Terriers keep up fine form away from home
By Dave Anderson

Having sat in frustration for 38 days without a game, Bedlington Terriers sprang back into action with back to back victories away from home. On Tuesday last week they produced an impressive performance considering the lack of match action to win 3-1 against a Horden team who’d had the advantage of a game under their belts on the Saturday before. Goals from Poole, Elliott and Bowey were probably only partial reward for the dominant display.

Like Horden, Esh Winning were struggling at the wrong end of the table, but had shown enough in the previous cup and league encounters against the Terriers to suggest that they could cause an experienced line-up some difficulties. The only change from the Horden game saw Talbot replace Christensen, perhaps with one eye on Monday night’s game at West Allotment Celtic.

As expected, the hosts started brightly, and went close to taking an early lead when an effort went just over the bar from a knock back after only four minutes. However, the Terriers quickly began to assert control over the game, and finally made the breakthrough on the quarter hour mark.

Skipper Bowey played a fine through ball into the path of Shandran, who cut in from the left into the Esh penalty area. He dodged between two defenders, but saw his effort from close range blocked by keeper Andrew Spence. However, the ball ran loose to Bowey, and despite having his back to goal, Esh defender David Lamb couldn’t resist putting a challenge in which brought down the Bedlington player. The decision to award a penalty was an easy one for the referee, and it was Bowey himself who confidently converted from the spot, low into the bottom left corner.

Just before the midway point in the half, Esh striker John Ryan found his way into the referee’s notebook for a crude foul on Colin Morton. On the half hour itself, Poole was denied a fine goal by an equally superb tip around the post by Spence.

Despite the visitor’s dominance, the home team were still capable of posing a threat. Indeed only a deflection by a Bedlington player prevented Middlemiss’ shot posing a serious danger to the Terriers goal just before the half time whistle. As the players walked off, there was still time for Lamb, the player who conceded the penalty, to earn himself a caution. During the interval, a decision was taken to replace Shandran with Sheeran, as the former was suffering a reoccurrence of a strain sustained in the victory at Horden.

Esh definitely looked more of a threat after the restart, and possibly should have restored parity within five minutes, but a header at the near post from a driven cross on the right flashed just wide. The hosts made a couple of changes to try and increase the pressure on their visitors, but as it turned out it was Bedlington who in fact extended their lead just passed the hour mark.

It wasn’t just an important second goal – it was also an excellent team goal that gave the Terriers much needed breathing space. A ball was played into the feet of Sheeran, and he directed it out to Morton on the right wing. His low cross found Sheeran 10 yards from goal, but with no way through, he played a square pass to Bowey who immediately played a clever flick into the path of Poole at the far post and he hit home from close range.

Bedlington made their second change with 20 minutes remaining, with Phillipson replacing Graham. The Terriers could and probably should have extended their lead further minutes later, when they broke forward in numbers and had a four to one advantage over their opponents. However, Poole who was in possession elected to shoot and his effort was sliced wide.

Such profligacy was nearly punished just a minute later by Esh sub Richardson, but his shot from the edge of the Bedlington area flew a yard wide of the upright. Bedlington sub Phillipson responded in kind, chipping Spence from 25 yards, and the grateful keeper saw the ball shave the top of the net with him beaten.

Another Esh sub Martin forced Newton into a fine save, when he burst through on goal, the Terriers stopping turning the resultant effort around the post. An entertaining game continued to produce goal opportunities, with Morton playing out wide to Phillipson, and the latter curling a superb cross between defence and keeper that also just evaded the desperate lunges by two Bedlington players.

In injury time, the home side were rewarded with the goal their second half efforts probably merited, when they were awarded a penalty of their own after Flynn fouled Martin. Another Esh sub Craig Coates duly converted the spotkick.

The result was to most a fair reflection of the game, and continued the Terriers important run of good results away from home. The way the fixtures line-up, the Terriers will be left with a credit of home games to play, so the points they are picking up away from home could go a long way to them reaching their top 6 target finishing position by the end of the season.