Football: Kirkbymoorside’s dire defence against Peterlee Town (From Gazette & Herald)

Football: Kirkbymoorside’s dire defence against Peterlee Town

1:11pm Wednesday 27th February 2013 in Sport

A PATCHED-UP Kirkbymoorside defence struggled to keep Peterlee Town at bay and so the home side’s recent good home form came to a crashing halt with a 4-1 defeat.

Peterlee were themselves without a lot of first-team players who had been attending the funeral of former team-mate Lee Collins.

But the team they put out was good value for their Wearside League victory, completing a bad week for the Moorsiders following a 3-1 defeat at Sunderland West End last Wednesday, Ryan Rivis getting their only goal that night.

Kirkby could have started with a bang against Peterlee, as striker Jack Chadwick burst through the defence inside the first 20 seconds but fired over from outside the area.

Johnny Brown also headed wide from a Jordan Rivis free-kick in the fourth minute, but the rest of the first half belonged to the away side.

Kirkbymoorside player-manager Alex Strickland missed the match as he was in Ireland, while his side were also without regular defenders Lee Bannister, Matty Bower and Paul Hodgson – and they had a torrid time at the back, most notably when Michael Turnbull’s attempted clearance from a low right-wing cross went straight into his own net.

Brown was looking lively at the other end and hit one impressive shot just wide from 35 yards and had another effort charged down.

Peterlee always looked dangerous in wide positions, though, and midfielder Callum Morpey shot over from the edge of the area after Dale Spence’s pull-back from the left.

A minute later, the second goal came when striker Martin Hope found himself in space on the edge of the area and lobbed a bouncing ball over Kirkby ’keeper Marc Tansey.

Andrew Place almost made it three from the restart, beating two defenders as he cut across the edge of the area but firing wide of the far post.

Kirkby ended the half with another opportunity but Brown could only head into Kyle Donaldson’s hands from a well-struck Jordan Rivis free-kick from the left flank.

The hosts started the second half brightly and Donaldson made saves from Chris Rhodes, the home man of the match, and Brown, who had latched onto a good Sarjo Cham pass.

The worries at the other end continued, though, and again a low cross caused problems with Andrew Place tapping in at the far post.

There was a severe danger of Kirkby falling to pieces thereafter and some dreadful marking in the 52nd minute allowed Place a free header at goal which Tansey did well to tip onto the bar – only for Hope to head in the rebound.

Kirkby improved in the last half-hour and the introduction of Tom Ellis in the attack made a difference.

Jordan Rivis went close with a free-kick, which Donaldson held on to, before setting up Ellis for a consolation goal in the 82nd minute, the Kirkby substitute poking a low first-time shot past the visiting 'keeper.

Hope nearly scored straight from the restart with a high shot destined for the corner, but Tansey produced a fine reflex stop.

The last five minutes were scrappy, broken up by several bookings from an inconsistent referee, before the final whistle put the hosts out of their misery and hoping the absent first-teamers come back quickly.

Kirkbymoorside: Tansey, Birbeck, Richardson, Turnbull, Campbell, Bradbury, J Rivis, Rhodes, Cham, Chadwick (Ellis 64), Brown.

Kirkbymoorside have no game this weekend but face a quick return match against Peterlee, away, next Wednesday (7.30pm).