For their third Wearside League Premier Division game, Ferryhill Athletic made their way to Sunderland to face Durham Corinthians at the Ford Quarry Complex, seeking to notch up some more points following last Saturday’s disappointing draw against Windscale, reports Chris Orton. And they pulled off a terrific battling victory, despite having a depleted squad and only three substitutes on the bench.
Durham have been an established team in the Premier Division for many years but Athletic more than competed with a very decent opposition. The match started brightly for the away side, with Michael Hogg going close after seven minutes in a fast-paced opening period.
Things bounced from one end to the other, but Ferryhill took the initiative with Ellis Hare shooting wide after quarter of an hour. Hogg provided terrific pace down the wing and Jay Roddam was solid in midfield. Corinthians kept Ferryhill busy throughout though and made them work for every ball.
The breakthrough came after 28 minutes when Matthew Agar bundled the ball over the line to put Ferryhill one up, Hogg following up shortly after when he hit the crossbar. Corinthians had their own chances when they fired over the bar and then forced a good save from the returning Finlay Colwell in the Athletic goal. Colwell came to the rescue again when he made a terrific save from a free kick to deny the home side.
As the half drew to a close, Kieron Richardson battled hard and forced a save from the impressive Harry Renwick in the Durham goal. The good work continued in the second half with Hogg again going close and yet more good work from Hare. Richardson hit the bar, before Hare’s cross was almost met by Agar. Kyle Quinn had the ball in the net when he scored with a bullet header, which was inexplicably ruled out for offside, much to the amazement of the travelling fans.
Athletic continued to defend superbly, with Durham having a number of good chances denied. The home side really stretched Ferryhill, but the resilience of the away team was solid. An Athletic appeal for a penalty towards the end was turned down when sub Harley Cairns appeared to have been fouled in the penalty box. Colwell pulled off another excellent save just before the end and kept the score at 1-0.
This excellent team performance leaves Ferryhill in ninth position in the league. Kyle Quinn took the Man of the Match award.
The coming week sees two games in quick succession, with league games on Wednesday and Friday against Shotton Colliery and Willington respectively.
Both games take place at Dean Bank Park and kick off at 6.30pm.
Chris Orton
Writing regular Ferryhill Athletic match reports.
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
