Division One North

Clitheroe1

Bridlington Town0

A DOUR 90 minutes on a poor pitch at Shawbridge contributed to one of the more forgettable games of the season.

Town’s drive and gusto of recent weeks was clearly lacking, but a home side that had somehow taken points from the leading three clubs in the division in recent games rarely looked good enough to capitalise. It took the referee’s intervention on 40 minutes to tilt the game in Clitheroe’s favour as he sent off Town right–back Gareth Slater for a professional foul, claiming that his challenge on Anthony Johnson had denied the Clitheroe striker a clear goalscoring opportunity. Town Chairman Peter Smurthwaite was livid at the decision, saying “it was the same guy who had dismissed Wayne Harratt earlier in the season at Lancaster for retaliation, even though he had missed their player throwing a punch.

“Once I saw the name on the sheet I knew we’d have trouble and I was proved right”. Town fans wholeheartedly agreed, with the incident occurring some 30 yards from goal, at an acute angle outside the box, and with other Town players racing back to cover, it would have been a brave man to bet on the outcome being a goal.

The first half had set the tone for the rest of the game, with scrappy approach play leading to few real chances for both sides. Town strikers James McGarry and Dave Gowans had half-chances in the opening 20 minutes but home ‘keeper James Mann rarely had anything other than routine work to do. Home wideman Scott Redhead drew a fine save from Town ‘keeper Chris Hill shortly before Slater’s dismissal, which forced town into a more defensive outlook. The second half was barely an improvment on the first, although the home side by now was dominating possession. Dave Hankin warmed Hill’s hands with a fierce low shot just after the hour, and Town were struggling to impose any sort of authority on the game, sorely missing the presence of key midfielders Wayne Harratt and Neil Grayston through work commitments and injury respectively.

The only goal of the game arrived on 75 minutes, as more pressure on the creaking Town defence finally told. A low cross from Redhead saw McGarry, now operating in a deeper midfield role to assist his back four, slip in attempting to clear the ball to present Craig Sargeson with a simple chance from six yards which the striker gleefully drove home. With the pitch now badly cut up and offering little help to Town as they sought a route back into the game, the home side were able to play out time fairly comfortably, Town’s best chance coming through Tom Fleming’s long-range effort that flew over the bar on 84 minutes. Hill produced two cracking late saves to keep the scoreline respectable.

All of the bottom sides in the bottom four managed to get Town out of jail on the day by losing, but the Seasiders cannot rely on other team’s generosity again this week.