Report

Consett beat Silsden 4-1 at a freezing cold Belle View to lift themselves five places up the NPL Division One East table.

Jason Miller’s side are slowly getting some of their injured players back, and it’s showing in the performances, as they’re now unbeaten in their last games – two of them against top-four sides.

They welcomed skipper Charlie Exley into the starting line-up for the first time in six weeks, and he almost opened the scoring on 16 minutes, heading inches wide from a corner.

They took the lead in the 32nd minute when Isaac Walker went on a mazy run which took him into the heart of the visiting defence, and the ball fell for Ewan McGowan, and the young midfielder took one touch before smashing the ball into the roof of the net, pictured top.

The lead lasted just 10 minutes as Consett gave the ball away carelessly in midfield as they tried to recycle a corner, and Kayle Price broke to finish past exposed keeper Harry Moss.

It remained 1-1 at half-time, but Consett came out for the second half with renewed purpose, and set about the tidy West Yorkshire side, who had lots of the ball in the first half without really hurting their hosts.

Liam Colledge and Ben Ramsey both went close for the Steelmen before they regained the lead five minutes into the second half. Ben Ramsey cut in from the flank and unleashed a shot which crashed against the foot of the post and in off the keeper.

Two minutes later Consett thought they had a third when Will Constantin’s shot at the end of a flowing move was pushed onto the underside of the bar by Silsden keeper Tommy Brown and bounced down before being scrambled away.

Home fans claimed it had crossed the line, but analysis of video footage confirmed the referee got the decision spot on, as the ball hadn’t crossed the line.

Consett’s tails were up now, and McGowan was close to grabbing a second goal after poking an effort past the advancing keeper but just wide of the far post after latching onto a through ball.

Top scorer Walker was in the mood to add to his 10-goal tally, and missed a trio of chances, with Exley also going close from another corner as Consett flooded forward.

The third goal their attacking play deserved arrived in the 82nd minute, courtesy of some wonderful unselfish play by on-loan South Shields midfielder McGowan, who set up Matty Todd for a tap-in for his eighth goal of the season.

Consett weren’t finished yet, and after a flurry of substitutions, they wrapped up the win with a fourth goal in the final seconds, with a free-kick touched short to Charlie Exley, whose well-struck effort took a deflection which left the keeper with no chance.

It was a big win for Consett, their first in 10 games, but one achieved in a manner suggesting they will spend the rest of the season looking up the table instead of down as they get their full squad fit again.
MATCH REPORT: GARY WELFORD
PICTURES: KENNY TAYLOR & KEITH MARLEY