Dunston UTS 2 Bedlington 0

Nov 1 2009 by Sunday Sun

A BIG step forward for Dunston. For the Terriers, two back.

The hosts’ recent goalfest – 13 in three games, nine of them for Andrew Bulford – dried up with defeat at South Shields and a disappointing draw at Horden, but victory over Bedlington keeps them within spitting distance of the Northern League’s fast-faltering top two.

Terriers had caused a couple of those faults, drawing at Whitley Bay and, last week, beating Spennymoor Town. Now this.

“I’m delighted, I thought we thoroughly deserved the win,” said Dunston boss Billy Irwin.

“After beating Spennymoor, I knew they’d have their tails up, and we’d come off the back of two average performances.

“But we scored two really good goals and weathered it when they had a spell at the start of the second half.”

Inside five minutes Paul Watson volleyed wide, and five minutes later Steven Shaw glanced a header off target at the other end before Anthony Shandran hooked over.

A promising opening, but it dulled immediately thereafter as both sides, as though at arm’s length, tentatively probed one another for weaknesses.

Not until the 25th minute did they find any.

Then, Terry Galbraith fired over for the hosts, and Shandran blasted straight at keeper Liam Connell for the Terriers.

Jamie Poole headed over for the visitors, but on 33 minutes it was Dunston who edged in front.

Galbraith’s long ball was retrieved by Bulford wide right. He cut inside, squared along the edge of the box and Fergal Harkin shot past Terriers keeper Paul Newton.

The home side might have extended their lead – through Michael Laws, Watson and Bulford – before half-time, and after it through, again, Laws.

And they could have been left rueing those misses when the Terriers began to boss the second half.

Only a timely challenge from Michael Robson denied Shandran, Connell palmed Michael Hedley’s header over the bar and Peter Snowdon nodded off target.

Amid that spell a single counter-attack saw Dunston go close when Mark O’Bern exchanged passes with Bulford but stabbed wide, but the hosts did rally thereafter.

On the hour Lee Bell curled wide, Steven Preen then squeezed a shot at Newton and, after Anthony Chapman nodded over at the opposite end, Laws headed too high and Galbraith volleyed over.

Their reward was not to elude them, however.

On 79 minutes Preen headed Galbraith’s cross against the post, and Harkin smashed in the rebound.

Darren Forsyth almost made it 3-0 but shot wide on 89 minutes and inside an unfathomable five minutes of added time – “Howay ref,” cried one wag, “it’s nearly time for Tuesday’s game!” – Shandran spurned two chances which would otherwise only have handed Bedlington an unfair share of the spoils.

“It’s very disappointing,” Terriers co-manager Tony Lowery said.

“We’ve produced good performances recently against the likes of Whitley Bay and Spennymoor but then followed them with poor ones. We need consistency.

“But take nothing away from Dunston, they won too many battles all over the pitch and deserved to win.”