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Under 13’s, 11/side

FIXTURES AND RESULTS

SUNDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER 2009
COXHOE UNITED 11 - CHESTER ATHLETIC DRAGONS 1

A fantastic start to the season saw United pile on the pressure from the kick off. Some great work in net from the Dragons kept Coxhoe at bay at first, but after 5 minutes a well worked move down the right wing resulted in a Rhys Wayman strike to open the scoring. Henry Davies doubled that scoreline 5 minutes later after another series of good passes through the middle of the pitch. Alex McGrath put his name on the score sheet when he collected the ball in front of goal after yet another fantastic team manoeuvre. A corner created the 4th goal on 17 minutes when Jack Thirlaway stepped up on the front post to head the ball home in style. A high clearance from Chester was collected by Jamie Appleby on 19 minutes for him to promptly return to goal to make it 5-0. Rhys claimed his second and the teams 6th on 25 minutes and Jamie added another 2 minutes later, then Alex’s athletic flick on the half time whistle made it 8-0 at the break.

The second half started as the first had finished, with more Coxhoe pressure allowing Henry Davies the time to compose himself in front of goal and launch a left foot rocket 2 minutes after the restart but the Dragons never let their heads go down and battled hard to keep Coxhoe at bay, clawing a goal back 5 minutes later. Although there was a suspicion of offside, Lee Saiger managed to stop the initial shot but Chester were quick to pounce on the loose ball to slam it into the Coxhoe net. Both teams were deadlocked for the next 15 minutes but this was broken by Jamie Appleby’s shot going in off the post to make it 10-1 and claiming his hat trick. Henry sealed the result when his right foot flick over the defence lined him up for a left foot shot to claim his hat trick.

Man Of The Match - Jack Thirlaway

Goals - Rhys Wayman x 2, Henry Davies x 3, Alex McGrath x 2, Jack Thirlaway, Jamie Appleby x 3

SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2009
CONSETT AFC GALAXY 5 - COXHOE UNITED 1

With only 11 men in the squad due to injury, today was always going to be difficult but with the wind on Coxhoe’s side they made several good attacking moves in the first few minutes. Against the initial run of play, however, and on their first attack, Consett opened the scoring on 9 minutes. As the half progressed it was becoming apparent that United weren’t playing the same fluent passing game as last week and they could not take advantage of the wind in the first half.

Consett stepped up their game in the 2nd half and United found themselves 2 down 6 minutes after the restart and then Consett struck again 10 minutes later. The Galaxy Keeper made some great saves to keep Coxhoe goalless, foiling several fantastic runs from Henry Davies up the left wing but it was Andrew Simpson that eventually got United off the mark with only 6 minutes left. 22 tired Coxhoe legs started to make the result look inevitable, especially as Galaxy scored a fourth straight from the kick off. With only 1 minute left on the clock, with what appeared to be a clear offside, Consett tucked away their fifth to seal the game.

Man Of The Match - Henry Davies

Goal scorer - Andrew Simpson

SUNDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER 2009
MOORSIDE JUNIORS 4 - COXHOE UNITED 3

The first meeting between these 2 teams saw a balanced start with good midfield play preventing any clear opportunities on goal in the early stages. After that, taking advantage of the wind, Moorside grabbed 2 quick goals without reply and could have made it 3 on the 15 minute mark were it not for Lee Saiger getting down quickly in goal for United to save a clean shot from the Moorside attack after a mix up in the Coxhoe defence. Cameron Holdsworth tried to reply straight away by running through the Juniors defence but they were quick to track back and clear the ball from Cameron’s boot as he was about to shoot. This marked the beginning of a spell of Coxhoe pressure with a powerful Jamie Appleby shot from right wing being dealt with calmly by the Moorside keeper on 25 minutes and then a Henry Davies left wing cross coming again to Jamie in front of goal but with very little time to compose himself the shot went agonisingly wide. Coxhoe’s opener came on 30 minutes when Alex McGrath received the ball in front of goal with time to aim and launch a powerful shot. The on-form Moorside shot stopper managed to get a hand to it but there was too much speed on the ball for him to prevent it crossing the line.

