Report

Bishop Auckland gained revenge for their FA Trophy defeat earlier this season when they staged a Durham Challenge Cup smash and grab raid.

The Steelmen dominated large parts of the game at Belle View Stadium and created enough chances to win the 1st Round tie comfortably.

But a breakaway goal and a combination of sub-standard finishing and an excellent goalkeeping display by ex-Consett shot-stopper Jack Norton took Bishops through to the next round.

Manager Jason Miller made one change to the side which made a superb second-half comeback in their previous game at Emley, welcoming back Michael Ledger. He was also able to name skipper Charlie Exley in his starting XI, as his one-game ban from his red card in that match doesn’t apply to the county cup.

Isaac Walker and Matty Todd missed chances inside the first 15 minutes, and Norton made his first vital intervention in the 18th minute, making a flying save from Ben Ramsey’s well-struck shot to make amends for a poor kick-out, which was just about his only mistake of the game.

Ten minutes later Norton made an even better save from Will Constantin, getting down well to turn his 20-yarder round the post for a corner.

Norton then denied Todd as he burst through, and on the stroke of half-time Charlie Exley’s powerful header just cleared the crossbar from Ramsey’s pinpoint cross.

It was 0-0 at half-time, but the Steelmen could easily have been three goals up, and they started the second half back on the front foot.

Three minutes in Todd fired inches wide at the end of a slick move, with Norton beaten, then the keeper was quickly off his line to deny Donny Holdsworth after good work by Isaac Walker.

The Steelmen had a big penalty shout in the 57th minute when Paul Van-Zandvliet pushed Marc Costello in the back with both hands as he rose to meet a corner, but the referee was having none of it.

The only goal of the game came in the 66th minute, and stemmed from a Consett mistake, when they gave the ball away on the halfway line.

Bishops right-back Jermaine Metz – a member of our FA Vase final side – advanced before picking out Dean Thexton, who took a good touch then finished past the exposed Harry Moss.

Brendon Daniels blazed an effort over, Michael Ledger headed wide from a free-kick, and Holdsworth missed the target after trying to place a shot into the top corner from another Walker set-up.

On another night Consett would have won the game handsomely, but it wasn’t meant to be on this occasion, with veteran keeper Norton again excelling against his old club as Bishops recorded their first-ever win at Belle View.
MATCH REPORT: GARY WELFORD
PICTURES: KENNY TAYLOR & KEITH MARLEY