A depleted Morpeth faced a tough fixture against a young and energetic Newcastle side. With some new faces in the team Morpeth knew they would be in for a tough game, which the frantic pace of the opening minutes did little to dispel. The game developed in to a tight midfield battle with both teams pressing hard offering little space, the chances that did come in the opening 15 minutes were easily dealt with by both keepers. As Newcastle pressed Morpeth struggled to maintain possession for any length of time, looking to hit on the counter, whilst Newcastle for all their possession never created any clear cut chances.

The game sparked in to life 5 minutes before the break, a Newcastle player managing to break a tackle  his surging run and snap shot at the edge of the circle sneaking in the far corner. This was a wake up call for Morpeth who had been sloppy in possession, from the restart Morpeth played the ball around with an increased pace working the opening and forcing a penalty corner. The injection was stopped by Foster who hammered the ball home from the resulting shot. Morpeth level only moments after going behind.

Half time 1-1

Morpeth knew they had to step up their game in the second half and began to press Newcastle higher up the pitch, taking the game to them. The pressure began to tell as Morpeth dominating possession created openings just lacking the final touch to take the lead. As the half wore on Newcastle looked increasingly for the long ball to relieve the pressure, it was from these hopeful long balls they took the lead. A long ball forward found the newcastle winger, whos hopefull ball in to the D managed to deflect of the forwards stick and inbetween the goalkeeper and the post, with only 3 minutes left Morpeth looked beaten.

Yet just like in the first half the railed, from the restart Mooney drove forward playing the ball to Craggs who was immediately fouled. Taking the self pass quickly driving forward he slipped the ball through to Foster who calmly took a touch and rolled it past the keeper. Morpeth level again less than 30 seconds after conceding. The game ended 2-2 a fair result after a great effort from both teams. Morpeth can be proud of their fighting spirit, whilst ruing the chances they missed to take all three points!

Morpeth 2s faced mid table Gateshead, the Morpeth team looked strong on paper but facing a youthful Gateshead, Morpeth’s fitness looked set to be tested. With strong winds, a chilly temperature of 3 degrees and with the sun already setting by the time the match got underway, it looked set to be a long 70 minutes.

Not long after the start Morpeth’s David Calder struck first putting the ball past the Gateshead keeper. Gateshead quickly returned fire, after a barrage of penalty corners and a final one from a questionable stick tackle decision, levelling the score. Morpeth, however, didn’t take this lying down and Calder slotted another with an athletic dive to reach a screamer of a ball from Mooney to the back post.

Morpeth then opened the score line up with a great finish from Craggs. Gateshead, however, continued to threaten and with some persistent attacking play brought the score back to 3-2 before half time.

Half time gave Morpeth the opportunity to reflect on their performance, after the previous Saturday’s draw the team were determined to win and so they came out ready to put pressure on the still threatening Gateshead. This determination paid off with Mooney scoring soon after the match restarted. Hinshaw then brought the score to 5-2 with a darting run past the Gateshead right back and then a touch which took him past the keeper leaving an easy finish in an open goal.

Unfortunately, Gateshead did reply with a third coming from short corner which was given by the Gateshead umpire after a dance display and one of the many conferences that characterised the match.

Overall Morpeth seconds can be pleased with the 5-3 win, in what was a difficult match in tough conditions. However, the table leaders did not play as well as they have been, although when interviewed after the match Gareth Mellor said, “We could have turned it on at any second had we wanted to!”

Early start and long journey down to a blowey Redcar to play Marton Furness 4. Morpeth again had a much changed side. As a result the team started slowly, looking disjointed and unable to hold the ball. Early pressure came from Marton Furness, relying as they would all game on long balls to their frontmen and a “physical” style of play. A mixup in the Morpeth defence allowed Marton to break down their right to the Morpeth D. Tomlinson failed to deal with attacker who squared the ball for the Marton centre forward to bury the ball past the Morpeth keeper.

Morpeth then weathered a period of pressure before building through the midfield, Hermes, Calder and Craggs linking well.  Morpeth started to pressure the Marton goal with good opportunities for Gilmore, Booth and the accrobatic Calder all thwarted by excellent goal keeping from their new Uni keeper. The play though was still disjointed, lacking shape and not in top gear.

1-0 down at half time saw a stern constructive team talk.  Morpeth started the second half like they meant business. The work rate was better, the shape and movement was there leading to some gilt edged chances. Gilmore usually hot in front of goal had some excellent chances but was stopped again by a keeper who surely will not be playing MF4s for long.  Short corners came, shots on target but the keeper reached everything. Then from a short corner Gilmore and Calder dummied the shot, exchanged a series short sharp passes to unbalance the keeper before Gilmore unleashed a goal bound shot beating the keeper, only to see Booth poach it on the line for the equaliser.

