Pont warm up for Championship final with draw against Carlisle
PONTELAND UNITED warmed up for this coming weekend's Northern Counties Senior Championship Final with a hard earned draw with Carlisle City on Saturday.
United opened the scoring through Liam McIvor, however, City fought back, and after equalising through Paul Gardner, Johnny Coulthard put the visitors in front.
Pont rallied and took a point from the game when Sean Willis found the net to make the final score 2-2.
On Saturday Ponteland are in Yorkshire where they face Sculcoates Amateurs in the Northern Counties Final at North Ferriby.
It looks as though the 'old guard' of Alan Wilcox, Darren Middleton and Malcolm Belisle — stalwarts with Alnwick Town for several years — are about to leave the club.
At the end of this season new officials and committee are set to take over with the aim of eventually steering Alnwick to a return to the Arngrove Northern League. A move to a new ground is also on the agenda.
In the meantime Alnwick are fourth bottom in the Premier Division, having failed to score in three of their last four outings.
And on Saturday they suffered a seventh successive defeat, inflicted by a visiting Peterlee Town side which they had beaten 4-0 in the reverse fixture.
It was a close-run thing up at Alnwick between the two ex-Northern League outfits but the visitors emerged as 1-0 victors this time.
Andrew Stephenson scored the game's vital goal for the Newtowners midway through the first half.
And although their early season exploits have kept Alnwick just clear of the basement they still have nine games left to play to complete what has been a difficult first campaign back in the Alliance.
Championship favourites Walker Central retained their three-point lead at the head of the Premier Division by winning 2-0 away to Cramlington Town.
In this first meeting of the two clubs this term Central ensured victory with first half strikes by Chris Anderson and Ian Mills and extended an unbeaten run to 19 games.
Second-placed Gillford Park are yet to be beaten on their travels and they also picked up maximum points, although a 1-0 verdict at Newcastle University was far from convincing.
The Students, struggling to avoid relegation, put on a brave show but were felled by Stephen Skinner's goal for the visitors midway through the second half.
Heddon are still occupying third spot but suffered only their second home defeat, going down 4-1 against Seaton Delaval.
After losing their two previous games Delaval bounced back effectively.
John Fitzpatrick fired them into an early lead, which was doubled when Heddon's Paul Jones put the ball into his own net. Delaval's other marksmen were Craig Johnson and Andrew Purvis with Heddon's token reply coming from Ian McElroy.
Heddon are now in danger of being overtaken by last season's champions Harraby Catholic Club, who are only a point behind them with a game in hand.
Harraby made it four wins on the trot by beating hosts Shankhouse 3-1.
An own goal turned in by Shankhouse's Graeme Cole gave the Cumbrians their opener and after Lee Gustard levelled for the home side they had Stephen Archibald and Alan Casey on target to wrap up the points.
Heaton Stannington's climb suffered a setback as the Tynesiders were beaten 3-1 on their visit to Ashington Colliers.
Mark Pattie bagged two of the Colliers' goals with the other from Gary Bailes. Heaton were already down and out when Aaron Jewell finally got them off the mark.
Bottom rung outfit Northbank drew 1-1 away to Blyth Town but needed a last minute strike by Andy Rogerson to cancel out the home side's opener scored by Danny Beresford ten minutes after the break.
Chopwell Officials ended a five-match losing spell at home in the First Division and beat Wallington 3-1 thanks to strikes by Andrew Smith (2) and Carl Smith with Jack Palmer replying for the losers.
And Red Row Welfare's improved form was in evidence again as they beat visitors Penrith United 3-0.
The troubled Cumbrians were always second best and Red Row secured their latest victory with goals supplied by Joe Moscrop (2) and Stuart Dunn.
Rutherford's home form has let them down this season and their promotion hopes suffered another blow as visitors Berwick United beat them 2-1.
Chris Falconer's first half opener for Berwick was cancelled out straight after the interval by Rutherford's Steve Wood, but midway through the second period Leigh Walker restored the Borderers' lead.
Gosforth Bohemian Garnett became the first team this season to beat Wark.
The Bohs returned from their trip up the Tyne Valley with a great 5-4 victory under their belts.
Two goals each for Paul Menton and Craig Ewart and another for Danny Sherwood did the trick for the visitors, outweighing the scoring efforts of Wark's Phil Robinson, Mark Elliott, Phil Thompson and Dale Telfer.
Wark's first defeat prevented them from wresting pole position from Murton, whose game away to Newcastle East End Railway was postponed.
The Railwaymen, struggling for a while now, couldn't raise even half a team.
Whitley Bay 'A' had their nine-match winning run terminated and Bay were restricted to a 3-3 draw by Percy Main.
The Seasiders had built-up a three-goal lead in the first half hour through Dean Porter (2) and Chris Reid, but the Villagers bounced back.
