A bitterly cold afternoon in South Yorkshire was warmed up by a fiery game on the pitch. The Higwaymen came away with all three points thanks to a brace from Jack Foalle. The talking points were perhaps the three red cards shown by the referee.
Town started on the front foot and after 9 minutes, Danny Carson who almost got a nosebleed being so high up the pitch fired his effort over the bar.
Jack Foalle opened the scoring on 10 minutes when he flicked the ball home from the edge of the 6yd box after Danny Carson fired the ball across the box.
In the melee that followed, Richard Patterson and Danny Carson were both shown red cards and David Carson given a yellow for his part in it.
The game having boiled over continued to simmer and Foalle saw yellow moments later despite protestations from the home fans that it should have been more.
The goal had given the Highwaymen confidence and Iulian Petrache went close to adding to his goal tally but his effort was deflected behind for a corner.
As the game approached the half hour mark, the hosts came more and more into the game. First, Tyler Walton curled a tame effort into the arms of debutant ‘keeper Graeme Pickering.
Jacob Hazel who looked isolated at times during the game posed a threat to Petrache and Jeff Henderson but Hazel drew another save from Pickering.
On 39 minutes, Tom Potter who is more accustomed to playing further forward showed his defensive side by clearing a header off the line to keep the lead intact.
Just before the interval and Potter saw a low free kick claimed at the near post by Hugo Warhurst.
Petrache then saw two efforts blocked by Jameel Ible following a deep free kick into the box by Ben Sayer.
The second half got off to a calmer start than the first with both sides guilty of aimless balls forward in the hope of creating a chance.
The hosts were unlucky not to equalize when Daniel Rowe thundered an effort from all of 35yds off the crossbar that was still shaking moments later with Pickering well beaten.
That piece of good fortune for Morpeth looked even more telling when Foalle doubled his tally two minutes later. David Carson threaded the eye-of-the-needle to release Foalle who raced clear of a poor offside trap and rifled an effort Warhurst and into the far corner.
On 65 minutes, the hosts lost another man with Jameel Ible shown a straight red card. A ball was curled into the box and Pickering claimed the ball and as he lay on the floor and Ible kneed the ‘keeper in the back of the head. In a second melee that followed Chris Reid needed a new shirt after his had almost been torn from his body.
Tom Potter was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty after the impressive Ben Algar when through the back of him. The referee brought the whistle to his lips before deciding a corner was the decision.
As the game petered towards a conclusion, Liam Henderson and David Carson both went close to adding to the total with Henderson stinging the palms of Warhurst and Carson blasting over.
Rudyard Kipling wrote ‘If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs’, never a truer line could be uttered about this game as Morpeth stayed cool and calm after the chaotic opening.
The Highwaymen are back in action on Saturday when Stocksbridge Park Steels make the trip to Craik Park.
FRICKLEY ATHLETIC: Warhurst, Watt, Algar, Patterson, Ible, Rowe, Mears (Liversidge, 76), Burton, Walton (Palmer, 78), Wilkinson, Hazel (c).
SUBS NOT USED: Carrick, Szanto, Stancliffe.
GOALS: N/A
MORPETH TOWN: Pickering, Danny Carson, Reid, Sayer (Fry, 76), Petrache (Walton, 46), J. Henderson, David Carson, Hodgson, Foalle (L. Henderson, 70), Phillips (c), Potter.
SUBS NOT USED: Graydon, Forster
GOALS: Jack Foalle (10, 57)
