Match Reports

Wideopen 2 v Newcastle City Juniors 1

Perfect conditions at Lockey Park for our last league game of the season, expectations were high as we had been deserved winners when we played NCJ away earlier in the season.
It was the visitors who started the brightest and they had our lads on the back foot from the kick off, after 4 minutes we found ourselves one down when we failed to clear from a corner, giving the opposition far too much time and space in the box the ball was squeezed passed James Johnson in the Wideopen goal. The lads were struggling to get their passing game going but after 9 minutes Oliver Pratt produced a great pass to set Sam Noble free through the middle and he made no mistake slotting it passed the keeper into the bottom corner. Through the next phase of the game it was Wideopen who had the upper hand and they were rewarded on 20 minutes when the tireless Jack Copley found his equally hard working strike partner Anthony Thompson with a superb pass and Anthony finished with confidence to put the lads 2 – 1 up.
The lead was short lived when the lads again failed to clear their lines from a corner allowing the opposition time and space to score. We were lucky not to go into half time when the visitors had a strong appeal for a penalty turned down by the well positioned referee.
The second half was an even affair with both sides creating chances but neither side were able to extend the scoring, the visitors coming closest when they hit the post as confusion reigned in the home defence. Man of the match Reece Coates produced some good stuff on the left side of midfield but was unable to produce the killer pass for the front two.
It was a poor performance to finish an otherwise very encouraging season for the lads, especially when you take into account the fact that NCJ played with 10 men throughout, lets hope we can take the good bits from this season, and there have been many, and continue our progress up the league next year.

17th February - Wideopen 2 v Kingston Park 0 (A)

A cold breezy afternoon and a bobbley pitch at Kenton High School made it difficult for the lads to play the kind of passing football that we’ve come to expect in recent weeks. The fact that they adapted their game to suit the conditions and then matched a much improved Kingston Park in every aspect of the game is testament to the growing quality and maturity in this squad.
This was not the classic performance that we witnessed last week but again the lads were in the ascendancy from the first whistle and had it not been for a fine display from the home ‘keeper Wideopen could have been out of sight by half time, as it was they had to rely on the ever dangerous Anthony Thompson to cause confusion in the home defence, they were unable to clear and the ball ended up in the back of the net. It was hard to see who got the last touch but Anthony claimed it and who are we to argue.
The second half followed much the same pattern, however Kingston Park did create a few more chances but they were unable to get passed James Johnson in the Wideopen goal who pulled off some fine saves to keep a well deserved clean sheet. At the other end it was the ubiquitous Anthony Thompson who extended the lead mid way through the half and he was later unlucky not to crown his MOM performance with a hat trick when he had a goal ruled out for being marginally offside.
The lads hung on to the 2 – 0 margin and all fourteen players deserve praise for the way they played, those worthy of a special mention are Lewis Wake, Mark Stewart-Collins and Jack Copley

9th March - Newcastle City Juniors 1 v Wideopen 3

We travelled to Benwell to play a team who so far this season have only been beaten once in the league, the pitch looked enormous and we thought this would suit their style of play. From the whistle it was Wideopen who looked like the better footballing side as the lads used the space to their advantage to move the ball around and they created several half chances in the first 10 minutes.
The home team looked shocked at the quality they were facing and were hardly in the Wideopen half, they did however win a corner and as a result of some indecisive defending the home team took the lead totally against the run of play. The lads kept playing their passing game and were rewarded just before the interval when Anthony Thompson sprung the offside trap and finished well passed the advancing ‘keeper.
It was level at half time but Wideopen could have easily been 3 or 4 goals in front.
The second half continued in the same vein with Wideopen dominant throughout, the lads were creating chances for fun but were having one of those days when the chances didn’t turn to goals. It was Anthony Thompson who put the lads into a well deserved lead with another good finish and then Sam Noble made it 3 – 1 following some good play down the left from Jack Copley and we even missed a penalty after Anthony was brought down in the box.
On another day the score could have been 10 – 1, but the all round team performance was excellent, James Johnson was only called into action once in the second half and he produced an excellent save from a well stuck shot. What was particularly pleasing was the way that the team held its shape, the defenders defended well with Ben Nelson outstanding in his first start at centre half, the midfield worked hard and Sam Noble was tireless in his efforts and up front Anthony and Jack had the defenders chasing shadows.
A great performance from all the team and they should all be proud of the way they played.

