Match Report: Consett AFC 2-3 Redcar Athletic

A chilly night on a pitch that hadn't been updated in 20 years, but we got all 3 points in what was a vital game for both morale, and our league position

Every photo of Consett’s pitch made it look like it had snowed, and truthfully, it felt that way too.

A changed line-up due to injuries on Saturday meant Kev Burgess and Bryan Taylor both were given starting roles, and they were both thrown straight into the deep end early on, as Consett utilised fast breaks to push and pressure our defence

Luckily, we seemed to be able to clear our lines, with Josh Mazfari looking to be in the form of his life, and so all was good for the Steelmen. (Us, not Consett).

In the 10th minute, we bagged our first of the evening, as Johnson worked his way down the right wing before cutting back to keep the ball in play and lifting a pass over to Adam Boyes in the middle. Boyes then slipped a pass out to the edge of the box, where Oscar Fletcher hit it first time.

What followed was interesting, in that Oscar himself didn’t expect to score. So as the ball trickled over the line, there was a brief window where he didn’t realise, and then spent the next few moments searching for Chris and his camera as the Redcar fans cheered his name.

That goal also meant we became the first side in the country to score 50 league goals!

Following that goal, Consett began to ramp up their attacks, forcing Mazfari into making countless superb stops.

However, in the 36th there was a mix-up between Josh and our midfield, which allowed Consett to counter and ultimately Mazfari had to take one for the team and forcefully stop the attack, conceding a penalty in the process.

Whilst the Consett fans chanted for a red, he was only given a booking, and whilst the penalty was dispatched we also still had our shot stopper on the field.

Some more fine stops from Josh meant it remained 1-1, even when Consett looked destined to score, and just before half-time we bagged our 2nd goal as some great dribbling from Fewster enabled him to weave past several defenders and get into the box, where he laid a pass off to Boyes how made no mistake to slot it past the Consett keeper.

Solid at the back and solid at the front, this was looking to be a good game for us.

The start of the second half saw a bit more action, but truly only one good chance for either side, when Curtis Round whipped a pass across the face of goal, but Adam Boyes was unable to get a touch on it and put it past the keeper.

Moments later we had another prime chance, as a quality pass from Fletcher found Round, and Round laid it off to Fewster who once again weaved his way into the box before being brought down.

Whilst it did look like a penalty, the referee was very quick to wave the claims away, and we moved on.

Fewster’s dribbling was proving to be a quality asset for us, as he once more produced some technical moves to get past several men before passing it to Johnson, who was frustratingly tackled just as he was finding his feet.

In the 70th minute though, we got our deserved third, as Adam Boyes won us a free kick around 30 yards from goal and Curtis lofted that dead ball into the box where Danni Lay could get up high and head the ball into the goal.

The rest of the half saw minimal action, as we lowered the offensive pressure as Consett tried to salvage something from this rapidly fleeting affair.

Parkinson, Anderson and Burns also all came on the pitch, in place of Burgess, Bartliff and Boyes respectively.

As we entered added time, Mazfari kept doing what he had done all game, with some more superb stops to keep the scores the same

Consett did grab a 2nd goal in the 92nd minute, as after several solid stops from Mazfari, one shot was put past him, giving Consett a very slim lifeline.

However, we held on, and when that full-time whistle went there was an air of relief as we got 3 points and further secured our position at the top of the table!

Up next, we are at home to Lincoln United on Saturday, where we will also be having our Redcar Athletic Oktoberfest, featuring live music, drinks and vendors!

If you are unable to make that game, then A) You’re going to miss out, but also B) there will be live updates on Twitter.

Either way, hope you have a great week, and see you soon!