Replies from Adam Batchelor and Graeme Smith before the break trimmed the home side's lead.
Whitley still seemed to have done enough but with only two minutes left Main were awarded a penalty and Wyn Fremlin levelled with his spot kick.
Westerhope extended an unbeaten run to seven games by drawing 2-2 away to Hebburn Reyrolle.
They had Andrew Brunsdon opening the scoring but Hebburn came back to snatch the lead with first half replies from Liam Greenwood and Les Wood.
With only eight minutes to spare Stephen Little's successful penalty salvaged a point for Westerhope.
North Shields Athletic slumped to their eighth consecutive defeat in the Second Division, losing 3-0 at home to third-placed Amble United.
United's goals to keep an outside chance of promotion alive were from Darren Riddell, Ron Warwick and Chris Glass.
But United are now relying on the two teams above them slipping up.
Wallsend Boys' Club made it three wins on the trot by beating hosts Amble 4-3.
Amble's scorers were substitute Andrew Timson (2) and Scott Sherrington, but their efforts went unrewarded. The Boys' Club secured the points with goals by Jon McDonald, Steve Baptist, Stephen Forster and Simon Wilson.
Like Wark in the First Division, table-toppers Killingworth YPC lost their unbeaten record when they were soundly defeated 4-2 at home by Wallsend Town.
Town have won nine of their last ten league games and their goals to stun the current leaders were scored by Stephen Dodd (2), Mark Brewis and Ryan Arnott.
Kill's replies came from Kevin Westphal and Jorge Bollado but they could easily have suffered a heavier defeat.
Second-placed Cullercoats are now eight points behind Killy with two games in hand and they were convincing 7-1 victors away to Newcastle BT.
Andy McColl of Cullercoats gifted BT an early opener by turning the ball past his own keeper, but the error was soon obliterated.
Before the break Stu Wright and Craig Deighton (2) were on target for the visitors. And in the second half Deighton completed his hat-trick, McColl scored to atone for his earlier mistake and the Seasiders' tally was topped up by Rob Watson and Steve Hart.
After securing only two points from their last three games Jesmond got back to winning ways and beat visitors Newcastle Chemfica 5-1.
Andy Wilson claimed a hat-trick for the winners, who also had Nick McCreery and substitute Mark Heron finding the net. Chemfica's single reply came from Tim Wright.
Whitley Bay Town have won eight of their last 11 games away from home but had to settle for a 1-1 draw when they visited Shields United.
Ben Harding fired Town in front almost straight from the kick-off, but on the half hour Phil Elund equalised for draw specialists Shields.
Willington Quay Saints ended a lengthy losing streak at the expense of struggling visitors Tynemouth United, who are isolated on the table's bottom rung.
The Saints earned themselves a 4-2 verdict thanks to goals for player-manager Trevor Ford (hat-trick) and Mark Henderson. Chris Fitzakerley and Mark Anderson hit back in vain for Tynemouth.
Wideopen & District have lost only one of their last six games in the Second Division and clinched a 2-1 verdict on their visit to Hexham.
Daniel Toward was the home side's lone marksman while strikes by Wideopen's Shaun Lowery and Martin Roper kept their team's successful run going. They've recently dragged themselves clear of the basement.
Fixtures
Saturday, April 12 (2.30pm)
Premier Division
Alnwick Town v Heaton Stannington; Ashington Colliers v Gillford Park; Carlisle City v Heddon; Harraby Catholic v Walker Central; Northbank v Shankhouse; Peterlee Town v Cramlington Town.
Division One
Chopwell Officials v Berwick United; Hebburn Reyrolle v Penrith United; Percy Main v Gosforth B Garnett; Rutherford v Murton; Seaton Burn v N'cle EE Railway; Wallington v Stocksfield; Westerhope v Wark.
Division Two
Amble v Wallsend Town; Amble United v Cullercoats; Hexham v Tynemouth United; Newcastle Chemfica v Killingworth YPC; Wallsend BC v Jesmond; Willington Quay Saints v Wideopen.
Northern Counties Senior Championship Final (2pm)
Ponteland United (Northumberland FA) v Sculcoates Amateurs (East Riding FA) at Church Road, North Ferriby.
Monday, April 14 (6.30pm)
Premier Division
Carlisle City v Ashington Colliers.
Wednesday, April 16 (6.30pm)
Premier Division
Ashington Colliers v Alnwick Town; Carlisle City v Northbank; Cramlington Town v Shankhouse; Gillford Park v Harraby Catholic.
Division One
Berwick United v Wallington; Gosforth B Garnett v Penrith United; Westerhope v Whitley Bay 'A'.
Division Two
Wideopen v Wallsend Town.
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Weather for Morpeth
Thursday 24 May 2012
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