Morpeth were flying. The game pressed in the Marton half. But still their keeper stood firm. A move down the right by Hinshaw worked the ball into the D, a shot by Calder was again saved the rebound coming out to Hinshaw who fired it into the back of the net (1-2). Morpeth now well on top couldn’t find the third. Whether it was tired legs or a loss of concentration Morpeth opened up in midfield allowing Marton to press the Morpeth defence. Apart from a couple of short corners in the second half Marton hadn’t troubled the Morpeth goal. Morpeth defence dealt with everything thrown at it until a slack pass at the back, coupled with a harsh decision saw Marton have a hit 5m out from the Morpeth D.

Marton worked it so that the ball was struck hard across the D, hitting a Morpeth player, the deflection shooting up and towards goal only for it to glance the shaft of the Marton centre forwards stick and into the goal. How unlucky! Both sides chased the win in the last 5mins but the final whistle saw the score remain 2-2. Morpeth had far more shots on goal than Marton and it took a moment of sheer bad luck for Marton to equalise. On another day Morpeth would comfortably have won but credit to the Marton keeper who kept them in it. Not a glorious performance but everyone gave it their all.

MoM: C.Hinshaw who narrowly pipped T. Beddis.

Morpeth second team flying high at the top of the table welcomed Stockton mens 5th team in the hope to continue their unbeaten record. Morpeth entered the game with a number of key players out due to injury, which added pressure to the side.

For the first five minutes the game was evenly matched with neither side able to capitalise on numerous errors. The deadlock was broken when Morpeth were awarded their first short corner. Adam Craggs’s perfect injection to Gary Mellor at the top of the D left David Calder with loads of time to fire the ball towards the bottom left only to take a deflection and meg the committed keeper. 1-0 Morpeth.

Having taken the lead, the pressure left Morpeths shoulders and started to play their own game leaving Stockton on the back foot. This quick passing led to the second goal which was a great unselfish team effort easily finished by Will Mooney with the keeper left for dead. A third goal soon followed when Phil Tomlinson stole the ball in midfield and was able to quickly feed Calder upfront who slipped the ball left to Craggs who fired the ball into the back of the netting. 3-0 Morpeth.

Morpeth almost made it four when Joe Race on his field hockey debut put the ball inches wide with the keeper well beaten. For the rest of the first half the game continued to be all Morpeth with a number of short corner chances. The sides went in at 3-0 at half time.

Morpeth in traditional form of the 11/12 seasons started the second half slow but were soon able to score another two great team goals with Peter Booth and Calder finishing them.

The fifth goal of the game came when Callum Hinshaw fired the ball up the line where Calder picked it on this reverse and beat the defender. The ball was then feed Mooney who smashed the ball to the keepers left only hit the post. Using his raw pace he was able to beat everyone to the rebound and easily place the ball into the goal scoring his second of the day.

A fantastic break of passing down the left for Morpeth involving Captain Dan James, Jack Tordoff and Craggs was able to slip the ball onto the centre forwards plate. Calder was able to strike the ball first time with his reverse and roofing the ball in the top of the net to complete his hat-trick.

Morpeth finished the game with another team goal leaving Stockton for dead in and around the D, Calder being at the right place once again to tap in his fourth. Final score 8-0 Morpeth giving keeper Marc Stewart another clean sheet.

Next week Morpeth II’s face Newcastle Medics at fortress Longhirst which promises to be a tough encounter for both sides.

Morpeth travelled down to Durham brimming with confidence after last week’s easy win over Richmond, and indeed with keeper Mark back, the stage was set for another victory.

Morpeth started well with Calder playing up front, and after some well crafted play Mooney turned in a deflection to open the scoring in under 10 minutes. Not content with a single goal Morpeth kept pressing and with runs down the left wing and Tordoff on the right, play soon opened up with Calder scoring a deflection off a defender’s face!

With a solid back line that never looked under real pressure and wing backs Beddis and James providing good routes out of defence, the play remained largely in Durham’s half with Mooney scrambling in his second and Murgatroyd firing into the bottom corner to bring the score to 4-0, meanwhile Hinshaw was proving that his 2nd’s spot is well earned with good play!

The pace was then eased off as Morpeth got comfortable, but diligent work from Minty and Hudson in the middle enabled Calder to grab his second of the match and leave Morpeth feeling satisfied at half time despite not playing their most fluent hockey.

