Brid Face Long Trip North

Saturday, 1 April 2023 10:12

By Ben Edwards

Bridlington Town head north for one of their longest away trips of the season, travelling to The Darren Persson Stadium - the home of North Shields.

A 2-1 defeat against Dunston made it back-to-back home losses for the Seasiders. A lacklustre first half saw Liam Thear scramble the ball home from a corner.

However, Bridlington came out the second half well, with Tom Algar netting his first goal since joining on dual registration from York City.

A curling left-footed effort dropped into the bottom left corner, a reward for his excellent performance in the midfield which earned him Man of the Match.

The Seasiders were level for just eight minutes, though, when Thear scored his second goal of the game, an effort from the 18-yard line wrong-footing James Hitchcock and flying into the top right corner.

Matty Dixon returned from injury to start, causing a bit of a reshuffle in defence. Benn Lewis shifted to centre-back whilst Jack Griffin was pushed into his more familiar midfield role.

Dixon was replaced by Jack Bulless after 72 minutes, but only due to cramp so he will be okay for the next game. Eddie Rogerson (groin) and Nick Hutton (virus) are getting better, but were both not ready for selection against Dunston.

Although picking up no points at the weekend, Bridlington Town remained 11th in the Northern Premier League East Division with 39 points. However, they are only three points away from 17th placed Shildon who sit in a relegation playoff spot.

The teams below Bridlington all have at least one game in hand. With Sheffield FC and Lincoln United both playing midweek, the Seasiders could find themselves drop to 13th before Saturday’s game and will still need to be wary about the slight chance of relegation.

Despite a 4-0 East Riding Cup Semi Final victory, Bridlington Town have failed to win their last four league games.

On a positive spin though, their recent away form has been a strong point for the Seasiders. Crucial victories against Carlton Town and Brighouse Town were followed by very respectable draws with Long Eaton United and Pontefract Collieries. Bridlington Town’s last away defeat came on 7th February against Ossett United.

Moving on to the visitors, they have picked up three consecutive victories, conceding no goals in the process. 1-0 wins against Lincoln United and Sheffield FC preceded a 3-0 away win against Ossett United.

Their last defeat came on 1st March, though against National League North opposition Blyth Spartans in the Northumberland Senior Cup. They did take the lead in the 69th minute, though went on to lose the game 2-1.

The last time they lost in the league was seven games ago though it will have come as a shock to Robins’ fans as it was against bottom-of-the-table and now confirmed as relegated Tadcaster Albion.

It was an entertaining affair in the game between Bridlington Town and North Shields in December.

Dan Wilson gave the Robins a 50th minute advantage, cancelled out just two minutes later by Ali Aydemir. With the game tied at 1-1, Jack Yates came off the bench to head the winner from a corner in the 93rd minute.