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Tuesday 24th August - Bridlington Town 1-1 Frickley Athletic

The Blues returned from the East coast with a hard earned point after enjoying a good first half but riding their luck a little in the second period. New signing Richard Tracey started up front alongside Mark Vickerage in place of Gary Hatto in an otherwise unchanged starting line-up.

The Blues took the lead with their first serious attack of the game in the ninth minute. Vickerage played the ball into the path of TRACEY who curled in a fantastic shot from 25 yard which dipped just under the bar with the home keeper stranded. However, the home side equalised just 4 minutes later when Paul Palmer headed in following a free-kick on the right. Minutes later Troy Bennett sent Vickerage clear into the box but as he took the ball around the keeper and shot from a tight angle the keeper recovered to block the shot for a corner. The Blues enjoyed a bit of pressure, forcing a few corners before the home side responded with a few long range shots which barely troubled Marc Shackelton. The Blues had a let-off on 25 minutes when Graeme Severn's misplaced header fell to  Palmer but, with Shackelton well off his line, he could only lob the ball wide of the right hand post from 25 yards. The Blues continued to threaten with Wayne Benn's free-kick being met with a powerful header from Matthew Plant which just cleared the crossbar whilst the impressive Tracey saw his low 16 yard shot roll just wide of the far post. Just before half time  Gareth Collinson got goalside  of Plant, although Phil Lindley managed to shepherd him away from goal but he still  got in a angled shot which Shackelton did well to block. 

The Blues started the second half quite well but soon started to be forced on the back foot by a lively Bridlington forward line. On 52 minutes Severn sent over a good cross from the left that Tracey headed over at the far post but a minute later Brid's Palmer crossed from the right and a combination of Plant and Brid's Darren Fell contrived to knock the ball inches wide of the near post. Almost immediately the Blues responded with Steve Woolford feeding Vickerage down the right of the box and he hit a strong shot from a tight angle that keeper Nick Baxter pushed away. On 56 minutes Lee Pugh threaded a great ball through for Tracey who nipped between two defenders and shot wide of Baxter but just wide of the right hand post from the edge of the box. This prompted a spell of sustained Bridlington pressure with Martin Thacker hitting the woodwork with a 25 yard free-kick whilst Lee Harper headed straight at Shackelton from a corner and Palmer headed just wide of the near post from a right wing cross when unmarked and then saw his angled shot pushed away by Shackelton.Brid. substitute Paul Wilson then glanced a header wide from a left wing cross before Gary Hatto replaced Bennett for the Blues. Almost immediately Lindley met Hatto's corner with a downward header which Collinson hacked away from almost on the line whilst  on 76 minutes Vickerage picked up a loose ball some 25 yards out before letting fly with a great shot which dipped onto the top of the crossbar. Brid. had a great chance to win the game on 84 minutes when the ball fell kindly for Fell just 8 yards out but he somehow scooped his shot wide of the right hand post. Minutes later a quick break saw Palmer's angled shot hit the outside of the right hand post.

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