A stirling team talk later and a reminder from Phil not to slow the pace too much in the 2nd half and Morpeth set about trying to make it another huge win. Things looked set to continue when Mellor whacked in a short corner, promptly celebrating by jumping and letting a high pitched ‘wooo’. With a 6-0 lead Morpeth began to get tired and mistakes crept in, Durham capitalised on this with a ball through the heart of the defence that was deflected in, although whether the foul that resulted in the hit was inside or outside the 25 was controversial.

The major calamity of the day then occurred as a defender barged into Minty, breaking his collarbone! The match resumed as Minty went to hospital, albeit subdued. The remainder of the match was made up of scrappy play as Morpeth missed a few chances to increase the lead and Calder dived for a reverse shot which earned him only a bloody knuckle. Hinshaw ending up with a bloody foot concluded a bad day for injuries as the game ended 6-1.

A good result for Morpeth, but they should look at their second half performances and also face a minor injury crisis as Minty will be out until after christmas and others, including Gilmore, doubtful. All that said, still unbeaten and now clear at the top of the table, bring on Stockton!

Morpeth returned home this week after a tough win against Newcastle with everyone hoping for an easier game. This task was complicated by the absence of a keeper however Calder and Murgatroyd valiantly volunteered to do a half each for the greater good!

Morpeth started very brightly with flowing hockey and with some hard work in Midfield, Robin, Minty and Murgatroyd all playing well, the ball was fed to Craggs to slot it past the keeper to open the scoring in under 5 minutes. Encouraged by this, Morpeth quickly got another with Gilmore finishing off an excellent move. With it quickly emerging that this game would not be competitive Morpeth slowed the pace slightly but still had another two goals before half time as Minty and Murgatroyd each deflected in a short corner to make it four, following good work from Tordoff and Mooney wining the short corners.

Richmond did unfortunately get a goal back from a short corner after Calder in nets, lost sight of the ball. The only other blight on a superb first half was Mooney not finishing a number of chances, much to the amusement of Father Mooney cheering his son on from the sidelines!

The tempo dropped in the second half as Morpeth got comfortable and both sides scored twice, Craggs and Calder scoring for Morpeth, whilst Murgatroyd’s efforts as a first time keeper were not enough to keep the ball out the net!

Morpeth’s play became less fluid as players pushed forward looking to grab a goal, leading to the slick passing of the first half descending in to chaos at times. The urge to score but this did not stop Gilmore grabbing a second with a cover drive even Michael Vaughan would be proud of! Mooney grabbed the final goal of the game as Mellor danced through Midfield to feed the ball in and Mooney flicked it into the goal, much to his relief!

A game Morpeth comfortably won, with the true balance of play not reflected in the score line. With goalkeeper stewart returning next week, Morpeth will look to maintain their impressive start away to Durham, Viva la peth!

The eagerly anticipated top of the table clash between Morpeth 2s and Newcastle 1s. Frank words exchanged, intelligence gathered, the 2s prepared to do battle and settle old scores…

The first half saw Morpeth start strong. Consistent play throughout the pitch applied pressure to the Newcastle defence from both flanks- the type of play you would expect from a team as yet unmatched in the league.

As the half progressed Newcastle found some confidence and began closing off options, compressing play and forcing the visitors to play passes that lacked either accuracy, pace or purpose. Fortunately however the work rate and shape was maintained and the Morpeth ‘D’ (or Circle- which ever you prefer) went largely untroubled. After a deathly quiet and further goal-less last five minutes the half time whistle sounded.

The 2s entered the second half with renewed vigour, however the first 15 minutes sustained pressure saw Morpeth take camp in their own half and repel a flurry of Newcastle moves. A series of fouls by the home side allowed the Green Men to exercise more control and ultimately break away more often. Mooney and Murgatroyd made good use of space spreading the play right, succeeding in getting more ammo to high men Gilmour and King. James, Minty and Craggs stretched the pitch on the left exploiting gaps in midfield and defence.

The moment came, fifteen minutes before time Gilmore showed a touch of class to spin his man on the right, quickly playing the ball forward to King. King showed great composure to feed the ball to the marauding Mooney, his vision picking out Craggs on the left, a quick ball back to James and the moment was at hand. King who had sneaked in to the D let out a call of “BACK POST” that must of been heard back in Morpeth, James’s pin point pass found King for the tap in, cue wild celebrations and a collective sight of relief!

More opportunities presented themselves in the closing stages with umpire Coultas (exercising admirable control over very tense game) waving away a close penalty flick appeal, but later seeing good reason to show yellow to Newcastle for repeatedly hitting the ball away.

Newcastle, down heartened by conceding a goal never looked particularly threatening in the last couple, but tensions still ran high until the final whistle blew…

Notable moments included stand in keeper Tordoff executing his duties well, but thankfully running out of steam before reaching the end of the ‘D’…

Morpeth 2s showed discipline and strong character to remain at the top of the table, something which others would do good to take note of. Ultimately this ‘closer’ encounter should reinforce the necessity of hard work and commitment, and coupled with the 2s standard flair and creativity will continue to see them progress well throughout the season.

