A tense encounter at Maiden Castle sees Durham United through to the next round of the Durham Cup.
The stage was set under the Maiden Castle lights as Durham United faced a young South Shields side in the first round of the Durham County Cup. Durham were full of confidence going into the game having registered five wins in as many games.
In front of a crowd of over 400, the game got underway. A cagey first fifteen minutes ensued with South Shields showing their intent to maintain possession of the football. This provided a new challenge for a Durham United side used to dominating the ball for large periods in the Wearside League Games. As the game began to settle, South Shields' quality with the ball became increasingly apparent, they created a number of goal-scoring opportunities but were denied largely through the keeping heroics of Durham's Number 1 - Reuben Bull.
Understanding South Shields' willingness to play out from the back, Durham pressed high in an attempt to win the ball back high up the pitch. Through the fanatic pressing of Durham's strikers, Ben Jones and Ned Ventham, Durham almost pinched the ball from South Shields on several occasions. It was only a matter of time before South Shields would turn over the ball in their own defensive third. 35 minutes in, South Shields did just that. Captain Alex Costa leapt onto a stray pass from the South Shields goalkeeper, and after a quick one-two with Ventham, he lifted the ball over the goalkeeper's head into the net. A reception of cheers from the Maiden Castle crowd followed. Durham led at the half-time break 1-0.
The second half followed in a very similar vein to the first, with South Shields dominating possession. The relentless work rate from Durham's dynamic midfield limited South Shields' chances. When Durham did win the ball, wing-backs Rory England and Ollie Flint offered the width for Durham to get up the pitch, providing crosses into the box for Jones, Ventham and Alfalahi.
As the game neared its close, defensive reinforcements followed with Tom Trace bolstering the Durham midfield. South Shields continued pressing for an equaliser - committing more men forward. Brave defending from Blake, Wild and Challinor maintained the Durham lead. But, with one last roll of the dice, neat interplay from the South Shields midfield left a man free on the edge of the box. The South Shields midfielder struck the ball towards the bottom left corner - it looked like a certain goal. Once again, Reuben Bull came to the rescue and managed to tip the ball around the post, preserving the Durham lead.
FULL TIME: Durham United 1-0 South Shields.
From us at DUAFC, a massive thanks to the mascots, fans and all those associated with Durham United for an enjoyable evening of football.
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