Morpeth Town fought back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Dunston UTS in their latest pre-season outing.
Jack Elliott had put the hosts ahead on 25 minutes, only for Connor Thomson to score three minutes later before Andrew Johnson turned the game on its head on 62 minutes.
Always a good pre-season test, the trip to the UTS Stadium started with both sides looking composed on the ball and eager to get on the front foot.
But it wasn’t until the 11th minute when Thomson headed wide at the near post, and then Bailey Geliher blocked a defensive clearance forcing Dunston stopper James Anderson – on loan from the Highwaymen – to dive low down to his left.
As Morpeth began to click into gear, Johnson sent a dipping volley wide of the target but they failed to capitalise and Dunston did just that with the opening goal of the game in the 25th minute.
Elliott, impressively direct throughout, was the scorer, drilling low across Dan Lowson and into the far corner from the left after Ryan Donaldson’s pass was picked up by Sado Djalo who then played in the goalscorer.
Parity would be restored in a matter of minutes as Thomson struck. Donaldson was creator in chief, playing the winger straight through the heart of the home defence. With time and space, he was able to slot confidently past Anderson for his second goal in a week in pre-season.
As the game ebbed and flowed, Djalo forced a fine save from Lowson, after defensive indecision, but the game would stay deadlocked until the interval.
Morpeth played higher up the pitch in the second half but would concede a penalty in the 55th minute when Josh Robson hauled his man down in the box. They wouldn’t be punished for it as substitute Michael Fowler put his effort past the left post, after a quickly taken, short run up spot-kick that left many in the ground mystified.
The hosts would be punished for this profligacy with Morpeth taking the lead just after the hour mark with a real moment of quality.
Ben Sayer started it off with a fine long ball in behind the left-back, picking out Jack Foalle on the charge who cut the ball back expertly to Johnson to lash home from eight yards.
A Morpeth effort was cleared off the line moments later before, from the resulting corner, Johnson had his backpost header saved by the foot of the Dunston second half keeper. Foalle forced a good one-handed save from the keeper in the closing stages as Town sealed victory on the road once again.
There was a worrying end to the game with Johnson suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder, resulting in a trip to hospital, which hopefully won’t be as bad as it looked.
Town are next in action on Tuesday night when we travel to Consett in our latest pre-season game. Our next home game is on Saturday when we welcome Stockton Town to Craik Park (3pm). Tickets are available on the gate, cash only (£6 adults, £4 concessions, £2 kids, under-5s FREE).
Morpeth Town: Lowson, Robson, Reid, Sayer, Henderson, Turner, Thomson, Geliher, Pearson, Donaldson, Johnson.
Subs: Foalle, Walker, Ramsey, Harvey.