Coxhoe continued this pressure into the second half and were determined to take advantage of the wind to get back into the game by launching some high lobs at goal and into the Juniors box. It was a push on Andrew Simpson after his run into the box to connect with one of these searching balls that earned Coxhoe a penalty 3 minutes into the second half. Although the Cameron Holdsworth strike from the spot was initially blocked, the keeper couldn’t gather it and the rebound was neatly finished by Cameron to draw level at 2-2. Full of confidence and with the wind causing problems for Moorside, Coxhoe kept the play in the Juniors half and 2 minutes later won a corner, which was palmed out by the Juniors keeper onto the head of Jack Thirlaway who powered home to take the lead for United. Moorside responded immediately from their kick off, muscling through the United midfield and defence, shooting high out of the reach of Lee in the Coxhoe goal to level the match. With 15 minutes left this game could have gone either way but a point black save by Moorside from a Rhys Wayman shot then led to a quick breakaway for the Juniors allowing them to take the lead back. In the final moments Henry Davies had another power shot from the left wing but the advancing attackers were unable to pounce on the rebounded ball.

Man of The Match:- Jamie Appleby

Goals:- Alex McGrath, Cameron Holdsworth, Jack Thirlaway

SUNDAY 4TH OCTOBER 2009
COXHOE UNITED 3 - DURHAM CITY SOCCARENA 8

Goal Scorers - Henry Davies, Andrew Simpson, Curtis Bihari

SUNDAY 11TH OCTOBER 2009
GATESHEAD SAPIPA 4 - COXHOE UNITED 2

Coxhoe faced unbeaten league leaders Gateshead with no substitutes due to illnesses, so stamina and fitness was going to play a major part in their game today. A couple of good early saves from Lee Saiger in the United net boosted confidence, and some hard work from Henry Davies on the left wing on the 20 minute mark allowed him to place a great cross to the advancing Cameron Holdsworth but the shot had to be taken quickly and drifted out off target. Eight minutes later Sapipa opened the scoring after squeezing through the Coxhoe defence and slotting the ball into the net. It only took 60 seconds for United to respond, with a blistering free kick by Cameron from 30 yards that left the Gateshead keeper planted to his spot. Coxhoe’s resilient back 4 of Kieren Latcham, Stephen Wadge, Michael Wake and Jack Thirlaway managed to keep the imposing Gateshead attack at bay for the remainder of the half, meaning things were level at the break.

Into the second period Coxhoe pressed hard and the work paid off when Alex McGrath looped a ball from the right wing over everyone’s heads and into the net to take the lead. Gateshead responded with their big front man surging forward but Lee managed to take the sting out of his shot and Cameron was on hand to clear the re-bound to safety. The pressure on the Coxhoe defence continued and Sapipa levelled the game despite many calls for offside from the Coxhoe defence. The lack of substitutes seemed to take its toll on United with some tired legs left on the wind swept pitch. Gateshead kept pressing and the pace of their attack broke past Coxhoe’s defence and although Lee got a hand to the resulting shot, the power saw it through into the net. Further action included a rebound from the cross bar from Jamie Appleby, and a charged-down Gateshead free kick from within the Coxhoe box after the referee pulled up play for a back-pass to the keeper, but it was Sapipa that had the final word with 2 minutes left on the clock to seal the victory from a corner.

Regardless of the result, this was a great performance from Coxhoe with everyone giving 100% and the boys were unlucky not to get something out of the match.

Man of The Match:- Alex McGrath

Goal Scorers:- Cameron Holdsworth, Alex McGrath

SUNDAY 18TH OCTOBER 2009
COXHOE UNITED 3 - HETTON JUNIORS 3

United faced Hetton with no substitutes, so it was important to ensure we got through the game without any injuries and paced ourselves for the full 70 minute match. Coxhoe took control and opened the scoring on 8 minutes through Rhys Wayman when he had time to control a cross from the left and shoot low to the right. Although the Juniors goalkeeper got a hand to it, the shot was too powerful to keep out. Andrew Simpson came close on 3 occasions with a header hitting the post on 14 minutes and another looping over the keeper, only to be cleared from the line by the Hetton defence on 17 minutes and the third chance trickling wide from close range on 25 minutes. Lee Saiger in goal for Coxhoe managed to keep the Juniors at bay with a diving finger tip save, but on the 30 minute mark Hetton claimed an equaliser after calls of off-side from Coxhoe were ignored by the referee and the 2 Juniors attackers were clear of the United defence with only the keeper to beat to open their account. This score line was short lived however, as Henry Davies made his run up the left wing and launched a fine shot. The Hetton keeper got the initial block but the rebound came out to Rhys and he tidily lobbed the keeper to claim his 2nd. Heavily into injury time of the first half, Cameron Holdsworth placed a teasing cross over the face of the Juniors goal and Andrew Simpson slid in to claim the third for United.