2nd March - Wideopen 2 v Montague Wizards 5

The conditions weren’t ideal for football with a strong wind blowing down the pitch. The lads were kicking into the wind in the 1st half and straight from the kick off they produced a good passing move to threaten the Montague goal. However, the resulting clearance soon exposed our defensive frailties. The ball found its way to the Montague centre forward on the half way line and he ran half the length of the pitch unchallenged before slipping the ball passed James Johnson in the Wideopen goal.
The lads enjoyed most of the possession for the rest of the half and created a few chances, most notably Jack Copley coming close with a good strike from the right, but they were unable to turn the possession into goals. It was the visitors who went in 3 – 0 up at half time following more defensive errors, the lads being punished for failing to challenge and clear their lines.
With the wind behind us in the 2nd half we felt that we were still in the game if we could pull a goal back quickly. It didn’t go according to plan and it was the visitors who scored on their first attack of the 2nd half. Wideopen did score 2 goals with Reece Coates producing a fine left foot free kick and Anthony Thompson finishing off after a good move down the right. The visitors also added another to make the final score 2 – 5, a very disappointing result following some good performances in recent weeks.

24th February - Wideopen Juniors 5 v Newbiggin Hall (H)

It was never going to be easy against a physically strong Newbiggin Hall outfit and a strong breeze blowing down the pitch, but the lads turned up with the right attitude and produced arguably their best display of the season so far.
Newbiggin won the toss and decided to kick up hill and into the wind in the first half, it was vital that the lads took advantage of the conditions but for the opening 10 minutes they found it hard to break down the visitor’s defence.
It was MOM Anthony Thompson who broke the deadlock on 12 minutes when his tricky footwork in the box created an opening and he poked it into the corner of the net, and he doubled the lead two minutes later when his pace took him clear of the defence and he produced another assured finish.
Wideopen had most of the possession and encouraged by skipper Aaron ‘Azza’ Stokes, who lead by example throughout the game, they played some good football, never letting Newbiggin settle, the movement from front two Anthony Thompson and Jack Copley was outstanding and Newbiggin were forced to make defensive changes mid way through the first half to try to deal with the threat. After 27 minutes it was Jack who made it 3 – 0, a score line that was much deserved at half time.
The boys knew that they would have to keep things tight going into the second half with the conditions against them however they only managed to hold out for 5 minutes when they were punished for failing to clear the ball, at 3 – 1 they may have capitulated in the past but this team is maturing and they regained their composure and started to play football again. They were rewarded when the ball fell to Jack Copley on the right hand side of the box and he lashed home a fierce right foot shot, this was without doubt the goal of the game. Newbiggin scored another after 45 minutes but the lads never really looked threatened and continued to play their football, the back four of Reece Coates, Lewis Wake, Max Houghton and Oliver Pratt were solid and Josh Graham, who came on at left back in the second half made some great tackles. In midfield Azza was supported by Ben Nelson, Joey Matthews and Mark Stewart Collins who showed some great touches in an unaccustomed role on the left side of midfield.
Fittingly it was Anthony who rounded off the scoring, and a fine individual performance, when he converted his hat-trick from close range, this was no more than the lads deserved and they should be proud of their performance and let’s hope they take the momentum forward as the opportunity is there for them to really make their mark in the league.
The visitors obviously expected to get something out of the game and their disappointment was evident at the end when they were still sitting in the middle of the pitch having their debrief long after the goal posts had been dismantled and taken back to the clubhouse, perhaps they won’t be so confident on their next visit to Lockey Park.

17th February - Wideopen Juniors 4 v Kingston Park 1(H)

Another lovely day for football and expectations were high following an excellent performance last week and the start couldn’t have been better, Anthony Thompson breaking through the visitors defence to score after only 3 minutes. At this point we were thinking in terms of how many we would score but Kingston Park managed to get themselves organised and a little complacency set in with the lads and there were few chances created for the next 10 minutes.
It was Anthony who was to double the lead when he continued to chase a ball that the defenders looked favourites to win and he was rewarded when he managed to steer the ball passed the keeper. MOM Joey Matthews made it 3-0 when beat the keeper from the edge of the box with a fine right foot strike following a great build up.
Just before half time Kingston pulled a goal back when the lads failed to clear their lines and the ball was knocked passed James Johnson from close range.
The second half saw Wideopen control the game and they increased their lead to 4-1 when Mark Stewart-Collins linked well with Sam Noble before finishing well to the keeper’s right.
This was another good performance from the lads with several individuals worthy of a mention, Josh Graham doing well at the centre of the defence, Tom McBride on the left wing, Max Houghton at left back and then on the left wing and Jack Copley with another tireless display up front.

