Ferryhill Athletic again decamped to Parkside Academy in Willington in order to get their latest home game played last Saturday, reports Chris Orton. The pitch at Dean Bank was once again unplayable, so an artificial surface was required for the Durham Minor Cup Quarter Final game against Gateshead Leam Rangers Reserves.
With many games again called off due to bad weather, the sun actually made an appearance for this fixture. Good early play from Ferryhill led to a chance for Matthew Agar after five minutes, but his attempt went wide. Manager Kieron Richardson’s decision to start Chris Devine in attack paid dividends after only seven minutes when the wizard fired home with a clinical finish from the right. The hard-working Deacon Simpson went close soon after and Athletic were constantly pressing. From keeper to attack, Ferryhill worked well as a team and the lead was doubled when Athletic’s number 10 struck with his second on the quarter hour.
It took only a further three minutes for Devine to achieve his hat-trick, by which time the game looked lost for the away side. All of the play was controlled by Ferryhill, who moved the ball around the pitch with ease and constantly harrassed the opposition. Leam Rangers Reserves offered little and could only manage a single shot on target during the whole game, solid defending from Ferryhill’s Joe Langton and Niall Seymour preventing them getting anywhere near.
Ferryhill made a raft of changes for the second half, making good use of their strong squad. Whilst Leam Rangers looked more up for the occasion in the second half, they were simply unable to make a breakthrough. Cameron Wallace shot over the bar, before an excellent run from Alex Quinn led to him firing home to make it 4-0. Athletic continued to put in a good shift, with Deacon Simpson, Ellis Hare and the returning Kyle Quinn all working hard as Ferryhill completely dominated.
The score would have been far higher had Leam Rangers not deployed an effective offside trap that caught out Ferryhill on numerous occasions, but further chances came for Ferryhill as the minutes wound down, though no more goals were scored. Athletic recorded their third victory of the season against this opposition to progress to the semi-final stage of this cup, opponents yet to be determined. Man of the Match was Alex Quinn.
Next week sees a return to league action against FC Hartlepool Reserves. Whilst nominally a home game, the unpredictable weather has required the booking of the all-weather pitch at Whitworth Park in Spennymoor in case Dean Bank is unplayable again. Stay tuned to social media for venue details later in the week.
Chris Orton
Writing regular Ferryhill Athletic match reports.
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