The second half saw more opportunities for Coxhoe but as the match progressed the tired legs started to loose their pace and Hetton continued to push hard which eventually resulted in their second goal. Realising that Coxhoe were rattled and subdued, the Juniors pushed forwards and kept United pinned into their own half. A corner was won and the inevitable equaliser came with only a few minutes left to play.

A disappointing result for Coxhoe, after being in control for much of the game and loosing shape and concentration in the last 10 minutes. If the earlier opportunities had been converted the result would have been different, but credit goes to Hetton for keeping the pressure on right up until the final whistle.

Goals:- Rhys Wayman x2, Andrew Simpson

MoM:- Michael Wake

SUNDAY 1ST NOVEMBER 2009
JARROW FC DRAGONS 3 - COXHOE UNITED 2

The illness struck 11 men of Coxhoe faced Jarrow on this windswept rainy day, without Rhys Wayman who is amongst the top goal scorers so far this season. Having said that, it only took 3 minutes for Andrew Simpson to open Uniteds account with a high lob over the keepers head after some action in the Dragons goal mouth. Jarrow were always quick on the break and forced some saves from Lee Saiger to keep the advantage with Coxhoe. Several good opportunities from Henry Davies drifted above the Jarrow cross bar, but they would have been unstoppable if they’d been a few inches lower.

The second half saw Curtis Bihari unable to continue due to his lingering illness, leaving Coxhoe with only 10 on the field. Having said that, the boys battle hard and could have extended their lead by another 2 goals were it not for the post denying Cameron Holdsworth and a great save by the Dragons keeper from the ever threatening Henry. The rain got heavier and was driving into the faces of Coxhoe, making any sort of attack very difficult with the added complication of the puddles on the pitch making passing moves impossible. Jarrow eventually equalised half way through the second half from a long range free kick tipped in by their man on the goal line. Three minutes later the Dragons took the lead with a swift run up the right wing and a cross into an unmarked attacker in front of goal for a simple tap in. Coxhoe kept pushing and claimed a corner shortly afterwards which was initially cleared to the feet of Alex McGrath who’s sweet strike found the back of the net to again draw level. More first class keeping from Jarrow denied Alex with 10 minutes left on the watch after he had weaved his way through the defence into a great goal scoring position but the Dragons had the final word with their free kick 5 minutes from time. Although the initial kick was charged down and made safe by Coxhoe, the referee pulled play back for the kick to be taken again. This time the ball went through the sea of players and straight into the back of the net.

Goal Scorers - Andrew Simpson, Alex McGrath

Man of the Match - Henry Davies

SUNDAY 8TH NOVEMBER 2009
COXHOE UNITED 3 - SOUTH TYNESIDE JETS 3

For the first time in a long while, Coxhoe were in a position to field a full team and have a substitute when they faced South Tyneside. Within first minute Henry Davies launched a rocket from left wing forcing a great save from the Tyneside keeper. The Jets weren’t going to sit back and let Coxhoe have all their own way, and 5 minutes later they launched their first attack but Lee Saiger in goal for Coxhoe was equal to the shot. A scramble in front of the Tyneside goal after 10 minutes resulted in several shots being blocked before getting put out of play for a corner. The resulting kick came to Kieren Latcham on the right who had time to prepare himself and take a fine shot, but a great save from the Tyneside keeper at full stretch kept the goal tally at zero. This score line lasted another 5 minutes before the Jets went 1 up after beating the Coxhoe offside trap. Momentum was with South Tyneside at this point and they doubled their advantage on 30 minutes from a corner which was initially flapped out by Lee but the ball fell to a Jets attacker to hammer home. Some sloppy work from Coxhoe just on half time again allowed Tyneside through to stretch the lead to 3 before the whistle blew.
Second half saw a tactical substitution and change around, putting Jamie Appleby up front to cause problems in amongst the Tyneside defence. This worked well, as chances started coming to Coxhoe but a string of fantastic saves from the Jets goalkeeper kept United goalless. The Tyneside net was eventually breached half way through the second half after Jamie’s shot skidded awkwardly under the Jets keeper to give Coxhoe a glimmer of hope. United pressure continued but Jets keeper was playing out of his skin to keep the attack at bay, then, with less that 20 minutes to play United were awarded a free kick a few yards out of the Tyneside penalty box. Up stepped Cameron Holdsworth to strike a clean shot high and powerful that proved unstoppable and guaranteeing an exciting end to the game. By now, Coxhoe were pushing forwards and most of the play was in the Tyneside end. A mistimed tackle by the Jets resulted in another free kick in almost exactly the same spot. Again, Cameron stepped up, and again launched a fantastic shot to level the match at 3-3 with 10 minutes left. Desperate for the 3 points, Coxhoe played their hearts out but every shot that followed was gathered by the Tyneside goal stopper who had a fantastic game.

