Tag: Consett Reserves

reserves final

Consett Reserves’ first senior season ends in disappointment with cup final defeat

Consett Reserves’ first season ended in disappointment tonight when they lost 4-2 in the Wearside League Division 3 League Cup final at Belle View.

The young Steelmen, who were previously a junior side, had already clinched promotion, finishing 3rd in their league.

And they looked like they might end a memorable season with a promotion and cup double after taking a two-goal first-half lead against Chester-le-Street United Reserves.

They took the lead with a penalty by top scorer Jamie Edmunds in the 17th minute, pictured below, after Jacob Kennyford’s header struck a defender’s raised hand.

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Jamie Edmunds gives Consett Reserves the lead from the penalty spot. Pic by Keith Marley.

And after Kieran Scott hit the post direct from a corner, Adam Wrightson made it 2-0 in the 35th minute, racing onto a pass into the right-hand channel and beating the advancing keeper to fire home, pictured below.

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Adam Wrightson doubles Consett Reserves’ lead. Pic by Kenny Taylor.

Four minutes before half-time Chester-le-Street got a goal back through Benji Jackson, who finished into the bottom corner from 25 yards, to make it 2-1 at the interval.

Chester started the second half strongly, and on the hour it was all-square, as Sam Johnson beat the keeper at his near post to make it 2-2.

Consett suffered a further blow when 24-goal Edmunds had to go off after taking an accidental knee in the face as he challenged the Chester keeper, pictured below.

And on 72 minutes the visitors took the lead through Scurfield, who applied a first-time finish from a free-kick.

Consett threw the kitchen sink at their visitors as they sought an equaliser to take the game to penalties, and Chester were grateful to keeper James Hughes for two point-blank saves with an outstretched leg.

As the game entered its ninth added minute the Steelmen had one last chance after being awarded a free-kick, and even sent their keeper up for the setpiece.

But when the delivery was cleared and Chester broke quickly, Sam Johnson was left with the simple task of running the ball into the empty net to make it 4-2 with the last kick of the game.

consett reserves

Sixth win in a row keeps Consett Reserves on track for league and cup double

Consett Reserves kept their hopes of a league and cup double very much alive today when they beat Billingham Synthonia AR 5-0 to record their sixth win in a row.

It keeps the second-placed young Steelmen seven points behind leaders Deerness Valley in Division Three of the Wearside League.

Top scorer Jamie Edmunds gave Consett the lead on the half hour from the penalty spot, pictured top, and doubled their advantage a few minutes later after great work by Jacob Kennyford, pictured below.

Edmunds thought he had his hat-trick after the break with another penalty, but the referee ordered it to be retaken for encroachment by a Consett player.

The Billingham keeper saved the retaken kick, and the follow-up, and two further shots were blocked on the line in a remarkable passage of play before Owen Butler slammed home the ball to make it 3-0.

Two minutes later Tom Eglin added a fourth as the home side carved open the visitors’ defence, and skipper Kieran Scott made it 5-0 with a cool finish.

Consett thought they had a sixth when a header from a corner appeared to cross the line, but the referee decided a defender had cleared it.

* Consett Reserves’ next game is at 7.30pm on Tuesday, 2 May, when they entertain league leaders Deerness Valley in a potential title decider.

Consett show a ruthless streak as they hammer Reserves 10-0 in hastily-arranged friendly

Consett’s first team showed the club’s young reserves their ruthless side as they made their fitness and strength count in a crushing friendly defeat at Belle View.

The Reserves – most of whom were playing at under-18s level last season – stepped in to play Terry Mitchell’s side after scheduled opponents Tow Law pulled out at the last minute.

And though the second string – who as Consett Chiefs won the Russell Foster Youth League U18s Premier Division last season – matched the seniors until almost half time, two quickfire bursts of goals left them on the wrong end of a 10-0 defeat.

The youngsters acquitted themselves well in the first half, competing for every ball, and holding their shape well, and when the seniors did break through they found 16-year-old keeper Ethan Bridge – playing his first game – in excellent form.

It took until the 42nd minute, to make the breakthrough, and when they did it was two of the first XI’s most experienced players who combined, Arjun Purewal heading powerfully home at the back post from Calvin Smith’s cross.

A minute later it was 2-0, as Andrei-Vasile Ardelean caught  a defender dawdling in possession on the edge of his six-yard box, and poked the ball home. And before the referee blew his whistle for half-time it was three, as Ardelean cut in from the left and put a low shot across the keeper into the far corner.

The Reserves recovered their composure at the start of the second half, and to their credit tried to keeping playing football, but a fourth goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of them in the 58th minute when Ardelean fired in off the bar to complete his hat-trick.

Calvin Smith’s free-kick into the bottom corner made it 5-0.

Four minutes later Calvin Smith planted a perfect free-kick into the bottom corner to make it 5-0, and on 65 minutes Ardelean turned provider, laying the ball into the path of Ali Alshabeeb, whose crisp finish made it six.

Three goals in five minutes then gave the scoreline a brutal look, as young heads starts to drop and limbs started to tire against their physically-stronger opponents.

Young midfielder Max Russell’s solo run made it 8-0.

Smith’s sliderule pass gave a trialist the opportunity to slot home on 76 minutes, Max Russell fired into the bottom corner after a solo run on 78, and Smith smashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner from Alshabeeb’s pullback on 80.

The final goal came in the 83rd minute, when Russell’s run and pass left Alshabeeb with only the keeper to beat, and he made no mistake, for a final score of 10-0.

Ali Alshabeeb slips the ball past the Reserves keeper to make it 10-0.

Consett’s final pre-season match is on Saturday 27 July when they entertain Morpeth Town, who won the Northern Premier League Division One East last season. Kick-off at Belle View is 3pm.

Consett to play Consett Reserves at short notice after opponents pull out of next friendly

Consett’s next scheduled pre-season friendly, away to Tow Law Town on Tuesday 23 July, has been cancelled, after they informed us they were unable to field a team.

This would have left Terry Mitchell’s side with just one more game, v Morpeth Town at home on Saturday 27 July, before the season proper kicks off on a week later on Saturday 3 August.

However, Consett AFC Reserves have agreed to fill the void by playing a friendly against the first team at Belle View Stadium on Tuesday 23 July. It’s a 7.30pm kick-off , and entry will be FREE for all supporters.

The Reserves finished 8th in the North Division of the Durham County FA U23s Sunday League last season, but are hoping for a better campaign this time round after an influx of new faces.

Their ranks will be bolstered by players from last season’s Consett AFC Chiefs side, who won the U18s Premier Division of the Russell Foster Youth League.

The team, managed by Chris Kelman, has also reached two county cup finals in recent seasons, and it is hoped the current squad will, in time, produce more players to feed into the senior team.

They will hoping to follow in the footsteps of Chris Rogan, Adam Male, Michael Brown and Ross Coombe from the all-conquering U21s of 2016-17, who have more than 100 first-team appreances between them.