[JonInMiddleGA]

Jan 14, 2012 (evening)
Blyth (6th BSBN) vs Gateshead (3rd in BSBP) - FA Trophy 2nd Round

We've spent weeks getting ready for this match, let's hope it works. You already know the situation. The Tynesiders are tough, led by Newcastle loan Phil Airey, a striker that's got 10 goals for them. He's got plenty of help, with Liam Hatch & Jon Shaw scoring 9 each on the season. GK Tim Deasy has 7 clean sheets in 13 games, has allowed only 6 goals in league play.

We'll start in a 4-4-2 Defensive, probably switch to Standard fairly quickly, just don't want to get jumped on quickly. They're 1:2 favorites, we're 9:2 underdogs. The weather could be brutal, forecast calls for gusty winds, 37 degrees, and hail possible.

GK - Knight
D: Kulsten - Jones - Purvis - D'Laryea
MF: Kendrick - Matondo - Groves - Emms
F: Armstrong - Mole
(Available subs are Mellish, Hooks, White, Slaughter and Hartley)

14:00 - Matondo gets a warning after tripping up Newton, but no card. Gateshead has picked up two yellows already, one for Newton & one for Carruthers. Only 1 shot so far, that was by Gateshead in the opening minute, a harmless affair that went well wide.

20:21 - Emms passes to Matondo just inside the arc, his quick shot misses wide left by about 3 feet

34:20 - Airey outruns our defense, gets a shot away one on one with Knight ... parried fairly easily & Purvis puts it out of play

38:00 - A little mixup in the box, Airey wants a penalty but the ref will have none of it

38;45 - Mole trips up a defender, gets the benefit of the doubt. Tough for Gateshead, they've been booked four times already

Halftime - Outshot 6-1, only 45% of poss ... but it's scoreless & that means we're still in it. We've been sloppy up front, solid elsewhere. Kulsten & Matondo look to be tiring but we'll stand pat for now.

47:50 - Airey grabs a rebound just inside the spot, turns & fires a right footer past a diving Knight (0-1) ... Switch to Standard, we've got to find some offense now

64:48 - Emms with a corner from the left side ... swings it across the area to Jones at the far post ... high in the air ... GOAL !!! (1-1) All even.
Sub Slaughter for Kulsten (tired), Hooks for Kendrick (knocked & tired)

77:01 - Matondo takes a crack from the left side high in the, couldn't get it to curve and it sails harmless far wide right

80:16 - Airey with a thunderous drive that's well high

85:00 - Slaughter with a throw in to Matondo, lays it to Armstrong in the area ... wicked shot that's blocked & quickly punted into the stands by a defender. So close right there, so very close
Sub Mellish for a gassed Matondo (Slaughter to LMF, Purvis to LWB)

88:50 - D'Laryea fouls Airey just across midfield, gets a yellow ...
90:00+ - 3 mins of extra time ... Odihambo finds Airey with a centering pass at 92:30 ... his header is true, just past Knight (1-2)

Fulltime - So close, so very close. Can't fault our effort, and I tell them so.
Outshot 16-4, it's a miracle we kept it in doubt for more than 90 minutes. Airey is just at a different level than most people we see, much quicker & smoother, and it made the difference. Hopefully the fans will be as understanding as I was.

Knight 6.6
Kulsten 6.0, Jones 7.4 & 1 goal, Purvis 6.6, D'Laryea 6.6
Kendrick 6.8, Matondo 6.8, Groves 6.6, Emms 6.9 & 1 assist
Armstrong 5.9, Mole 5.5 (lost 9 of 14 headers combined)
Subs: Slaughter 6.7, Hooks 6.5, Mellish N/A

Jan 14, 2012 (post-match)
There were some positives to take away from the match, and that's what I tell the badgering reporters. And no, I don't expect to make lineup changes based on the game (gah, what a dumb question)