17th September - Post Droylsden

Blyth lost 3-0 on Saturday at home to a Droylsden side nicknamed “The Bloods” and the Spartans’ skipper Peter Snowden was bloodied – but unbowed.

“I’m a bit battered and bruised but that’s football and what we need to do after that defeat is bounce back in our next game at Worcester this weekend” he said. “Droylsden were the best side we’ve played so far this season,” he added. “They were good all over the pitch with two lively forwards a strong defence and two pacey wingers.

In the opening period Blyth’s play was as leaden as Droylsden’s was light and free. Why? “We certainly weren’t over confident after our recent excellent run. I think the explanation lies in a combination of Droylsden playing well and us being a bit sluggish,” he suggested.
“Although we got back on our game in the second half it was difficult for us and in the dressing room at the end of the game the overall feeling was one of anti-climax.” Not a man to harbour resentment Snowden was still angry the day after the match for his booking. “I was pushed in the box and it was certainly a penalty. And then the ref gave me a yellow card for diving – I have never dived in 20 years of playing football!”

It was the introduction of midfielder Christian Graham at the beginning of the second half which sparked Blyth. It was only through his efforts that the Spartans could conjure up anything like the fluidity of Droylsden’s play. Graham was rightly nominated as the Drager Safety Man of the Match.

Blyth Manager Harry Dunn found it difficult to articulate his feelings about the game. “Well, we should have been dead and buried in the first half but they are a decent side and if we had scored from the penalty that could have changed the game in our favour.
“Overall they were better than us but we can’t beat everyone all the time. This League is very open and I don’t think anyone is going to run away with it. It will be along hard slog but we will be more than a match for anyone. “We’re still two points clear at the top of the League but we won’t be getting carried away. “Having said that if someone had told me at the beginning of the season that by mid September we would have 20 points on the board I would have been doing hula-hoops!”

Dunn, however, was upset with Saturday’s scoreline. “It will look to people as if we were walloped but we weren’t. It’s also a shame with the big crowd we had in – I just hope they come back because there is a lot more good football to be watched at Croft Park this season.”

One thing is for sure, with men like Snowden and Dunn at the helm, should the Spartans have any kind of cushion – two points or otherwise, no one at Croft Park will be sitting back and getting too comfortable.