Whickham 2-0 Penrith: The Lang Jacks get first home win of the season with a goal in each half

Whickham were finally able to get their first three points at the First Mortgage Glebe this season after easing past Cumbrian side Penrith.

The Lang Jacks had a bright start to the game with Mark Fitzpatrick coming closest to opening the scores with only a heavy touch denying him the opportunity to score after 17 minutes.

Just after the half-hour mark, Dale Burrell put the hosts ahead with a thumping header.

Robbie Williamson then opened his goal-scoring account for Whickham by doubling his side’s lead in the 63rd minute.

Going into the game, a win for Whickham would see them in the top-half of the table whilst a fifth defeat in a row for Penrith would mean they drop closer to the relegation spots.

The home side started the brighter out of the two sides with Jack Robson finding Scott Robson with a floated cross, but the forward was unable to steer his head on target.

Fitzpatrick then had a great opportunity to score his first goal for Whickham when Scott Robson slid the ball across the box after breaking through the Penrith backline, but Fitzpatrick’s first touch allowed the defender to get back and block his shot.

The visitors first major chance of the match came when a back-post header from a corner was well stopped by debutant James Anderson in the 25th minute.

Six minutes later, Burrell found the back of the net after a drilled corner from Williamson was attacked by the head of the midfielder.

Scott Robson once again found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper but could only slide the ball past the far post two minutes after Burrell’s opener.

Fitzpatrick nearly doubled his side’s lead with Jack Robson chasing down a long ball over the top, from which the goalkeeper could only find the Fitzpatrick with his short clearance but his attempted long-ranged effort just floated wide of the post three minutes before the break.

An uneventful start to the second-half was ended when Williamson was able to net his first goal for the club 63 minutes in, after composing himself in the area and switching onto his left-foot before smashing the ball home.

Williamson could have scored two more within five minutes, with the goalkeeper denying his effort from point blank range after the midfielder jinked in behind the Penrith defence before Scott Robson drove into in the area before stopping the ball to allow Williamson to strike on target which was headed off the line with eight minutes left.

Michael Hoganson nearly joined the party with the final chance of the game, when he was slipped in behind the visitors defence on the left-hand side, but Hoganson put the ball just wide of the post.

Next up for the Lang Jacks is a visit to Ashington on the 4th of September.

Starting XI (4-3-3): J. Anderson, T. Howard, M. Hoganson, K. Galbraith, B. Milburn, R. Peareth (c), D. Burrell, R. Williamson (A. Francis, 87′), J. Robson (L. Doyle, 87′), S. Robson, M. Fitzpatrick (D. Bisset, 69′)

Unused substitutes: G. Priest, K. Russell

Man of the match: Robbie Williamson

Man of the match Robbie Williamson spoke to Ben Robinson after the Lang Jacks victory over Penrith: