Saturday 26th January 2008
Blue Square North
Blyth Spartans 1 Gainsborough Trinity 1
Att: 418

Both sides had on 4 other occasions this campaign having played each other both in the FA Cup and then the FA Trophy earlier in the season.

Spartans picking up there first home point since mid December, railed well after loosing a goal down early on.

Hopefully confidence from picking up their first home point since mid December will help to push them on to start picking up valuable points to remain up in the Blue Square North at the end of the season.

Matt Austin to volleyed home from the edge of the penalty area on 15 minutes to put the visitors into the lead. Ben Christensen was beating for pace down the left wing by Lewis McMahon before centring to Austin.

Gary Brown with a speculative 40 yarder just cleared Adam Sollitt’s cross bar; Spartans coming close to equalising immediately.

Robert Dale snatched Spartans equaliser on 23 minutes. Dale turning in Kenny Boyle’s deep cross at the far post after Adrian Webster switched play from the right side of midfield to the left to find Martin Houlahan. He released Kenny Boyle down the left wing before he centred deep to the far post for Dale to score.

Houlahan’s had the ball in the Trinity’s net just after half time but effort was chalked off for offside.

Early into the second period Spartans had the ball in the net again, but Spartans created the better chances in the second half, and Chris McCabe with only Sollitt to beat inside the Trinity penalty area tried to pick out Phil Bell who sliced his effort well wide.

The match fell away in the last 20 minutes but Sollitt was called upon to parry Webster’s shot around for a corner after Boyle and Dale linked up down the left before Dale picked out Webster.

Spartans: - 1 Adam Bartlett, 2 Ben Christensen (sub Michael Hedley), 3 Kenny Boyle, 4 Peter Snowdon, 5 Gareth Williams, 6 Gary Brown, 7 Adrian Webster, 8. Chris McCabe, 9. Robert Dale, 10 Philip Bell, 11. Martin Houlahan (sub Alex Gildea)
Subs not used: - Richard Forster, Mark Evans & Graham Fenton.