After the abrupt end to the 2019/20 Northern League Division One season, Whickham F.C returned to football with an impressive display against Northern Football Alliance side Prudhoe Y.C.F.C.
Kieron Moat gave the visitors the lead after five minutes when the forward got in behind the Prudhoe defence before firing a shot across the goal to break the deadlock.
Substitutes Max Cowburn and Scott Robson combined to double Whickham’s lead with Cowburn slipping Scott Robson through on goal with the forward sliding the ball passed the outstretched goalkeeper after 56 minutes.
Despite the away sides domination, the Nothern Football Alliance side pulled a goal back after 70 minutes when Prudhoe pulled a goal back after Whickham failed to clear a floated free-kick with Prudhoe’s number sliding the ball in from 6-yards-out.
The visitors restored their two-goal advantage two minutes later when Scott Robson found Joao Gomes open in the area with the midfielder tapping the ball into an empty net.
Gomes then doubled his goal tally with Scott Robson combining again with the Portuguese midfielder placing the ball into the right-hand corner of the net after Scott Robson took on multiple defenders before laying Gomes off.
Whickham F.C coach Mark Convery was speaking about his team’s performance stating:
“It was good but there was a little bit of rustiness but you could see the longer the game went on the work we’ve been doing in pre-season was showing, the fitness levels are good we just need to get a few games in just to get back in the swing of it”.
Despite the rustiness Mark said insisted that he isn’t ‘reading too much into the game’ and that ‘it was more of a case for fitness’ but admits his side ‘passed the ball well in the second half’.
After a successful first match for many of the trialists playing for Whickham, Mark was seemingly hopeful for more players to brought in before the start of the 2020/21 season:
“We’re always keeping an eye out for people who are available and anybody that’s going to make us better or strengthen the squad.
The Whickham boss is also hoping to get a goalkeeper over the line ‘within the next week or so’.
