central defensive role before he had to be replaced due to injury. Larvin, needing to fill in as an emergency right back in the resultant re-organisation and in an unaccustomed defensive position, had a game that earned him well earned plaudits.
The Northumberland team managed to build upon their strong ten minutes before the break. Ten minutes into the second period good play down the right and an accurate cross from Greenbeck resulted in an assured finish from Craggs who passed the ball into the goal. Morpeth were now in the ascendancy and continued to make chances on a regular basis. Though short corners were awarded to both sides these were not converted and it was left to Booth to make the margin a little more comfortable with a first time finish from a well struck ball into the ‘D’. Another hard hit strike from Renwick was well deflected in for Craggs’ second to eventually gain some success from a penalty corner and make the game safe. Slaughter had made a couple of important saves prior to this and the Morpeth defence certainly had to remain fully focused to the final whistle.
The result moves Morpeth into more of a mid-table position but there needs to be no complacency in future weeks. A faster start would aid matters no end but it is fair to say that the newly adopted tactics ultimately proved successful and will become more familiar to ‘all & sundry’ with the benefit of additional game time.
