The Blues bounced back from the disappointment of Saturday's defeat at Marine with an impressive victory over Blyth Spartans as Leroy Chambers netted a well taken hat-trick to leave Blyth with their second 4-2 defeat in four days. Duane Beckett made his first full appearance since October in place of the suspended Andy Gregory and dictated most of the play from midfield, deservedly getting on the scoresheet with the fourth goal.

However, the win was tinged slightly by a late injury to Gary Duffty which saw him stretchered off 13 minutes from time following a nasty late challenge by Blyth's Ian Dixon after the referee had already awarded the visitors a free-kick. Amazingly, considering some of the sending's off that Frickley have had recently, Dixon got away with a yellow card and proceded to roll round on the floor following every challenge thereafter.

In a lively start the visitors went close to opening the scoring in the second minute when Little curled a cross over which skimmed the face of the crossbar following a short corner but the Blues went ahead on 9 minutes with their first decent attack. Recent signing Marc Tyrell played a ball into the box which deflected off a defender into the path of CHAMBERS who fired in an angled drive from 12 yards. Three minutes later new signing Gary Ormston, a trainee from York City, turned well on the left hand corner of the box to fire an 18 yard drive straight at Blyth keeper Burke as the Blues looked to increase their advantage. They didn't have long to wait as some neat football brought a second goal on 20 minutes. The move started down the right with Duffty playing a neat ball into Chambers on the edge of the box. He laid it back to Rob Hanby who promptly found Tyrell in space on the left. Tyrell then sent over an inviting deep cross which CHAMBERS turned in from 5 yards at the far post. Almost immediately Blyth came close to pulling a goal back but Robson's goalbound header was deflected off Lee Stratford for a corner. Robson again headed over on 34 minutes as Blyth began to look threatening on the break but at the other end Duffty had a dangerous cross headed behind for a corner and a minute later Duffty and Beckett exchanged passes down the right for the latter to break clear but his cross deflected off a defender and eluded everyone. On 41 minutes Blyth's Forster toe poked straight at Mark Wilkinson from 6 yards following a corner.

The start of the second half saw Chambers almost notch his hat-trick in the 46th minute but his flick header from a corner went just wide. The visitors saw another header fly over the bar before they came close to pulling a goal back on the hour when Wilkinson came out to punch clear from a free-kick on the left but a Blyth head got to the ball first with the ball dropping just over the bar. Almost immediately Burke came out to clear from Beckett but three minutes later he was powerless to prevent Chambers from gettting his hat-trick. Beckett collected a loose ball in midfield before pushing it past a defender and sliding a delightful ball across the 18 yard box for CHAMBERS to send a lopping shot over Burke to make it 3-0. However the three goal cushion was short lived as on 63 minutes a good ball into the box found Robson on his own but Wilkinson blocked his shot only for Perry to follow up and score into an empty net. The Blues were soon back on the attack with substitute Ian Edge whipping over a corner from the left which Duffty turned back into the box but Hnaby's close range shot was cleared off the line. On 75 minutes Edge ought to have made it 4-1 when Beckett sent him clear but as he broke into the box he chose to square to the onrushing Chris Hurst who was denied by a brilliant tackle as he shot. Beckett picked up the loos ball but saw his effort cleared off the line. A minute later Burke denied Hurst at the foot of the post before Dixon made his rash challenge on Duffty which saw him carried off. On 84 minutes Edge played Becktt in but his attempted chip from 25 yards wasn't strong enough and Burke saved easily. But on 87 minutes BECKETT finally got his reward with a fine solo goal, picking the ball up just over half way before advancing to the edge of the box and finishing clinically over Burke. Two minutes later Wrightson pulled a goal back for Blyth with a close range header but the Blues claimed the much needed three points.

Frickley Athletic : Mark Wilkinson, Hilton, Tyrell, Beckett, Ogley, Hanby, Duffty (Smith 78), Ormston (Edge 58), Chambers, Hurst, Stratford. Unused Sub. McAreavey

Blyth Spartans : Burke, Little (Hay 62), Dunkerley (Wrightson 68), Dixon, Forster, Keegan, Hepple (Williams 34), Pepper, Robson, Perry, Radigan

Attendance : 170