Match report proudly sponsored by Northumbria Print
Morpeth Town slipped to a 4-2 defeat at Marine after a hugely entertaining Pitching In NPL Premier Division clash on Merseyside.
The Highwaymen responded superbly to going a goal down, scoring two in two minutes to take a ninth minute lead.
A contentious penalty levelled matters on 34 minutes before two second half goals saw Marine stretch ahead.
The game began in frantic fashion with Ben Hodkinson, after joining the hosts in midweek, racing clear before being denied, with seconds on the clock, by keeper Dan Lowson.
It was a warning that wouldn’t be heeded by visitors as they fell behind on four minutes. Josh Solomon-Davies moved down the right side before firing a speculative cross-shot across the area that found the far corner to give Marine the advantage.
That shook Morpeth into life and they rallied almost instantly, equalising on seven minutes. Ben Sayer spun the ball round the corner, putting Jack Foalle in behind the defence. He picked out Matty Cornish who cut it back for Ryan Donaldson to lash home off the underside of the bar.
No sooner had the celebrations died down than Town took the lead. No more than two minutes had elapsed when Foalle raced on to another Sayer ball over the full-back before cutting back for Andrew Johnson to lash home his fifth goal of the season and give his side the lead.
The Highwaymen were in the ascendancy at this point and threatened again on 14 minutes when Callum Morris met a corner but headed into the ground before it was pushed by Bayleigh Passant into the path of Jeff Henderson who was denied from close range.
Then came a contentious 32nd minute penalty award for the home side. After the ball dropped inside the box on the right side, a Marine player shot wildly over the top before connecting with Morris on his follow through.
With the defender not seemingly making a challenge, the award of the penalty, after the advantage had been given, left many baffled. Jordan Lussey brushed off the protestations to net in the 34th minute.
Then another moment of controversy as keeper Passant inexplicably ran the ball, in his hands, out of the box after over-shooting his run up to clear. He then purposefully juggled it to safety and was awarded a yellow card for a bizarre moment.
A moment before half-time and Town could have been ahead once more when Johnson forced a smart stop from Passant low down. Marine would have felt equally aggrieved not to be ahead at the interval when Louis Britton’s header across goal flew past the far post.
The second half started in similar fashion to the first, with Marine quicker out of the blocks and scoring early.
Britton was the man to deliver the goal, bundling an effort in from close range after Sol Solomon’s excellent build-up play caused chaos on 52 minutes.
Charley Doyle’s glancing header was gathered by Lowson before Cornish sent a rising drive well over as the chances dried up before Solomon got his goal, latching on to a threaded 85th minute through ball to slot home and seal the win.
Marine substitute Joseph Bunney was denied superbly by Lowson before Andrew Scarisbrick was also denied by the Town stopper late on.
It meant little as Morpeth ended the day defeated ahead of two crucial home games in the next week against Liversedge and Nantwich Town.
MARINE: Passant, Solomon-Davies (Barrigan 85’), Smith, Lussey, Earl, Spittle, Hodkinson (Howarth 65’), Doyle, Britton (Bunney 81’), Solomon, Scarisbrick.
SUBS: Clark, Weir
MORPETH TOWN: Lowson, King (Ramsey 70’), Robson, Morris, Henderson, Turner, Cornish (Thomson 74’), Sayer, Foalle, Donaldson, Johnson.
SUBS: Fishburn, Lancaster.
ATT: 1,298