Well done boys, it was a hard one but we did it!

On a day that everyone would of preferred to be relaxing in a beer garden, rather than playing hockey in the baking heat, Morpeth looked to build upon the their comfortable win the previous weekend.

Morpeth set out to let the ball do the work in an attempt to save their legs in the blistering heat, a plan that was set in to motion in the opening minutes as Morpeth cut Wilton open, Gilmore forcing the opposition keeper in to a number of saves. Morpeth’s pressure finally tolled when Gilmore fired low past the keeper after some patient build up play from midfield. A second soon followed as Sander surged past the Wilton defence to slot under the on rushing keeper.

These two quick goals urged Wilton in to life as they looked to press Morpeth further up the pitch, looking to hit on the counter. The constant movement and passing was beginning to show on both sides as the heat of the day began to take its toll, with half time approaching a one-two between Mooney and Craggs fed Gilmore only to see his shot saved by the diving keeper, the chance did not go to waste as Minty showed good energy to follow up and put the rebound high in to the net.

Half time Morpeth 3-0 Wilton

With the temperature failing to subside and the famous Longhirst breeze shockingly absent, Morpeth looked to use their substitute far more than in the first half with players rolling on and off every few minutes. These fresh legs had and instant impact with Morpeth pressing from the whistle and scoring three quick goals within minutes of the restart, Gilmore, Minty and Mooney all on target.

As Wilton began to tired Morpeth kept up the pressure, Sander making it seven with a well worked short corner routine, Craggs made it eight intercepting a pass beating the last defender and firing low under the keeper. Gilmore soon completed his hat trick with a quick turn and shot, and he then made it four following up after Tordoff’s shot was saved by the goalkeeper.

The high tempo of Morpeth’s play was too much for Wilton as 10 became 11 with Minty having the simplest of tap-ins from a Craggs cross. The scoring was completed by Gilmore in a move that saw Morpeth turn defence in to a goal in 4 quick passes. Beddis cleared a dangerous ball to Tordoff he drove down the right wing, he in turn played the ball to the centre to the marauding left back James, his first time pass to Mooney eliminating the last defender, with the keeper rushing out Mooney slipped the ball to Gilmore to fire in to the empty net.

Full time Morpeth 12 – 0 Wilton

A great team display full of energy and running saw Morpeth hit double figures for the second time in a row. The constant pressing and work rate saw Morpeth show their ruthless edge scoring nine second half goals to set themselves up perfectly for a tough away trip to Teeside next weekend.

Morpeth faced Stockton at Eaglescliff school on a warm March afternoon, looking to build on their good form from the previous weekend. As the teams lined up Morpeth knew they faced a tough task against the expereinced Stockton side. 

This experience showed in the early stages of the game as Stockton stifled out Morpeth’s passing game and causing a few problems of their own, drawing early saves from Morpeth Keeper Stewart. As Morpeth began to get a foothold in the game Stockton stuck twice in quick succession. Good individual skill from the Stockton forward producing the first goal, with the second coming from a long ball through moments after the restart.

These goals sparked Morpeth in to life, the ball pace and tempo were raised as Morpeth began to move the ball around Stockton rather than trying to run it through them! Morpeth grabbed a goal back just before the interval, interplay between Mooney and Anderson fed the ball to James, his powerful ball in the circle tipped past the keeper by Macdonald.

Morpeth knew if they could raise the tempo in the second half the would be there for the taking. This increase in pace caught Stockton off guard, Morpeth winning a penalty corner shortly after the restart. The inital shot producing a fine save from the keeper however he was powerless to stop Mooney tapping in at the back post to level the game.

With the game tied both sides began to press high looking to pounce on any mistakes, with the game developing in to a scrappy affair as neither side could maintain possession. As in the first half Morpeth were hit with another double whammy, a long ball found the Stockton forward, his shot deflecting of James stick as he attempted to make a tackle, causing the ball to loop over the onrushing keeper and go in off the post.  Moments later Stockton won a penalty corner, the ball being powered in to the corner.

With Stockton now content to sit deep and defend their lead, Morpeth struggled to break through and create any chances. It took a moment of individual skill from C. Gordon to win a penalty corner. The inital shot by Anderson was saved by the keeper only for Anderson to follow up and smash the ball high in to the net.

Morpeth pressed forward in the remaining minutes but were unable to find the late equaliser. A good team effort from Morpeth, who will look to win the final game of the season next weekend at home vs Wilton.