Coundon Durham Ox 1, Huntsman 3
By Craig Woodhead
The Huntsman were back in action again on Sunday, away to fellow unbeaten side Coundon Durham Ox FC, knowing a win would see them leapfrog their rivals and go top on goal difference.
Manager Neil Dodds was forced into three changes, Jake Johnson deputising in goal, Ryan Durr returned at left back while David Neale was restored to the side in centre midfield.
The Huntsman got off to an ideal start, as Andrew Richardson clipped a lovely ball over the top which Reed Molloy met before rounding the goalkeeper to make it 1-0 after 5 minutes.
The home side then enjoyed a period of good pressure, and were rewarded when Nathan Plews got free down the right hand side and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 1-1 at half time. An even half which showed just why the two teams were challenging up the top of the league.
The Huntsman came out with a renewed purpose in the second half however, as they pressed forward seeking a winner. Sproates, McDonald and Molloy all went close to getting the all-important second goal but were denied. The Huntsman were beginning to dominate the game and they were finally rewarded when a scramble on the edge of the box saw the ball fall into the path of substitute Anth Harrison, whose left footed shot across the goalkeeper gave the away side the advantage once again.
Rather than sitting back and defending their one goal cushion, the away side continued to dominate with Harrison and Neale both having very good penalty shouts, but they were further rewarded as Dave Neale’s delicate lob made it 3-1 sparking wild scenes of celebration on the Huntsman sideline, and round out a very gutsy performance. Andrew Richardson was awarded man of the match for a superb performance on the Huntsman left wing.
Next up for The Huntsman is a short trip to Moore Lane this Sunday where they will play local rivals The Sports Club 10.30 kick off.