10th Feb Wallsend Community 1  v Wideopen Juniors 7 (A)

It was a beautiful morning for football more like early spring than early February, the game started brightly with the lads looking sharp however several good moves were foiled by a well marshalled offside routine from the home team back 5. The deadlock was eventually broken when Aaron ‘Azza’ Stokes made a good break down the left and produced a great cross that was superbly finished from a tight angle by MOM Anthony Thompson at the near post. The lads had been lucky on a few occasions when a lack of communication at the back had resulted in some last ditch tackles to recover the situation, it couldn’t last forever and the home team equalised on the break with the Wideopen defence flat footed.
The pace of Anthony Thompson and Jack Copley up front proved too much for Wallsend to handle and Anthony completed his hat-trick before the interval following good support work from the midfield and Jack latched onto a great through ball from Oliver Pratt to get his name on the score sheet.
The second half display was even more accomplished with the defence much better organised and the midfield, led by Sam Noble, in control of the game, all five Wideopen subs were used and they all performed well without disturbing the balance of the team, two of them Tom Mcbride and Mark Stewart-Collins added to the score line with great finishes to round of great team moves. Sam Noble capped his performance win a fine solo effort and the lads ran out well deserved winners by 7 goals to1.

27th January – North Shields 4 v Wideopen Juniors 0 (A)

This was always going to be a difficult fixture and it wasn’t made any easier by the strong wind blowing diagonally across the pitch & the fact that we were down 4 key players due to skiing and sickness.
The lads acquitted themselves very well in the first half and were unfortunate to concede a goal from a well worked free kick routine, although Shields had more chances the lads did create a couple of opportunities and could have gone in at half time on level terms.
The second half was backs to the wall and the lack of substitutes was a factor in the tiring conditions, the lads did create a couple of chances but were unable to convert them and the defence did well to keep the score down to 4- 0 .
There were some good performances with Aaron Evans worth a mention for his strong display at the centre of defence and Sam Noble giving his best performance of the season.

6th January – Ellington 2 v Wideopen Juniors 5 (A)

The start of a new year found the lads at the heart of the Northumberland coalfield on a bright and chilly morning. Any fears that they had eaten too much turkey were soon dismissed as they dominated the opening exchanges, competing well against a physically strong Ellington team and playing some good football at the same time.
The first goal came after 10 minutes following a persistent run from Jack Copley, finishing well from a tight angle with his left foot following the initial save from the Ellington keeper. It was Jack who notched again 5 minutes later with another good finish and then Joey Matthews made in three when he cut in from the right wing to leave the keeper no chance.
Just before half time Jack completed his hat-trick showing some good pace to leave the defenders in his wake and producing another quality finish.
This really was a game of two halves as Ellington came out after the break to try and repeat the great comeback they had in the corresponding fixture last season. They upset the lad’s rhythm and stopped them playing the fine football we’d seen in the first half. However, it was Sam Noble who produced a great lob to leave the keeper stranded and increase the lead to five. There were then chances at both ends before Ellington scored from a free kick and then got another consolation just before the final whistle.
This was a good performance from the lads after the Christmas break and although they tired towards the end there are plenty of good things to build on in the coming weeks. The defence were particularly impressive with good performances from Lewis Wake, Reece Coates, Max Houghton and Oliver Pratt but the man of the match award has to go to hat-trick hero Jack Copley.

