A positive performance failed to deliver victory as Morpeth Town continued preparations for the new campaign with a 1-0 defeat at Dunston UTS.
The hosts took the early initiative through Mark Fitzpatrick’s strike on the goal-line on 15 minutes and try as they might, The Highwaymen simply couldn’t find a way through for the remainder of the contest.
Both sides began brightly enough, knocking the ball around comfortably and with a confidence which suggested pre-season was gathering pace.
Jack Elliott had a routine fourth minute free-kick pushed over the top by Morpeth keeper Dan Lowson, before the hosts hit the front 11 minutes later. Fitzpatrick won’t score an easier goal this season, smashing home from on the goal-line after Lowson had done well to prevent Scott Heslop from registering.
Seeing plenty of the ball without creating too much, Town were just lacking the final pass to open up the Dunston defence. That was until the 28th minute when Julien Petrache got on the end of a Ben Sayer free-kick in from the right but sent a back-post header, on the stretch, over the top.
Sam Hodgson was a figure of composure in the middle of the park, with Wayne Phillips and Sean Taylor swapping sides just after the half-hour mark as they sought to make an impact on proceedings.
Despite the majority of possession, The Highwaymen couldn’t find a way through before the interval. Far from deterring them, this acted as motivation as they went in search of a leveller in the second half.
Michael Turner went close to achieving that with a fizzing 51st minute drive from the edge of the box but his shot thundered into a Dunston defender before deflecting wide. If that was a good chance, then his 56th minute header was a glorious opportunity to equalise as the left-back rose to nod a perfectly weighted David Carson free-kick narrowly over the bar.
Pouring forward at every opportunity, with Carson and Liam Henderson looking particularly effective after coming on at half-time, Morpeth went within inches of an equaliser on 67 minutes. Joe Walton’s shot across goal flew agonisingly wide after he had raced in behind Callum Elliott following the latter’s failure to cut out a raking cross-field ball.
It was all Morpeth by this point and they had former Town stopper Karl Dryden at full stretch in the 71st minute to stop Carson’s venomous strike from the edge of the box. Two minutes later and more desperate defending from the hosts saw them scramble the ball clear after Adam Burnicle had a shot blocked before Taylor toe-ended the loose ball goalward, forcing a smart save from Dryden.
With 10 minutes to go, a rare foray forward from Dunston saw them go close to a crucial second goal. Heslop saw the ball drop invitingly in the area and he sent a shot across goal. It was a controlled effort, but it failed to beat Dimitris Tsapacos in the Town goal.
The Highwaymen were still pressing at the other end and came within a whisker of making a breakthrough when Stephen Forster pulled the ball out of the air before cutting inside Elliott on the right flank. The full-back teed up Henderson but his shot curled away from goal and wide.
Although unable to score on the day, Morpeth will be pleased to see Jeff Henderson looking so composed in the heart of the defence, with Carson and Sam Hodgson looking effective in the middle of the park.
Morpeth are next in action on July 28th when they travel to Consett for their fourth pre-season game of the campaign.

DUNSTON UTS: Dryden, Marrs, Halliday, Stafford, Grant-Soulsby, Hall, J.Elliott, Pearson, Fitzpatrick, Heslop, Thear.
SUBS: Capewell, C.Elliott, Little, Brooks, Harrison.
GOALS: Fitzpatrick (15)
MORPETH TOWN: Lowson; Walton, Petrache, J.Henderson, Turner; Phillips, Hodgson, Graydon, Taylor; Sayer; Burnicle.
SUBS: L.Henderson, Tsapacos, David Carson, Reid, McDonald, Danny Carson, Forster.
GOALS:
ATT: 147