Date: Saturday 31st January 2009
Competition: Unibond First Div North
Venue: The Giant Axe Ground, Lancaster, Lancashire
Attendance: 204
Ticket In: £7.00
Programme: £1.50
Golden Goal: £1.00
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Total: £9.50
The tale of two cities, forget Paris and London, this story is about Lancaster and Durham. Non-league sides that represent their city are few and far between, usually they pale into insignificance behind the big money professional sides that boast the “City” title. But today the best teams that two cities have to offer will be pitted against each other in a battle for Unibond League First Division North supremacy.
Both sides currently lie in the playoff positions of the league and are competing for the title, Durham being so far undefeated in the league and having played 22 cup games. Lancaster City are a team currently in re-building after they entered freefall two seasons ago when playing their football in the Conference North. Massive points deductions meant they spent time at the foot of the league on a negative points total, before eventually being relegated somewhat unsurprisingly. Things got worse though as they also entered administration at the end of that season, meaning they were relegate by two divisions to the level where they currently find themselves playing. But the club has come through all of this adversity and survived when it looked like they might not and are back challenging for league titles. Durham have had a far easier time of it of late and their league position reflects this. Promoted from the Arngrove League as champions last season, Durham have settled into Unibond League life well, and with Durham CCC winning their first ever cricket county championship last season, it’s certainly a city for winners. Looking at all that’s available about today’s game, I fully expect Durham to be the favourites. The pre-match is spent wandering into Lancaster City Centre and spotting a pub with one of the best names I’ve seen, Ye Old John O’ Gaunt. Try saying that when you’re leaving there at closing time. You know you’re in a classy establishment when there’s a photograph of the morris dancing team on the wall and poetry such as “I love it when it’s raining when I’m leaving public hooses, cause nobody can tell when I’ve piddled down my troosers”.Lancaster’s Giant Axe ground is a very tidy ground offering a covered seating stand as well as raised terracing behind one goal. Problems with posts do exist though as obstructed views from the seats cause some problems. The surface of the pitch looks smooth enough though a bit barren in the goalmouths, nothing unusual in that from a non league pitch. Conditions pre-kickoff are blustery and cold with a very strong side wind, football in the raw.
So the referee and his assistants lead the teams out of the changing rooms and onto the Giant Axe pitch, Lancaster City in blue shirts and white shorts with Durham City in yellow shirts and blue shorts. Formalities are concluded, the teams switch ends and Durham City get the match underway.The gathered supporters didn’t have to wait long for the first goal of the game, it came after only six minutes, but it wouldn’t be one that would please the home supporters. After receiving a neat pass, a great run and some superb skill from Durham’s Gavin Cogden allowed him to lay off a neat pass to Matty Moffatt, who hit a first time shot straight at Lancaster City keeper Mark Thornley. Thornley couldn’t stop the ball despite getting down to it and it trickled into the goal via the right hand post to give the visitors the perfect start to the match. Lancaster then mustered the first effort on goal when they were awarded a free kick on the wing. The ball played into the box was headed half clear and Lancaster’s Danny Mahoney volleyed the ball straight at goalkeeper Craig Turns in the Durham City goal. Durham then had another good chance to score in the 12th minute when some neat football allowed a through ball to be played to the goal line and crossed back in front of goal. The waiting Durham strikers diving header just went wide of the post and the chance passed. Lancaster then had another go at the Durham goal when a long range shot in the 15th minute deflected off a defender and Durham City goalkeeper Craig Turns was at full stretch as Lancaster won a corner. Durham extended their lead in the 22nd minute when a cross into the box was half cleared by Lancaster defender Guy Heffernan. Calvin Smith picked up the ball and when facing pressure from the Lancaster defence, he played the ball to Matty Moffatt who executed a perfect shot over Mark Thornley in the Lancaster goal and into the net to double Durham’s lead and his own personal goal tally.
Durham remained on the attack and in the 28th minute they won themselves a corner. Played short, the ball eventually broke to a Durham forward on the edge of the penalty area and he drilled the ball wide of the target. The match was deprived of any real further goal threats until the end of the half, but Durham were having the better of the play keeping the ball on the ground whilst Lancaster’s aerial efforts were being caught in the wind. That scoring chance came right at the death of the half when another one of Gavin Cogden’s untouchable runs saw him lay the ball off to Shaun Bell in the penalty area, Bell fired the ball low and hard at the near post but found Mark Thornley in the way to make a fine low save to concede a corner. The half time whistle followed soon after and as the teams headed into the dressing rooms, Durham had a two goal advantage over their hosts. Durham look head and shoulders above their opponents, playing brilliant on the deck football that is not typical of teams from the North East, their keeper only having looked really nervous on the one occasion as Lancaster had failed to severely threaten the goal. The first half evidence would suggest that Durham are heading for a comfortable win this afternoon.Half Time:
Lancaster City 0 – 2 Durham City
For a team with their backs to the walls at the break, Lancaster came out in aggressive style as they managed to halve their deficit just 2 minutes into the half. After winning themselves a free kick, Aaron Helliwell delivered the ball to the back of the penalty area where Lancaster’s Andrew Teague managed to turn the ball into the net to get Lancaster off to the best possible start in the 2nd half.
The wind was still playing its part in this encounter and wasn’t favouring Lancaster City as a defenders hooked clearance got caught in the wind and blew behind for a Durham corner, though Durham couldn’t capitalise on this and regain the two goal lead they once held. A lead that was soon to be wiped out completely as Lancaster levelled the match in the 67th minute, Alan Coar managing to get a diving header from a cross from the wing to creep across the front of goal and nestle inside the post to bring matters in the match completely level. Despite the setback from Durham’s point of view, they still looked the more likely of the two sides to score, but Lancaster were defending resolutely and weren’t allowing Durham through. Lancaster had a chance to take the lead in the 82nd minute when a free kick was headed half clear and subsequently blasted over the bar. But an enthralling finish to the match was upcoming when Durham thought they had won when they scored in the 86th minute to retake the lead. The ball was worked wide to the wing and the cross was perfectly placed to evade the Lancaster defence and find the head of Matty Moffatt six yards from goal, Moffatt turning the ball into the net to complete his hat-trick and send the Durham supporters into celebration as only 4 minutes remained on the clock. But Lancaster had put too much effort and toil into the fight back to throw it all away this late and although looking down and out, they levelled the match a minute later. Alan Coar picked up a long ball played to him and found Mark Jackson behind the Durham defence. Jackson teed himself up from the edge of the penalty area and drilled the ball low and hard past Turns in the Durham goal to bring the match level yet again. Durham had a final flurry as the match entered injury time but neither team could conjure up another goal and the sounds of the final whistle brought a share of the points.A gripping end to a contest which certainly picked up in the 2nd half. Durham looked to be on easy street after a comfortable first half, but Lancaster kept the ball on the ground in the strong wind and got themselves right back in it.
It looked very much like all of Lancaster’s hard work was going to be undone when Moffatt completed his hat-trick late on in the match, and some degree of thought has to go to him as a player. Scoring a hat-trick away from home and not being on the winning side must be a slightly bitter pill to swallow. All in all, an entertaining enough match with plenty of goals, despite the main winner being the windy conditions. Lancaster City move up two places to 3rd, one place behind Durham City.Full Time:
Lancaster City 3 – 3 Durham City
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