Shildon AFC strolled comfortably into the preliminary round of the FA Cup after a 0-3 away win at Newcastle Benfield on Saturday, and will now face local rivals, West Auckland Town. And they will know what to expect after visiting their near neighbours on league duty in midweek, when a late equaliser by the hosts meant the points were shared in a 1-1 draw.
The Railwaymen may have expected a sterner test on Saturday from one of the mainstays of the Northern League as they hoped to navigate a passage to the next round of the FA Cup, but after a closely contested first half, two quick goals just before the break put the visitors in command.
Ben Reay opened the scoring in the 38th minute with a smart header from close range before Joe Posthill was gifted a second in the 43rd after a calamitous effort by the home side to play out from the back. Posthill made certain of the win with a deft chip in the 58th minute after a defence-splitting through ball from Jon Weirs.
As final whistles blew, and with the next round’s draw already having been made, it was clear who the next round opponents would be with West Auckland prevailing by 2-0 against 10-man Northallerton in their fixture.
The two sides were given a taste of what’s to come when they met on league duty just three days later and it looked like a 5th minute goal by Posthill from a well-worked free-kick might secure all three points. However, Joshua Scott popped up with ten minutes to play to drive home the equaliser low to the keeper’s right from 18 yards.
As the Crier goes to press, both sides occupy the top two places in the league table, with Shildon retaining top spot ahead of the rest of the midweek fixtures. Next up is a visit to North Shields who, with Shildon, dropped back into the Northern League, albeit after a successful Northern Premier East season.
However, the club was demoted after failing to achieve the relevant ground grading. The Railwaymen return home in midweek, when they host Sunderland RCA in the league next Tuesday evening with kick off at 7.30pm.
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
