Turning the Corner

It's been a frankly amazing month for Percy Main Amateurs, which has veered from despair to delight, as my match reports show -:

Percy Main 0 Newcastle Chemfica 9

Without question, this game saw Percy Main absolutely outclassed from first whistle to last, but in saying that there are two factors that are required to contextualise this result. Firstly, Chemfica manager Kennie Malia has assembled a first rate squad, which he has impressively coached and moulded into a thrilling and attacking side. Secondly, every single Percy Main player on display gave their all, straining every sinew and fibre for the cause. Nobody exemplified this courageous attitude more than Joe “Ducky” Fulcher who, on the brink of his 40^th birthday, ran his blood to water in central midfield.

In the very first minute, Chemfica declared their intent, when Joseph Connor stormed forward, only to slash his effort high and wide. This was only a brief respite, as the visitors went ahead after 5 minutes when Callum Duncan arrived unmarked at the back post to tap in an unnecessarily conceded corner. After 9 minutes, the impressive Luther Karim swivelled in the box and fired a low drive home, with the assistance of the upright and the unfortunate keeper Cameron Fergus’s leg.

On 12 minutes John Campbell almost brought the Villagers back into the game. Breaking into the box, he lobbed on-rushing visiting keeper Liam Blair, who proceeded to wipe out the home striker. The ball was headed for the goal, only for two pursuing Chemfica defenders to collide and somehow fashion a clearance. To add insult to injury, the referee turned down appeals for a penalty. It would be rash to claim this incident cost Percy the game, but other than a glorious curling effort by Campbell that was tipped away at full stretch by Blair, it marked the high water mark of the Main as an attacking force.

After a quarter of an hour, it was 3-0 when Karim outmuscled the home defence before shaping an impressive finish past Fergus. After half an hour, it was 4-0 when Connor tapped into an empty net after the luckless Fergus had made an impressive save from Karim’s effort. Fergus then upended Karim in the area, who picked himself up to drive home an unstoppable penalty to complete his hat trick and made the score 5-0 at the interval.

At the start of the second half, home players and supporters expressed the hope, if not the belief, that playing with the wind at their backs might help the Villagers make it a meaningful contest. Alas, they were disabused of these notions after 48 minutes when Karl Morrison found space in the box and rolled the ball into the net. On the hour, Morrison notched again, collecting a long ball forward and firing home a low drive. Connor made it 8-0 with another crisp, low finish, before Duncan tapped home a cross from close range, making the final score 9-0.

Percy Main 2 Ponteland United 2

As we entered stoppage time, Percy Main led Ponteland United 2-0, with a first victory in 2022 and a first clean sheet since a 1-0 win away to today’s visitors on the opening day of the season beckoning. Sadly, just as it seemed a famous and most needed win was in our grasp, Ponteland came again and grabbed a point following goals in the 91^st and 93^rd minutes to leave the home side and almost all in attendance, absolutely sickened. However, and it is a point that must be reinforced continuously, the main thing to take away from this game is that the Main’s performance was at least a million times better than the debacle against Chemfica the week before.

The first chance of the game saw the lively Billy Walker burst into the box and fire a shade over the angle after 5 minutes. Pont responded with a low effort from former Villager James Walker that was held comfortably by Cameron Fergus, before a brief stoppage to clear dog excrement from the pitch, causing one wag to point out that there was ordure all over the pitch the week before. One highlight of the game was the purple hairstyle sported by PMA’s Daniel Ord, though Ord’s extraordinary Barnet was left in the shade by Mark McDonnell’s superb brace that put the Main 2-0 ahead. New signing Phil Smith put in a superb, uncompromising shift leading the line, but also showed moments of vision and finesse, including two through balls that set the marauding McDonnell away. On both occasions he finished with aplomb, allowing the Villagers to go in at the break with their tails up.

The second half saw Main continue on the front foot. McDonnell was denied a hat trick by the keeper’s legs on 50 minutes, before Antonie Ridley flashed an effort just wide on 68 minutes and Kai Charlton was foiled by a great block tackle with 15 minutes left. Sadly, fatigue became a feature, and the Main were forced to retreat. Without being totally in control, PMA looked to have done enough, before Joe Ronan curled in a delicious free kick that seemed a mere consolation until an unmarked John Keltie arrived at the back post to tap in and break home hearts.

