Recap
Birtley extended their unbeaten home run to six games on Saturday, securing a point against Northallerton Town, in a game short on chances.
There was precious little action in the opening exchanges, with the game taking some time to get going, but Northallerton struck first on 17 minutes with a well-judged effort from range by Lee Hume.
Hume nearly added a second within a matter of minutes, but Hoops’ skipper Alex Francis was on-hand to clear.
The home side didn’t really trouble visiting keeper Preston Leech during the opening spell, and it took until the 41st minute before they came close through a Nick Marley header that rattled the crossbar.
HALF TIME | Birtley Town 0-1 Northallerton Town
The second-half continued in similar vein, but Birtley were given the opportunity to draw level with quarter of an hour to go, when Matty Ward was felled in the box by Jamie Harwood.
James Proctor duly stepped up and dispatched the penalty. Ward (himself a replacement for the injured Scott Heslop) was subsequently forced off with a head injury.
The equaliser seemed to give the Hoops fresh impetus, and they soon had a chance to grab another, with Callum Smith turning Reece Harrison‘s dangerous cross over the bar.
On eighty minutes, Birtley managed to get themselves in front, with Kyle Wharton seizing upon a through ball from Nick Marley to put his side ahead with a strike from the edge of the box.
The game was finely poised heading into injury time, and Northallerton managed to secure the point their efforts probably deserved, with Harry Croft bundling the ball over the line after a frantic goalmouth scramble.
FULL TIME | Birtley Town 2-2 Northallerton Town
Our thoughts go to our skipper Alex Francis who suffered a horrendous dislocated knee and ruptured patella tendon during the closing spell of yesterday’s game. We’d like to thank everyone who has contacted us to check on Alex’s well-being and we will keep supporters updated as we await further news.
Player of the Match – TBC
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