Morpeth were unlucky to lose the Techflow Group Northumberland Senior Cup Final as a Newcastle United U23 side prevailed thanks to an outstanding performance from Callum Roberts. Roberts grabbed a brace either side of a Liam Henderson strike before Dan Barlaser sealed the victory with a free-kick in added time.

The opening chance of the game fell the way of Newcastle United who had started the game in the ascendency. Luke Charman was found in the box but his effort lacked any real power and Karl Dryden was able to gather.

Moments later and Newcastle should have taken the lead. Callum Roberts turned in the box and escaped the close attentions of Michael Turner. The forward turned and fired an effort that rebounded off the post with Dryden beaten.

Morpeth responded and it was Liam Henderson who was almost the beneficiary of some fine work by Joe Walton down the Morpeth right. Walton dummied his way past Macauley Gillesphey before cutting back to Henderson who miscued his effort wide.

On the quarter hour mark, Newcastle did take the lead. Roberts took the ball off Charman and jinked his way past Turner and coolly slotted the ball home, giving Dryden no chance. The goal occurred with Morpeth down to 10 men as Jordan Fry had been forced off with an injury. Keith Graydon came on to replace the stricken Morpeth player.

The Highwaymen almost responded immediately, Henderson again came forward but slipped as he got his shot away. The ball rebounded kindly to David Carson who curled an effort inches wide of the post with Nathan Harker beaten.

On 18 minutes the persistence of Walton won his side a corner, the ball was whipped into the far post and nodded back into the danger area but Chris Reid was unable to get his header on target.

The Magpies nearly doubled their lead as first Adam Wilson cut inside and curled an effort narrowly wide of the far post. Charman then showed his strength to win possession back before seeing his effort deflected and land on the roof of the net.

After a frantic opening quarter of the game, it settled down into a bit of a rhythm. Newcastle sitting back and allowing Morpeth to come forward and then looking to steal the ball and break with the pace of Charman and Roberts.

On the stroke of half-time, Morpeth deservedly equalized. A tantalizing ball in from Sean Taylor wasn’t dealt with by the Newcastle defence and Liam Henderson was on hand to prod home at the Gallowgate end.

The second half almost started as the first ended with Morpeth almost grabbing a goal. An in-swinging corner from Ben Sayer was met by the head Reid and it flew just wide.

On 50 minutes, Morpeth came close to taking the lead with Walton seeing his goalbound shot being saved well by Nathan Harker. The corner this time wasn’t delivered as well and the chance was gone.

Two minutes later and another chance fell the way of the Highwaymen who almost stole their second goal of the game. Taylor cut the ball back to Carson and he saw his somewhat tame shot gathered by Harker.

Those chances almost proved costly as Newcastle hit back and Roberts saw his effort clip the crossbar and go over with Dryden looking on helpless.

On the hour mark, an unfortunate slip by Carson let in Victor Fernandez and the young Spaniard drove forward before slipping the ball into Charman who saw his effort fly into the side netting.

The young magpies made Morpeth pay for failing to take their chances at the start of the half. Wilson got in down the left and was able to cut the ball back to Roberts who doubled his tally as he side-footed home from just inside the six yard box.

On 67 minutes, Morpeth came close to an equaliser, Graydon skipped away from a challenge before arrowing a shot from 30yrds that just cleared the crossbar.

Reid was shown a yellow as he eased Roberts to the floor as the striker looked to get onto the end of a long ball just outside of the area despite the protestations of the Newcastle players that it was in the box. From the resultant free-kick, the aforementioned Roberts curled his strike over the angle of post and bar.

The game should have been wrapped up in the 80th minute, Dan Barlaser was found in space on the penalty spot but his effort wayward and cleared the bar.

Again, Morpeth came back as they tried to find an equaliser. Carson was picked out on the edge of the area and with time and space, the winger curled an effort at goal but it was straight into the clutches of Harker.

Roberts, the standout player on the pitch almost got his hat-trick as he capitalised on a poor touch from Reid to come forward and fired a zipping effort back across goal that just failed to find the back of the net.

The game finished with the best goal of the night as Dan Barlaser curled home a superb free-kick in added time at the end of the game from just outside the area.

There was to be a further chance as Newcastle almost added a fourth. Mo Sangare went on a rampaging run forward and when he got the ball back from Callum Williams, Sangare could only side-foot at Dryden.

 

MORPETH TOWN: Dryden; Forster, Phillips, Sayer (capt), Turner, Reid, Taylor, Fry (Graydon, 16) Walton (Elliott, 77), Henderson (Davison, 90), David Carson
SUBS NOT USED: Coppen, Coombes
GOALS: Henderson 45.

NEWCASTLE UNITED UNDER 23’s: Harker, Bailey (capt), Gillesphey, Hunter (Sangare, 88), Yarney, Good, Fernandez (O’Connor, 90+2), Barlaser, Charman, Roberts, Wilson (Williams, 69).
SUBS NOT USED: Huuhtanen, Bartlett.
GOALS: Roberts 15, 62, Barlaser 90
ATT: 1,224
This report is proudly sponsored by Jimmy Anderson, on behalf of Aggregate Industries (a part of LaFargeHolcim).