Birtley Town vs Horden CW

Recap

Birtley Town crashed out of the FA Vase at the first hurdle as two first half goals from Jack Pounder secured the win for Horden CW. 

Match programme available HERE.

The Hoops made just two changes to the side that beat Kendal Town. Nick Marley and Jack Elliot replacing Kelvin Thear and Matthew Ward. It was Birtley who started the brighter of the two sides. Scott Heslop sent an early opportunity just wide after a long ball forward from Alfie Gordon. The Hoops dominated the early proceedings without finding any real rhythm or tempo. Midway through the first half though and Birtley were behind. Jack Pounder was gifted far too much space and he smashed home a low effort from 25 yards out. The opening goal proved disruptive for The Hoops as they failed to build on their early possession. 

Once Pounder had opened the scoring it was Horden who dominated control of the game. Alfie Gordon produced a string of saves to prevent Horden from extending their lead. The Hoops would have looked to reach half-time with the score at 1-0 and the break would’ve offered a chance for the team to regroup but this wasn’t to be the case as a defensive error allowed Horden to counter attack, Pounder once again striking low in the net from the edge of the area. 

HALF TIME | Birtley Town 0-2 Horden CW 

Birtley started the second-half pushing to find a way back into the game however Horden defended and managed the game effectively. The Hoops made a number of changes with Kelvin Thear and Matt Boyd adding some spark into the Birtley attack. The Hoops pushed for a goal and Scott Heslop thought he had pulled a goal back on 82 minutes but was denied by a strong save from Foster. Proc also had a late effort saved while Alfie Gordon made a brilliant save to stop Horden from extending their lead further. 

FULL TIME | Birtley Town 0-2 Horden CW 

The final whistle was met with disappointment from players, management and supporters. There could be no complaints with the result as Horden deserved their place in the next round. Birtley will be hoping for an immediate reaction against Guisborough Town on Wednesday. 

Player of the Match – Alfie Gorden picked up another award as chosen by matchday sponsor Raw Edge Media. 

Attendance – 212

Manager’s Corner

Reece Chapman: “We didn’t match the levels that we have set during our last few games, an ultimately Horden deserved to go through. We were the better team for the first 20 minutes or so and created some really good opportunities, but the final ball was just off or the shot wasn’t clinical enough. We didn’t have that bit of luck either as Alex hit a goal bound shot that hit Hezzy flush in the face – on another day we go one or two up. However, Horden scored on the 25^th minute and we just didn’t get going again really. Credit to them for that, they worked really hard and even when we threatened throughout the rest of the game they defended fantastically. To make things worse we picked up a couple of injuries throughout the game too so we’ll have to look at them over the next week or so”.

FA Vase First Qualifying Round History (Home games only)
P7 W5 D0 L2 GF13 GA14

H2H vs Horden C.W. (Home games only)
P8 W4 D1 L3 GF22 GA14 Pts 13

Next up…

The Hoops travel to Guisborough Town on Wednesday followed by a home FA Cup tie against Dunston UTS next Saturday.