Report

Consett took part in one of the most remarkable games of recent seasons when they scored four times at promotion hopefuls Belper Town but lost 6-4 in a 10-goal thriller.

Jason Miller’s side went behind three times in the first half at the Raygar Stadium, but showed huge character to equalise each time, then take the lead early in the second half.

It was Belper’s turn to chase the game, and they duly levelled, then scored twice more in the last 15 minutes to clinch the three points.

Consett were without influential captain Ryan McKinnon, who had stitches in a cut eye after his man of the match performance in Tuesday’s win over Stocksbridge, and his absence was sorely felt.

Belper opened the scoring on 10 minutes when Kelan Swales attacked down the right and picked out centre-forward Harry Draper with his cross, and the unmarked No 9 made it 1-0.

Three minutes later it was 1-1 as Consett scored with an excellent move. Calvin Smith’s pass released Isaac Walker down the left, he beat his man and picked out Donny Holdsworth, who rifled in his 7th goal of the season, pictured below.

 

Two minutes later Belper were back in front as left-back Paulo Aguas made inroads down the flank and crossed for Harry Draper, whose deft touch from close range brought his second goal of the game.

Again Consett responded superbly, and on 20 minutes they were all-square again, as Will Constantin swept the ball home from six yards from Jake Orrell’s corner with his first goal for the club, pictured below.

 

Parity didn’t last long, and on 32 minutes Harry Draper completed a first-half hat-trick, heading in from Nathaniel Crofts’ cross as Consett again failed to deal with a ball into the box.

Remarkably, five minutes before the break the Steelmen showed their mettle once more as Jordan Patterson’s ball into the box was judged to have struck Aguas’s hand, and Donny Holdsworth tucked away his second penalty in two games to make it 3-3, and eight for the season.

 

A breathless first half ended with the game finely balanced, and after the break the sides picked up where they had left off, with Consett taking the lead for the first time on 53 minutes.

Walker skinned his man down the left, Holdsworth dummied the cross and the ball to Jake Orrell, whose left-footed shot was saved by the keeper, but rebounded into the net off the midfielder’s face, pictured below!

 

Consett looked dangerous every time they attacked, and had two great chances to put the game to bed. First, Belper keeper Kieran Preston got the faintest of touches to Holdsworth’s effort, to divert it inches past the far post. Then he made an even better save from Consett’s No 9 after Orrell’s pass played him in.

They would prove to be vital stops, as the game was wide open, with Jordan Patterson heading a goalbound effort off the line on the hour to preserve Consett’s lead.

Belper rang the changes, making a double substitution, and on 67 minutes it paid dividends, as Harry Draper helped himself to his fourth goal of the afternoon. Swales crossed into the box, sub Luke Rawson headed down and the impressive No 9 reacted quickest to smash the ball home.

It was his 16th goal of the season, making him the NPL Division One East’s top scorer, and he left the field to an ovation from the majority of the 518 crowd when he was subbed with 10 minutes left.

By that time Belper were back in front, having regained the lead on 75 minutes when Curtis Burrows curled a free-kick around Consett’s defensive wall and into the bottom cornerto make it 5-4.

Consett poured forward looking for yet another equaliser, but this time Belper’s defence stood firm, and with five minutes to go they at last put daylight between themselves and their dogged visitors when Aguas again turned provider, this time for sub Luke Rawson, who made it 6-4.

It was the kind of game which comes along only once every few years; a rare treat for lovers of attacking football but which keeps managers awake at night, especially when their team has kept a clean sheet in the last two games!