9th December - Seaton Burn 2 Wideopen Juniors 2 (A)
The lads were looking for revenge following a 3-2 home defeat earlier in the season and they couldn’t have hoped for a better start. Anthony Thompson was awarded a penalty in the first minute after being brought down following a great run through the middle of the defence. Anthony got up to take the kick himself and although it was well struck the ball just cleared the crossbar, the signs were encouraging if the lads could play their football we should create chances.
However for some reason the lads sat back and let Seaton Burn come to them and it was the home team who took the lead after 15mins following a goalkeeping error by Oliver Pratt. Encouraged by the goal Seaton Burn took the initiative and created several chances over the next 10mins, Oliver making a couple of good saves to keep the lads in the game.
Anthony Thompson then went on one of his trademark runs and his persistence paid off when the defence open up in front of him and he slotted confidently passed the keeper. This was quickly followed by another good move involving Aaron ‘Azza’ Stokes and Jack Copley who combined to create an opening for Jack who finished well to make it 2-1. It looked like this would be the halftime score until Wideopen were caught in possession in midfield and Seaton Burn were allowed to go through unchallenged to score the equaliser.
Following some harsh words at the break the lads gave a much better account of themselves in the second half, they competed well and had most of the possession and pressure, they were unable to convert the pressure into goals but it was good to see some good football and a bit of fighting spirit following an indifferent first half. There were some good second half performances from Anthony Thompson, Aaron Stokes, Aaron Evans, Max Houghton, Ben Nelson and Reece Coates.

30th September – Montague 7 Wideopen juniors 3

The first league game for a while saw us visit Montague Boys and it soon became apparent that our lads were not up for the match and we were soon a goal behind when we struggled to deal with a long ball over the top. Montague were no better than us in ability but had more desire to win and in the end the desire was the difference. Even though we scored three good goals (Jack, Mark and Anthony), not many of the lads stood out on the day. Oliver Pratt again pulled off some great saves for someone not used to being in goals. We will have to pick ourselves up again and put this one down for experience.

16th September – Cramlington 9 Wideopen juniors O

The first cup draw of the season did not give us any favours as we drew Cramlington Juniors in the divisional CUP. The lads new it was a big test for them and as the game got under way we feared the worst. To the lads credit they fought very hard and held the hosts for the first 20 minutes with some great saves from Oliver Pratt keeping us in the game. Eventually the home sides pressure told and they took the lead. More goals quickly followed and we got to half time 5-0 down. The spirit the boys showed in the second half was excellent as we continued to fight and Aaron Stokes epitomised the spirit the lads showed with his second half display. All in all it was a disappointing result but the performance was something everyone can be proud of and if we can take that performance into the league we should have a good season.

2nd September - Pin Point Cowgate  1 v WJ 6(A)

A blustery wind and a slopping pitch did not stop the lads from playing some excellent football in their first league encounter of the season. It was an eventful start with MOM Ben Nelson ending up with a bleeding nose following a brave header in the opening minutes, after a few minutes recovering on the sideline he returned to his holding role in centre of midfield and produced a wonderful display.
The lads were 4-1 up at the break with a hat trick from Jack Copley following the opener from Josh Graham, some of the build up play was outstanding with Mark Stewart-Collins providing a constant threat down the right wing and Jack Copley and Anthony Thompson looking dangerous through the middle.
The second half started in much the same vein as the first with the lads creating numerous chances following some great passing moves, they were rewarded with a penalty when Mark Stewart-Collins was brought down in the area, he got up to convert the spot kick himself. The final goal was tapped over the line by Reece Stewart following some great work from the versatile Aaron Stokes.
The convincing nature of the victory meant that the management had the opportunity to look at all of the subs in the first competitive game of the season, there were some other performances worthy of a mention, Reece Coates and Lewis Wake well organised at centre half and Joey Matthews at right back. Also Oliver Pratt as stand in keeper gave an assured performance making one particularly good one on one save.
This was a great way to start the season, let’s hope they can build on it and get some early points in the bag.

4th September - WJ  2 v Seaton Burn 3(H)

The first home league game on the eve of the official opening of the new changing facilities and expectations were high following the excellent performance at Cowgate, however this was to prove to be a much tougher test for the lads.
The first half was hard fought and fairly evenly matched but it was Wideopen who created the better chances towards the end of the half, unfortunately apart from a goal being ruled offside they were unable to find the net.
The start of the second half saw the visitors come out much stronger and it took some great defending from Lewis Wake, Josh Graham and MOM Reece Coates to keep them out. The Wideopen lads fought well and started pressing themselves until two defensive lapses allowed Seaton Burn to take a 2 goal lead in as many minutes.
This is when the lads really showed their character with Max Houghton pulling one back and then a wonderful solo effort from Sam Noble levelling the scores going into the last ten minutes. It was end to end stuff but it was Seaton Burn who stole the winner on the break with only a couple of minutes remaining, as hard as they tried the lads were unable to snatch a draw.
No points this time but plenty positives to take from the game.