North Shields Athletic 0 Percy Main 6

In the week leading up to this game, which was postponed back in November on account of the devastation wrought by Storm Arwen, the region was ravaged by Storm Dudley and then Storm Eunice. As a result, only those games in the Northern Alliance Premier Division scheduled to be played on 4G surfaces went ahead. This suited Percy Main Amateurs down to the ground, but their hosts not so much, as North Shields Athletic were blitzed by firstly Storm Jordan and then by Storm Kai, as Messrs Stephenson and Charlton each claimed a hat trick.

Such a positive outcome did not seem likely when last week’s front pairing of Phil Smith (groin) and Mark McDonnell (work commitments) were forced to pull out of this one. Indeed, the opening exchanges saw a spirited home side bring the game to the Villagers. The returning Sean Korsbo distinguished himself early on with a couple of good, low saves; the latter of which saw the loose ball headed over an empty net by NSA’s Caleb Skivington.

Thankfully, it was an isolated chance as the Main gained a stranglehold in midfield, where the returning Rob Ridley dictated everything going forward and “Ducky” Fulcher effortlessly controlled the defensive aspects. Fulcher and Ridley combined to send Jordan Stephenson free on the left after 18 minutes. After a touch to control the ball, he lashed an unstoppable shot across keeper Ethan Taylor and into the bottom corner to give the visitors the lead. Six minutes later, Stephenson accepted a through ball from Ridley and slipped it under the advancing keeper to double his tally and Percy Main’s lead. Twice Kai Charlton threatened to increase the lead when he broke free, only to be denied by Taylor, who did his best to keep the beleaguered hosts in the contest. However, Stephenson duly completed a first half treble by collecting a Brandon Studholme through ball and artfully lobbing the ball home. Rob Ridley was then brilliantly denied by keeper Taylor’s foot.

The second period was played with less intensity as the Main were content to allow Athletic to come forward, though Korsbo remained relatively untroubled.  In contrast, Taylor was forced to be on his guard at his near post when Ridley dribbled into the box and shot from a narrow angle. However, the home custodian was unable to prevent Charlton, who has been excellent since his arrival at the club, from opening his Main account. It may not have been the cleanest of strikes, but Charlton had to be in the right place. This was also the case 10 minutes later, when Taylor’s eye-catching save from Studholme’s curling effort fell perfectly for the unmarked Charlton to lash home. Soon after Ridley was again inches away from scoring when he dinked the ball just wide of te far post.

The scoring was completed by Charlton after 80 minutes, by which time North Shields had been reduced to 10 men and the fight had gone out of them, as the Main completed a superb win that did not flatter them at all. The turnaround from the Chemfica massacre a fortnight earlier is almost unbelievable. Long may this continue!

Percy Main 6 Fawdon 1

Following last week’s six goal bonanza away to North Shields Athletic, Percy Main brought their shooting boots to Purvis Park, notching another half dozen against a gallant Fawdon outfit in a first round George Dobbins League Cup tie. With both Billy Walker and Mark McDonnell returning to the home starting XI, manager Derek Thompson had a strong squad at his disposal. However Fawdon were not just there to make up the numbers, defending tenaciously throughout. Firstly the impressive Kai Charlton had an effort blocked by keeper McAulay, then Antonie Ridley saw his free kick blocked. The deadlock was finally broken on 20 minutes when Kai Charlton took possession of the ball in the six yard box and waltzed round McAulay before stroking it effortlessly home. McAulay then distinguished himself with an outstanding block from debutant Lennon Mills. Moments later Billy Walker struck the inside of the post with a long range blockbuster, only for Rob Ridley to pick up the loose ball and hammer it home. Twice before the half time whistle, Jordan Stephenson tried his luck from the edge of the area, with the ball flashing just wide on both occasions.

The second half was a tale of almost incessant Percy Main pressure, which was regularly rewarded. Mark McDonnell made it 3-0 on 49 minutes, when he converted a free kick, awarded after Charlton’s run was illegally impeded. Fawdon’s claims they weren’t ready when McDonnell took the kick seemed legitimate, but the referee was prepared to reward quick thinking.  Soon after Fawdon pulled a goal back in equally strange circumstances as Tayo Fasan’s block challenge in midfield saw the ball fly into the net, past the stranded Korsbo. There was no real sense of an upset though and Rob Ridley put the game to bed with a fine low finish into the corner of the net to make it 4-1. The icing on the cake was provided by the final pair of goals. Firstly Joe “Ducky” Fulcher rounded off a bout of head tennis in the area by nodding home from close in, before Billy Walker completed the scoring by firing in another free kick, which went under the wall. The draw for round 2 has handed the Villagers another home tie, against Stobswood on March 19^th.