Gateshead Rutherford 4 Percy Main 2

Certainly an afternoon to forget for Percy Main in more ways than one, who apart from a bright spell midway through the first half were clearly second best throughout, against a Gateshead Rutherford side who prior to Saturday's game had only won 1 of their opening 6 league fixtures.

Manager Steve Hurd had been able to name a strong side, but many of those were way off their best and failed to get out of the starting blocks as the home side, who were certainly more up for the game, stormed into a 3-0 lead with just a quarter of an hour on the clock.

With a strong cross field wind threatening to spoil the game, it was Percy Main who almost opened the scoring with just 40 seconds on the clock as Chris Laidlaw ran through, only to be denied by the legs of Rutherford goalkeeper Lewis Darwood.

Typically, with no reward for the visitors, the home side stung into action, went in front after 2 minutes courtesy of Ryan McEvoy who was afforded too much space in the area and things got even worse for Percy Main barely a minute later as the busy McEvoy centred low from the left and Ant Ridley inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net.

Joe Turnbull for the home side caused problems down the right flank throughout and he saw his early goalbound shot tipped over the bar by Liam Mooney in the visitors goal, but the Main custodian was powerless to prevent Rutherford going further ahead as Ben Coulson connected to Turnbull's cross and drove the ball home.

Rutherford's 3 goal cushion was to last only a minute as Joe Rowan took advantage of hesitancy in the home defence to fire home and get The Main back in the game. Continuing in the same vein, there were chances at both ends as Turnbull fired just past the post for Rutherford, while in reply Darwood blocked from Dan Souter's low drive and Rowan's follow up effort was deflected over the bar and away for a corner.

With the game just 25 minutes old, Percy Main added a second as Ridley looking to atone for his earlier own goal, (he's going to try harder next week - he said after 10 pints last night!) played a clever ball up the left flank, Laidlaw took it on well, turned and fired home his 6th goal of the season to date and it looked as though the visitors would press home the advantage.

This turned out to be far from the case as The Main struggled to carve out another decent goal scoring opportunity throughout the rest of the afternoon. The latter stages of the first half saw Turnbull and Callum Moore combine for Rutherford to play in Dylan Howourth, who shot just over the angle and Turnbull rattled  the visitors crossbar with a well struck free kick.

After the interval Dan Fullen's shot was too high for the home side, Howourth fired just wide and Coulson flashed a header just over, while The Main's Mark McDonnell failed to connect properly to a good thorough ball by Aaron Kah and Paul Collinson's free kick from distance, following a foul on Laidlaw cleared the crossbar.

Rutherford substitute Aiden Rutledge went close as Mooney failed to gather Robert Jefferson's free kick, before Sam Hodgson's headed goal completed the scoring in the 72nd minute.

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1 or 2 other odds & ends....

Dan Souter became the first Percy player to be 'sin binned'

The game was abandoned after 88 minutes, the league will decide if the result should stand at a meeting on September 12th (I think it will, for what it's worth)

Steven Hurd of Percy and Rutherford's Robert Jefferson were sent off.

Man of the Match - Adam Green

Great turn out by the team for the 'Legends Night' at PMCC last night, well done to all!

No midweek game this week (thankfully)

Next up - Newcastle Blue Star at home, next Saturday.