Official Frickley Athletic Website 

The Blues made heavy weather of defeating a Bamber Bridge side who were reduced to 10 men as early as the 23rd minute following the dismissal of Phil Robinson for aiming a kick at Sinisa Savic. Gary Marrow started with the same eleven that played at Blyth on Tuesday evening with Phil Brown being fit enough for a place on the bench. However, contrary to rumours circulating at the ground Carl Fothergill has NOT left the club and is away at Blackpool but centre back Paul Foot has joined North Ferriby United.

It was the visitors who had an early chance when Moran ran on to a long ball and bet Dean Jones inside the box to square across the face of goal but Chris Gowan somehow managed to clear the danger. In the twelfth minute Sinisa Savic turned on the left hand corner of the box and fired in an angled drive which flew just wide of the right hand upright whilst four minutes later Andy Evans hit an angled 20 yard shot from the right which drifted wide of the left hand post. Then in the 23rd minute Savic was brought down by Robinson as he broke from midfield only for Robinson to then aim a kick at him whilst he was on the ground. The referee then had no alternative but to send Robinson off. However, the Blues struggled to make their extra man tell. On 34 minutes Graham Lewis skipped past two challenges down the left and sent over a deep cross which Gary Duffty retrieved. When the ball was played back in by Rob Hanby, Lewis again sent over a cross which Simon Collins met with a well placed header but Banks saved well. Two minute later Mark Wilkinson was forced to come out to block a shot from Moran after he broke clear.

After the break it was Bamber Bridge who threatened with Wilkinson blocking a 25 yard free-kick by Leaver on 50 minutes whilst Moran shot wide from 18 yards whilst under pressure from Jon Wordsworth five minutes later. Lewis went close on 68 minutes when Wordsworth did well to retrieve the ball on the right following a corner. He fed Hanby who played the ball in to Lewis but his shot on the turn was straight at Banks. But on 71 minutes the Blues finally made the breakthrough. Steve price sent over a ball from the right to Gowan on the left. He beat the right full-back before sending over a cross which LEWIS volleyed in from 12 yards. Even then the Blues failed to press home their advantage until the 88th minute when a deep cross from substitute Paul Tittley was headed back across goal for EVANS to fire in from close range. Right at th death Wilkinson was forced to pull off another good save to deny Leaver again with a long range free-kick

Frickley Athletic : Mark Wilkinson, Simon Collins, Gowan, Hanby, Wordsworth, Jones, Lewis, Price, Evans, Savic (Scott Collins 58), Duffty (Tittley 75). Unused sub. Brown

Bamber Bridge : Banks, Leaver, Pryers, Robinson, Farley, Aspinall, Smith (Ryan 75), Cooper, Burton (Lin 28), Moran, Bates (Dickinson 75).

Attendance : 162

Referee : Danny McDermid