Goal Scorers - Jamie Appleby, Cameron Holdsworth x2

Man of the Match - Jack Thirlaway

SUNDAY 15TH NOVEMBER 2009
WHICKHAM FELLSIDE 2 - COXHOE UNITED 4

Coxhoe were once again facing the opposition with no substitutes due to the illness of Michael Wake, one of our key defenders. This didn’t dampen spirits, however and United started brightly with an early shot from Andrew Simpson looping marginally over the Fellside cross bar. Whickham’s first clear chance came on 13 minutes as they ran through the Coxhoe defence and shot, but Lee Saiger got a hand to the ball to tip it onto the post and then collected the rebound. The Whickham post denied Cameron Holdsworth for Coxhoe a minute later, then the deadlock was finally broken by Henry Davies with a couple minutes left to play in the first half when he struck with his weaker right foot into the top right hand corner to beat the Whickham keeper. There were further chances for the home team in the final seconds of the half, but Lee was equal to all of them.

The Whickham pressure continued into the second half a goal line clearance from Jamie Appleby prevented the equaliser one minute after the re-start but 60 seconds later a pass across the face of the Coxhoe goal was collected on the back post and tapped home. A great reaction save from Lee on 5 minutes and an Andrew Simpson header which was judged not to have crossed the line were further opportunities for both teams to take the lead, but it was Whickham who eventually got the second goal. The action had been in the Whickham goal area and the referee was keeping up with play, then a huge clearance fell to the Whickham attacker who was clearly offside. The play had switched so quickly that the referee was still in the Whickham box and had to give the benefit of the doubt to the attacking side, leaving their front man with only Lee to beat in goal and the Coxhoe defence 4 yards to make up before they could provide support. This seemed to spur the United team onward to grab an equaliser, and they did just that on 13 minutes through Cameron Holdsworth’s teasing cross-come-shot, Five minutes later with the momentum building in Coxhoe’s favour, Kieren Latchem took a long distance shot from the left wing which was parried by the Fellside keeper into the path of the advancing Cameron who walked it home to once again take the lead. A 21 minute fingertip save from Lee kept the advantage with United but Whickham did have the ball in the net 2 minutes later, however Lee and a home team attacker were on the floor after a clash of heads so the whistle had already blown to halt play. The last few minutes saw some high pace exciting football. Whickham were pressing for an equaliser and Coxhoe were trying to consolidate the lead and that’s exactly what Andrew Simpson did for Coxhoe with 1 minute left on the clock when he neatly tipped past the keeper and hammered home to collect all 3 points.

Goal Scorers:- Henry Davies, Cameron Holdsworth x2, Andrew Simpson

Man of the Match:- Cameron Holdsworth

SUNDAY 29TH NOVEMBER 2009
COXHOE UNITED 4 - WHITBURN JUNIORS 4

The teams faced each other during a downpour, with United keen to continue the good form they showed against Whickham Fellside during their last match 2 weeks ago, but once again without any substitutes available. After 1 minute Coxhoe were left scratching their heads as to how Whitburn managed to beat the offside trap to take the lead from the one-on-one situation between striker and keeper. This lead lasted only 10 minutes with the equalizer coming from Cameron Holdsworths well placed shot out of the reach of the Juniors keeper. Whitburn continued to attack and on the 15 minute mark took the lead again, squeezing the shot between Coxhoe Keeper Lee Saiger and the goal post. More chances followed in the first half but on the whistle Whitburn still had the advantage.

