Report

Consett came from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw at Liversedge in a proverbial games of two halves in their final pre-season friendly.

The West Yorkshire side, who won the Northern Premier League Division One East last season, scored twice in the first half.

But an improved second-half performance saw the Steelmen score twice in the last quarter of the game to claim a draw.

Liversedge took the lead in the 20th minute with the first real chance of the game. A corner came in from the left and big centre-back Jack Steers rose highest in the penalty area to head into the top corner.

Consett were finding it hard to create much against big, well-drilled opponents, and the home side doubled their lead in the 40th minute. Keeper Mark Foden made a good save from Wilson, but Jack Steers was first to the rebound to fire the ball home.

Two minutes later it should have been three when the home side’s trialist No 17 turned his man superbly and teed up Wilson, but the No 11 somehow missed the target with the goal at his mercy.

The closest Consett came to scoring in a tough first half was two minutes before half-time when a right-wing corner produced a game of pinball in the six-yard box, which saw the ball cleared off the line after it cannoned off the Liversedge No 5.

Half-time: Liversedge 2 Consett 0

Consett made two changes for the second half, bringing on Darren Holden and Ben Milburn for Kieren Aplin and Mark McLeod, and although they had more of the ball, it was still the hosts who created the first chance.

A Liversedge sub turned smartly in the box and got a good shot away, but Foden made a good save with his feet.

The game again lost some of its flow due to the spate of substitutions, but Consett were enjoying much more of the game and got a goal back in the 68th minute.

Declan Bisset, out wide on the left, hit a hopeful effort towards the back post which looked like a cross rather than a shot, but it dipped over the keeper and ended up in the far corner.

On 80 minutes Holden whipped in a great cross from the left and when it was only half cleared, Cyril Giraud was on hand to fire home from the edge of the box.

Four minutes from the end Consett had the chance to pull off what would have been an unlikely win when another Holden cross picked out Matty Slocombe, whose volleyed effort went to Dan Marriott, who couldn’t turn it in.

Attention now turns to next Saturday, when Consett’s season kicks off in earnest when they travel to Goole in the Extra Preliminary Round of the FA Cup.

LIVERSEDGE: Porter, Raw, Smythe, Stockdill, Cyrus, Steers, Walker, Proctor, Atkinson, Wilson, Trialist.

CONSETT: 1 Mark Foden, 2 Karl Byrne , 3 Kieren Aplin, 4 Matty Slocombe (captain), 5 Mark McLeod, 6 Dan Capewell, 7 Dan Marriott, 8 Jake Orrell, 9 Zak Atkinson, 10 Declan Bisset, 11 Cyril Giraud. Subs: 12 James Metcalfe, 14 Darren Holden, 15 Ben Milburn, 16 Calvin Smith, 17 Lewis Green.