Recap
Birtley fell to a narrow defeat on Friday night, in an entertaining contest under the floodlights at West Auckland Town.
For the second game in a row the Hoops got off to a sluggish start and were again quickly punished, with Craig Moody beating Max Campbell to a loose ball before firing into the top of the net.
As on Saturday, the goal seemed to wake Birtley up, and they began to create a few chances of their own, with Kaleb Young and James Proctor both coming close to equalising, only to be denied by West keeper Piotr Banda.
Substitute Sean Comstock replaced the injury Reece Harrison midway through the first half, and quickly exerted his influence, creating a chance for Nick Marley on 37 minutes which was parried by Banda, allowing the in-form Young to smash home the rebound.
Just before half-time, newest signing Reece Havelock-Brown floated in a dangerous cross, which Marley headed into the top corner to give The Hoops the lead.
HALF TIME | WEST AUCKLAND TOWN 1-2 BIRTLEY TOWN
The game remained poised into the second spell, with each side looking to attack, but it was West Auckland who struck first through Leo Robinson, with a neat finish from the edge of the box following Moody’s cross.
Within minutes, West had a golden opportunity to take the lead through Finley O’Gorman, but the former Middlesbrough youngster placed his shot wide after racing through on goal.
It was end-to-end stuff as the game entered the final stages, but Birtley went behind for a second and final time on 83 minutes, when skipper Jack Honour headed into his own net while defending another dangerous cross from Moody.
The Hoops’ Charlie Armin, a late sub for Kaleb Young, nearly grabbed the headlines with an injury time effort, only to see his header cleared off the line by the experienced Alex White.
FULL TIME | WEST AUCKLAND TOWN 3-2 BIRTLEY TOWN
Disappointment in the end, but plenty of positives to take from a game that could’ve gone either way against a very good side. The tough tests keep on coming for the Hoops, who welcome Newcastle Blue Star to the Arrowmark Home Improvements Stadium this Friday evening. Blue Star are sure to bring a sizeable following, so make sure you come down and match them decibel for decibel, for what should be another intriguing spectacle.