This advantage increased early in the second half after a free kick for the Juniors caused trouble for the Coxhoe defence in the tricky weather conditions and beat the outstretched arms of Lee. Coxhoe had some good fortune around the 15 minute mark in the second half when a routine pickup for the Whitburn keeper from Alex McGraths shot skidded under him and into the back of the net to provide a glimmer of hope for the home team. This glimmer got brighter 1 minute later as Alex made a run up the right wing and whipped a shot across the face of the Juniors goal and into the bottom corner to claim the equaliser. With the full time whistle approaching, a corner for Coxhoe fell to Rhys Wayman unmarked in the centre of the box who turned and left the keeper with no chance of blocking. Excitement was growing and both teams were giving it their all but it was Whitburn who took the advantage with a great cross finding an unmarked attacker on the right wing who once again claimed the equaliser. Neither team wanted to settle for 1 point and Coxhoe almost claimed all 3 through Alex’s great chance in the dying moments but sadly it was not to be. A brilliant game of football in bad conditions, with both teams giving 100%.

Goal Scorers:- Cameron Holdsworth, Alex McGrath x2, Rhys Wayman

Man of the Match:- Alex McGrath

SUNDAY 13TH DECEMBER 2009
COXHOE UNITED 0 - BIRTLEY TOWN 6

A frustrating day for Coxhoe saw good play in the first half, with Lee Saiger in goal pulling off some fantastic saves, to a second half lapse with Birtley’s long ball beating Coxhoe on several occasions.

Man of the Match:- Michael Wake

SUNDAY 17TH JANUARY 2010
COXHOE UNITED 5 - SAFC FOUNDATION PUMAS 1

After a long break due to Christmas and the recent bad weather, the boys were eager to get back onto the pitch and play some football. As cup matches take priority over league matches, this game was reorganised from the planned date of 17th January, so the Durham City match will be rescheduled later in the season.

It was SAFC who opened the scoring on 7 minutes after a scramble in the 6 yard box. Coxhoe came back strong and we only had to wait 5 minutes for the equaliser, which came from Henry Davies with a powerful shot, well struck low into the corner. It remained level well into the second half, but with 15 minutes left Coxhoe stepped up their game. Jamie Appleby put Coxhoe in front from an Alex McGrath through ball, and then Declan Grayson extended the lead a few minutes later, putting a special touch to his outstanding debut match for Coxhoe. Cameron Holdsworth made it 4 for the home team after some good passing throughout the team and Rhys Wayman added the final goal in the dying seconds of the match. A good start to the year - lets keep it up in the League to make progress on the table.

Goal Scorers:- Henry Davies, Jamie Appleby, Declan Grayson, Cameron Holdsworth, Rhys Wayman

Man Of the Match:- Jack Thirlaway

SUNDAY 7TH FEBRUARY 2010
HETTON JUNIORS 4 - COXHOE UNITED 1

A slight change in formation saw the height and speed of Henry Davies up front collecting the long balls and running through the Hetton defence. Although the Juniors went 1 up on 12 minutes from a right wing ball that looped high above the outstretched hands of Lee Saiger in goal for United, Coxhoe kept playing but saw chance after chance denied. Declan Grayson, Andrew Simpson and Rhys Wayman all had chances early in the second half but the final ball just wasn’t there for Coxhoe today. Hetton grabbed another 2, first from a floated ball past Lee and then from a throw in that took the Coxhoe defence out of the game and the resulting shot beat Lee on the near post. Kieren Latcham put his name of the scorecard from the penalty spot, but the Juniors pounced on a defensive pass to re-establish the 3 goal cushion in the final moments of the game.

Goal Scorer:- Keiren Latcham (pen)

Man Of the Match:- Jack Thirlaway

SUNDAY 14TH FEBRUARY 2010
COXHOE UNITED 2 - DURHAM CITY SOCCARENA 6

The 10 man squad of Coxhoe faced the Durham team in the second round of the Ray Foster Cup. It didn’t take long for the City team to make the extra man pay off when they threaded through a diagonal ball from right wing onto the advancing left winger to stroke it into the Coxhoe net on 11 minutes. A great save from the Soccarena keeper 4 minutes later from a Cameron Holdsworth strike kept the advantage with Durham, who then went on to double that advantage from a close range shot with 18 minutes played. Declan Grayson was causing problems for City up front but Coxhoe were unable to get off the mark. A neat Durham chip over the Coxhoe defence which found an unmarked attacker on left wing, and then a powerful free kick across the face of goal finding a yellow Durham shirt in the same area, both resulted in more goals for City giving a 4 goal cushion at half time. This was consolidated thanks to a tremendous double save from the City keeper to fend off Rhys Waymans efforts late in the first half.

