Match Report: North Shields 1-2 West Allotment Celtic

Ex-Robin Callum Larmouth came back to haunt his former club with a brace to send Allotment through to the quarter final of the Northumberland Senior Cup.

Allotment started the match in good form, with the visitors getting the better of the ball with a few close chances before, in the 14th minute, Callum Larmouth fired them in front.

The opening goal led to the game opening up slightly for North Shields as both teams began exchanging possession of the ball. Eventually, Bradley Chisholm showed good anticipation to slot home past the keeper to tie the match up on the stroke of half time.

In the second half, despite good possession play by Allotment, North Shields began to have the better of the chances.

However, as the match entered the last 15 minutes Allotment capitalised on the increasingly fatigued Robins backline. Larmouth eventually bagged his second and final goal of the game to send the visitors through. 

Tonight’s match saw North Shields welcome neighbours West Allotment Celtic to the Daren Persson Stadium, with both sides looking to progress to the quarter final, in what was a very windy night which affected the movement of the ball. 

From the start of the match it looked as though Allotment would be the team to go through. In the first minute a clever touch from Michael Thompson via a long ball opens up some space to take a shot, the shot ultimately hitting the side netting already putting pressure on the North Shields defence.

Allotment wouldn’t let up either, as in the 6th minute, following a well organised press Cyril Giraud dispossessed North Shields’ Anthony Myers outside the box allowing him to drive forward one on one with the keeper Finlay Hodgson whose shot was well stopped. 

From the following corner Luke Parkinson headed the ball down to a free Mechack Kanda inside the box whose shot went narrowly over the bar.

In the tenth minute North Shields were forced into an early substitution as Conor Oliver went down with a shoulder injury following a 50/50 collision with a West Allotment player, with Jack Leonard taking his place.

The Deadlock was broken in the 14th minute as Larmouth received a long ball outside the box as North Shields failed to clear their lines, after wiggling his way through the defenders, Hodgson does well to get a touch on the shot but it proved too powerful as it fumbled into the back of the net.

Following the goal North Shields refused to let the game slip past them, and after 10 minutes of good pieces of play for both teams Chisholm flicked a long ball into the path of Bradley Hird however Daniel Gladstone did well to react and make himself big to deny the Robin’s player.

North Shields had a chance to equalise in the 36th minute, a cross sent in by Tom Potter found its way to the feet of Myers inside the box whose shot ultimately blazed over the bar.

In the 43rd minute the Robins found a way to tie up the game, Dan Turner twists and turns his man outside the box and unleashes a strong shot that ricochets off the post and into the path of Chisholm, who slots it under the Allotment keeper and tying the match up going into half time.

The second half both teams fought hard to try and break the deadlock, in the 46th minute a ball over the top was brought down by Turner who drove forward and unleashed a shot that rippled into the side netting.

Allotment then had their chance to go up as the ball crossed into the Robins’ box with multiple shots taken but the North Shields backline did well to put bodies in front of the ball and clear their lines. 

Despite having multiple half chances, North Shields seemed to tire going into the last quarter of the match, allowing Allotment to find their rhythm again, in the 77th minute, Giraud does well to shuffle past his man outside the box and unleashes a powerful strike to which Hodgson produces an excellent stop to keep North Shields in the match.

Allotment began to dominate the match, with North Shields for the most part trapped inside their own half. In the 81st minute Giraud’s outswinging cross was headed agonisingly over the crossbar.

Allotment’s unrelenting pressure was eventually rewarded as Giraud finishes off a good individual performance as he crosses the ball into the box, missing his intended target but finds a free Larmouth who has the whole goal to himself and neatly finishes in the 86th minute.

Larmouth very nearly got himself a hatrick in injury time as he received the ball outside the box and struck in an effort that grazed the post. 

As the full time whistle sounded, West Allotment Celtic had set up a tie against NPL Division One East side Ashington.