This fixture was the first of two legs of the innorgural Glasugate Cup, for the first leg Cfc made the trip down to smoggy Middlesborough. The tie was held at the "Middlesborough Football Academy" which hosted narrower pitches than Cfc's homeground "The Pits, Gateshead", how was this going to affect our gameplay???
The players ran onto the pitch with a little cheer from the crowd, except for Captain Paul Peden who was jeered due to his previous playing for Glasubalti during the 01'02 season. It was to be Cfc to kick off first and the game was underway. Anderson started on the bench leaving Oliver, Peden, Coates, Norton and Gardiner to open up the game.
The first ten minutes was Glasubalti dominated with forward Cory ripping open the Cfc with a early left foot shot. It was soon to be another as two minutes later Carlos slotted it past oliver to make it 2-0 to the home team. Cfc took the early set back on the chin and fiercly fought back with some one touch football, Gaz Nortons lighting fast pace on the left enabled him and Peden to hook up together and get Cfc on the scoreboard. After Cfc had upped the tempo with some great defensive work from Coates it was only seconds before Peden would rifle a left foot screamer into the top corner leaving keeper Ash looking into the back of his net...
Open play then ensued and the score ran to 3-2 to Cfc with 15 minutes in, Coates was replaced by Anderson and Glasubalti made 2 substitutions. Norton and Cpt' Peden were on fire and linking up across the field with Gardiner and Anderson keeping it safe at the back. With Peden's quality thru balls norton had netted 3 individual left foot goals to Gfc's 1 in the 10 minutes thanks to Cfc keeper Darren Oliver. In the final ten of the half play was mixed with good attacks and defensive moves by both teams.
The half time whistle was blown with Cfc leading 8 - 6. Cfc's team talk was well motivated by Peden but his words were washed aside by the ever present complaining and jibing of Gardiner. The main strategy change by Cfc was to rotate subs every five minutes to keep fresh legs n the pitch. At half time Stevo the Glasubalti Captain remarked his team were up against it, "I can't get into the game, im always blocked off".
The second half was kicked off my Carlos of Gfc and things were underway for another quality 35 minutes of football. Cfc kept it tight at the back but the resistance from Glasubalti was building and Oliver needed to be at his best to keep up with the left foot of Gfc star Cory. Some great footwork my Michael Coates got the Cfc engine started again, and soon enough Peden has netted a 20yrd screamer with Coates getting the assist. Although the game was even Gfc were full of heart and really took the game to Castlegate and link up play between Carlos and Stevo superb provided them with a brace of goals.
There was a good five minutes of intermediate play with both teams becoming wary after almost an hour of all out play. Still Norton with his Royal Marines training was belting down the left wing with his electric pace and a cross to Anderson provided Castlegate with a needed intermediate goal, with ten minutes to go the home team were 14-10 down. The spirit of Glasubalti was roaring with passion and even with many injuries due to clashes with Keeper Oliver over 50/50 balls managed to place the ball twice in Olivers corner leaving the keeper with little chance. Cfc were not to be defeated and with both Peden and Norton on for the remaining five it was only seconds before Gaz scored his eigth and ninth and topped it off with an assist to give Peden his fourth. Although Gfc got a late brace it was not enough to overcome the great team effort given by Castlegate. Castlegate take a 3 goal advantage and 16 away goals to the return leg in 3 weeks time...
Darren Oliver after the game, "Some great football for the neutral fan".
Man of the match: Paul Peden
Attendance: 10
(7) Darren Oliver, all round good game from a great consitant keeper.
(9) Paul Peden, Great vision and force behind most plays, top game!
(7) Michael Coates, Ball skills and control are on a new level.
(7) David Anderson, Game improved, showing his pre-season form.
(8) Gaz Norton, Lightning pace throughout, 9 goals. Wot can i say???
(6) Andy Gardiner, Lowering morale with every one of his 9 assists???????
All round team performance was one of the best this season, and all were happy but Gardiner, i hope this form continues..