Into the second half and Declan continued to push, with a fantastic cross in to Rhys who was unable to get the vital touch needed to beat the keeper. Durham stepped up again and created some good passing play with the resulting shot being saved by Lee Saiger, and the follow-up shot being cleared off the line by the out-stretched foot of Stephen Wadge as he slid across goal face to prevent another Durham goal. Coxhoe finally got a break mid way through the second half from a great looping Jamie Appleby ball, however Durham were quick to restore the cushion when they muscled through the United defence with 12 minutes left on the clock. Coxhoe’s slight change in attacking formation seemed to be creating more chances and Rhys got clearly through the defence with only the keeper to beat but his short range shot went wide. United’s determination was rewarded when the hardworking Declan’s cross found Andrew Simpson in space with time to compose himself and float a high ball over the head of the Durham keeper. More Coxhoe chances came, and if Jamie’s shot with 5 minutes to go been a few inches to the right, the last moments of the game would have been very different, but heads went down and another goal was sloppily conceded in the final moments by Coxhoe.

Goal Scorers:- Jamie Appleby, Andrew Simpson

Man Of The Match:- Curtis Bihari

SUNDAY 28TH FEBRUARY 2010
SOUTH TYNESIDE JETS 2 - COXHOE UNITED 3

An almost impossible task faced Coxhoe today as an untraditional 9 man line up (without Lee, Jack, Kieren and Cameron) faced 4th place Jets at the South Shields sea front pitch. Enthusiasm was high, however, and Coxhoe showed their intent from the opening whistle when Henry Davies broke through, but brave goal keeping saw the ball saved at Henry’s feet. Jamie Appleby pulled off an outstanding 1 on 1 save a minute later for Coxhoe and again from the resulting corner. Both teams battled hard and United finally made the breakthrough on the 9th minute when Declan Grayson slid a fantastic ball through to the advancing Henry Davies who’s shot went in off the inside of the left hand upright. Jamie continued his heroics in goal but on 14 minutes a defensive mis-kick on the cut-up turf provided the Jets with a golden opportunity which they promptly took to draw level. The goal tally didn’t remain even for long, as once again Declan was on hand with another searching ball cutting through the Tyneside midfield and defence, this time finding Rhys Wayman who netted United’s second. Jets attacked hard to try to draw level again before the half time whistle but a well timed tackle in the box from Stephen Wadge prevented Jamie having to deal with another 1 on 1 situation.

Tyneside came out fighting in the second half and were determined to make their extra 2 men count, and within 3 minutes had drawn level after several scrappy shots and ‘off the line’ clearances within the Coxhoe goal mouth. Tiredness was playing a part now and the scores remained even, until with 10 minutes left to play, Rhys returned the earlier favour from Declan as they connected to send Declan through to cooly beat the Jets keeper and give United the advantage again.

A fantastic performance from the whole Coxhoe team, showing that they don’t deserve their current league position.

Goal Scorers - Henry Davies, Rhys Wayman, Declan Grayson

Men of the Match - Henry Davies, Jamie Appleby

SUNDAY 7TH MARCH 2010
BIRTLEY TOWN 9 - COXHOE UNITED 3

Coxhoe faced third placed Birtley today in this re-arranged match due to the original fixture against Jarrow being postponed to allow the Dragons to play their cup game.

Although United had a full squad in attendance today, the physically imposing opposition muscled Coxhoe off the ball and prevented them from playing their passing game for much of the match. After Jamie Applebys tremendous performance between the posts last week he started in the same position today, but was put under great pressure within 6 minutes when the Birtley attacker carried the ball through into the box to shoot and open the scoring. This advantage was doubled on 23 minutes with a powerful low strike from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net. Their next goal 5 minutes later resulted in a score line that flattered the home team, as Coxhoe had seen several opportunities from Declan Grayson and Henry Davies but the woodwork came to the defence of Birtley on 2 occasions and the keeper gathered the rest. A thunderous tackle between Michael Wake and the Birtley midfielder saw Michael come off second best which forced a substitution and change in formation, replacing Jamie in goal with Lee Saiger, allowing Jamie to line up in defence with the fresh legs of Keiren Latcham. This resulted in a Coxhoe goal with Keiren’s 2nd touch of the game after Henry’s left wing strike rebounded off the Birtley post into the path of Keiren who’s shot found the back of the net in the final seconds of the first half.

