Last weekend saw fireworks off the pitch and also fireworks on it as Newcastle Blue Star and Blyth Town contested a Northern League Division One clash that was for ages. Six goals in total, a single red card and all before the rockets were let into the sky an hour or so later.
Thankfully for Marc Nash and his players it was they who avoided the red card and more importantly collected the majority of those half-dozen entries on the scoresheet. A 4-2 win in front of a rapturous home support and a support that helped Blue Star get over the line.
Not only did they help them get over the line but they also helped them get back into the game and with the visitors taking an early lead in just the fourth minute of the game, a tough task before kickoff soon becoming even tougher.
With that said, it was a task that Blue Star were certainly level to and with parity being restored by Paul Dudgeon just moments after, it was time for a captain’s performance to redress the balance of the encounter.
Sean Reid on hand to use his head not once but twice and with the hosts now 3-1 up with only 30 minutes on the clock, they were almost able to apply the cruise control setting – almost but not quite.
Almost because of a stunning finish from Blyth to reduce the deficit back to a goal before the break and whereas Blue Star have sometimes been caught cold after the interval, they were red hot in their efforts in the remaining 45 minutes.
Not only did they hold on to the lead they had, but they would also go on to wrap up proceedings thanks to Luke Heppell’s late finish. Not only did that mean a maximum was earned at Scotswood, but there were dropped points from the league’s top teams that same weekend.
Dropped points for league leaders Redcar Athletic at the hands of Easington Colliery and after their shock victory on road last Friday, it is they who play the role of hosts this coming Saturday while sitting 17th out of 22 teams in the division.
However, league placing does not hold the same value when Blue Star and Easington Colliery square off and with these two teams going toe-to-toe with each other both this season and last, the weekend will pen another chapter in this intertwining football story.
Something which sets up this clash rather nicely indeed. A big thanks to Easington Colliery for the upcoming hospitality and for those attending from an away perspective, safe travels both there and back.
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