Guisborough Town 1 -1 Sunderland Ryhope C.W.

Match Report

Easter Saturday saw the last home game of the season for Guisborough Town when they faced Ryhope CW, a team 10 places higher in the table, but it didn’t look like that out on the pitch.

For the majority of the first half Guisborough dominated in the final third but they just couldn’t break through a physical Ryhope side with the all-important first goal. The Priorymen’s chances started early as in the 6th minute as Shabs Mohammed took a free kick from deep which met the head of the towering centre back Matthew Ridley but the ball just missed the top corner.

Chances came thick and fast for Guisborough in the first 20 minutes as Ben Jackson found himself free on the edge of the box following a corner and through his quick feet lost his man and struck a powerful shot which flashed past the far post – getting a lovely reaction from the crowd. Then two minutes later the Priorymen found themselves in a good position again as Jason Blackburn made a strong run into the opposing box and forced a save from the Ryhope keeper with his low powerful shot.

And then just two minutes later Guisborough found themselves with another corner and having big Matthew Ridley on the pitch they have a great target to aim for. And this was exactly what was done as the ball soared towards his head again which he met with a thumping effort but the ball still did not end up in the back of the Ryhope net. But next against the run of play Ryhope put in a searching cross from a free kick which forced Guisborough keeper Robert Dean to run out and meet the cross getting knocked down in the process but his safe hands kept hold of the ball tightly.

As half time loomed it still looked as though Guisborough were going to get a deserved goal as Matthew Ridley proved he wasn’t just a big presence in the box by making a crucial interception and then playing a fantastic cross field pass to Ben Jackson. Jackson then made one of his signature runs all the way to the edge of the box to take his shot but again it was just wide of the far post. In the next few minutes the Ryhope crossbar reverberated as Shabs played a free kick into the path of Guisborough captain JJ Bartliff who hit the ball superbly but it clipped the crossbar and went over for a goal kick.

As the second half started it seemed the break had hindered the Priorymen’s momentum as the script flipped and Ryhope were on top.

Although defending well, Guisborough were penned into their own half and having to hold their own against a side that finally looked as though they were fourth in the league table. But then from a quick break Ben Jackson ran the length of the pitch and fed a good ball into the box which ended up falling to Shabs Mohammed, who smashed the ball from long range but it was just dragged wide of the post.

All the pressure in the first half now appeared to be wasted as Ryhope took the lead from the penalty spot in the 56th minute when Guisborough left back James Risborough was adjudged to have fouled in the area and James Ellis scored from the spot to put Ryhope a flattering 1-0 up. Going behind seemed to spur the Priorymen back into their first half form as some lovely attacking was followed by a cheeky back heel from Ben Jackson who found Jason Blackburn who struck the ball hard but the keeper got down to make a good block.

Six minutes later, though, Ben Jackson showed his worth as he picked the ball up from the right back position, then took on two men as he ran diagonally towards the box, and then as he entered the box he managed to draw the foul and win Guisborough a spot kick of their own. Cole Kiernan stepped up and slotted away his penalty calmly to the keeper’s left to make the game all square act 1-1.

Following the equaliser Ben Jackson again looked well up for it, as he took on several men to get to the by-line to cut the ball back across the box to Cole Kiernan. But he just couldn’t show the same composure he did for the penalty and put his shot over the crossbar from close range. The game seemed to be going Guisborough’s way as they were mounting attack after attack but Ryhope picked the ball up in the middle of the field and played some good passing football to break down Guisborough and see the their striker through. But Guisborough ‘keeper Robert Dean was more than his match and got down quickly to keep the game level.

And then in the final minute of stoppage time Ryhope got a free kick near the corner flag which was whipped in dangerously and fell kindly to Ryhope, but luckily for the Priorymen Matthew Ridley was up for the challenge and got his body in the way to see the game out and get the point. Although they could not get the win, the Priorymen showed they can more than match the upper teams in the league with a good display to send the home in a crowd of 242 home fairly happy until next season.

Report: Bill Perfitt