Birtley turned on the pressure in the second half and only took a minute to add one to their score line with a well placed lob over Lee’s head. United saw some hope when they drew within 2 goals again through Alex McGrath, who’s twisting and turning manoeuvre rounded the Birtley keeper and allowed him to neatly tap home into an open net. This hope didn’t last long as 1 minute later the 3 goal cushion was restored after a shot was initially blocked by Lee but the blocked ball bounced over the Coxhoe line. Several more goals came from the physical Birtley team, and eventually the Referee had to pull up the whole Home team for ungentlemanly conduct after several previous warnings throughout the whole game. Alex did manage to pull another goal back but the Birtley lead was too big to allow a come-back.

Goal Scorers:- Keiren Latcham, Alex McGrath x 2

Man of the Match:- Cameron Holdsworth

SUNDAY 21ST MARCH 2010
COXHOE UNITED 9 - BOWBURN ATHLETIC 1

Man of the Match:- Declan Grayson

SUNDAY 28TH MARCH 2010
WHITBURN JUNIORS 2 - COXHOE UNITED 1

A tough day for United, seeing them boss the game for much of the match but concede 2 against the run of play. Henry Davies shot in the second half kept the hope for Coxhoe until the end, but today it was not to be.

Man of the Match and Goal Scorer - Henry Davies

TUESDAY 13TH APRIL 2010

CHESTER ATHLETIC DRAGONS 2 - COXHOE UNITED 5

Coxhoe started well with some excellent passing throughout the team but failing to capitalise on all the possession thanks to some exceptional work from the Dragons keeper. Inevitably, Chester scored from their first break when Coxhoe were found napping, but United kept testing the keeping, who was finally beaten by Jamie Appleby after 27 minutes. 5 minutes later Coxhoe doubled their advantage through Declan when he cooly lifted the ball over the keeper after a neat side pass from Rhys Wayman.

Into the second half and the momentum continued with United, and Declan extended the lead further after the initial Coxhoe shot was well saved by the Dragons Man of the Match. Goal of the night went to Jamie with his fabulous shot from the edge of the box that struck the underside of the cross bar before crossing the line. Rhys added another for good measure with less than 10 minutes of the game left when he was first to react to a scramble in the Chester goal mouth. A consolation goal for the Dragons in the dying moment as their striker launched a high ball from near the corner flag which curled and dipped just below the Coxhoe crossbar - a just reward for a hardworking 10 man team.

Goal Scoreres:- Jamie Appleby x2, Declan Grayson x2, Rhys Wayman

Man Of The Match:- Jamie Appleby

THURSDAY 15TH APRIL 2010

COXHOE UNITED 2 - MOORSIDE JUNIORS 2

2nd in the League Moorside proved tough opposition for United, who found themselves 2 goals down at half time, even though they had a good share of the first half play. The 2 goal deficit remained until half way though the 2nd half, when Jamie Appleby slammed home Coxhoe’s first to put the Juniors under pressure. United made a tactical change in formation to push for the equaliser, which came with 2 minutes of normal time on the clock when Jamie slid another under the keeper. Nerves were shaky during the 3 minutes of injury time but Coxhoe’s defence stood strong. 1 point here was a great result but everyone realised that the full 3 could have been within our grasp.

Goal Scorer:- Jamie Appleby x2

Man of the Match:- Jack Thirlaway

WEDNESDAY 21ST APRIL 2010

DURHAM CITY SOCCARENA 2 - COXHOE UNITED 3

The first of a pair of important mid-week fixtures saw Coxhoe take the lead on 18 minutes when Henry Davies storming left wing run and shot was saved by the Durham keeper but Rhys Wayman was on hand to follow up and slam the ball home. The lead was doubled 5 minutes later through Jamie Appleby’s deft flick but the City team pulled one back from the kick off, and then drew level in the final minute of the first half from a well taken strike.

Greats shots from Henry and Jamie in the opening stages of the second half went agonisingly wide, but stood as a warning to Durham that Coxhoe had their eyes on all 3 points. Another well taken shot from Jamie - low, powerful and in the corner - forced a tremendous finger tip save from the Soccarena keeper but Alex McGrath converted the resulting corner to re-take the lead. Another tense finale to the match saw Lee Saiger pull off some brilliant saves meaning United retained the lead until the final whistle after working hard for the win.

Goal Scorers:- Rhys Wayman, Jamie Appleby, Alex McGrath