Late Myers effort earns Seaham deserved point at Penrith

Anthony Myers’ 89^th minute header ensured The Star left Cumbria with a well-earned draw on Saturday afternoon, bringing the club’s run of defeats to a welcome end and denying the hosts the chance to close the gap at the bottom of the table to a point.

Another reversal would have been immensely harsh on the visitors following a game in which they created the vast majority of openings and controlled the tempo for long-spells.

Nonetheless, Carl Lofthouse’s superbly taken opener in the 45^th minute looked to have condemned them to a seventh consecutive loss.

Chances had come and gone throughout the first-period and continued to in the second but, as the clock ticked down, it was central defender Myers – put up-front for the closing minutes - who rose highest to score and ensure a tangible reward could be taken back to County Durham.

There was still, though, a notable sense of frustration at full-time that it was one point, rather than three, in the bag in an already high stakes clash between the division’s 17^th and 18^th-placed sides.

“Definitely disappointed not win the game”, reflected Jon McDonald, the most recent addition to the Seaham staff, post-match. “I think we probably could have won three or four-one today based on the number of chances we created”.

Opportunities were coming from the off. With three new signings, in the form of David Robinson, Levi Collins and Adam Rundle, making their debuts amongst a total of six changes from Tuesday’s home Durham Challenge Cup defeat to Chester le Street, this felt – and looked – like a refreshed Seaham side.

Within two minutes, Michael Chilton – who opened his own account for the club in brilliant style in that tie – had volleyed over on the stretch from point-blank range after a brilliant Paul Weldon cross from the left.

Nathan Dryden side-footed wide from inside the box for the hosts soon after when Steven Ainsworth’s free-kick crept through to him, but the visitors continued to be the ones in the ascendency.

Robinson, an authoritative presence in the central-third throughout, was soon showcasing the goalscoring threat that has become a trademark of his midfield displays in the Northern League.

Nigel McCombie had to save with a foot when he forced a low-shot goal-wards from 15-yards in the 9^th minute and he raced onto a loose-ball to burst through the heart of the Penrith defence soon after but could only drag a right-footed shot wide from the edge of the box.

Ainsworth fired a 25-yard effort over for the hosts on 22 minutes but, once again, the clearer chances were falling The Star’s way, with Chilton heading narrowly wide three minutes later after Rundle stood-up an excellent cross from the by-line on the right.

The pressure was forcing errors, with Lee Hetherington latching onto a poor McCombie clearance 30-yards from goal on the half-hour mark but only returning the ball to the goalkeeper with an effort he didn’t quite get hold of.

A clever piece of link play by Chilton then looked to have played Robinson in in the 37^th minute but the newly named captain dragged his left-footed effort wide.

Penrith could, quite easily, have looked to soak up pressure as the half wore down, when considering the number of Seaham openings and the fact they had already been forced into two substitutions. Adam Main and Ainsworth were replaced inside 35 minutes by Brad Hayton and Connor Shields respectively due to injury.

It was the home side, though, who took the lead in impressive fashion on the stroke of the interval.

Carl Lofthouse latched onto a ball in-behind from the right-hand channel and, seeing Andy Hunter off his line, he lifted the bouncing ball over the goalkeeper with a 20-yard side-footed volley that dropped perfectly into the net after what seemed an age in the air.

Hetherington had a chance to send the visitors in level in stoppage-time, but he side-footed wide from close-range under pressure from defenders, having been played in by Chilton.

The second-half had a more low-key feel in its early stages. Hayton’s shot being held by Hunter three minutes after the restart represented the only significant goalmouth action prior to Matthew Lowrie seeing a cross from the right deflected onto the home crossbar and behind on 62 minutes.

Seaham were steadily upping the urgency of their search for a leveller. They first had to survive two attempted sucker-punches by their hosts, however, with Hunter forced to athletically parry away a powerful effort from 15-yards in the 66^th minute before Lofthouse raced through four minutes later but could only fire well-wide.

Really, Penrith should have been ruing those missed openings within moments.

Substitute Ryan Noble looked set to equalise when a cross from the left drifted through to him at the far-post. He could only guide a close-range half-volley wide of the bottom-right corner, though.

Having got himself into a number of excellent positions in recent weeks, the ex-Sunderland striker simply looks to be in need of a slice of good fortune in order to reopen his Seaham account.

Indeed, after Daryll Donnelly saw a header from a corner well-held by McCombie, Noble had the next chance.

In the 84^th minute, having intelligently peeled off his marker and been found by an excellent diagonal-pass by fellow substitute Jon Weirs – who conducted the intensifying stream of Seaham attacks brilliantly from central midfield - he set himself perfectly for the first-time volley that followed but just dragged the effort wide of the left-hand post.

His header back across goal from a corner two minutes later also went to waste but there was still no acceptance from the visitors that it might not be their day. And their persistence was soon rewarded.

Another delivery into the home penalty-area led to a brief pin-ball episode and when the attempted clearance came, it was more up than out.

Seeing the chance early, Myers made the most of the run he had on the ball to race towards it, rise to meet it as it fell and score with an excellent downward header that bounced up onto the underside of the crossbar and into the net via the unfortunate McCombie.

The signal confirming a goal eventually came and the celebrations were that of a team who more than merited their equaliser, yet still weren’t satisfied. Three points were now in sight, and they went after them.

Myers was only inches away from planting another header into the top-left corner of the net, after he was found by an excellent Lowrie cross in the first minute of stoppage time, and Noble’s luck was again out 60 seconds later when his far-post header struck the inside of the post and bounced across the face of goal.

McCombie had to improvise a save with his right-foot in the fourth minute of stoppage-time when Myers sent another attempt goal-wards under close attention from a defender, as a winner continued to prove elusive.

The point did, perhaps, taste slightly sweeter come full-time, though, with Weirs’ crucial clearance ensuring a last-gasp break from the hosts resulted in only a corner, rather than a clear-cut chance.

McDonald was buoyed by the volume of opportunities created on the day and emphasised the importance of capitalising on them next time out to ensure they take the full spoils from another crucial encounter.

“We’re creating chances, which is a good sign. But we need to start turning those chances into goals. It will be a physical contest against Whickham next week, there’s no doubt about that, but we’ll be working on things again midweek, looking at how we can go about getting three points”.

Wickham, who only sit higher in the table courtesy of a superior goal difference, visit the Ferguson Motor Repairs Stadium this Saturday.

 Penrith AFC (4-4-2):

1. Nigel McCombie; 2. Will Paul (YC), 5. Grant Davidson (C), 6. Matty Moynan, 3. Leo Holliday; 7. Robbie Hebson, 4. Steven Ainsworth (Shields, 34’), 8. Adam Main (Hayton, 23’), 11. Nathan Dryden (Brown, 61’); 9. Carl Lofthouse, 10. Shaun Gardner

Substitutes: 12. Michael Yarker, 14. Jack Brown, 15. Connor Shields (YC), 16. Brad Hayton, 17. Herve Buka

Manager: Andy Coyles

 Seaham Red Star (4-4-2):

 1. Andy Hunter; 2. Matthew Lowrie, 6. Anthony Myers, 5. Darryll Donnelly, 3. Paul Weldon; 11. Adam Rundle, 4. David Henderson, 10. David Robinson (C), 7. Levi Collins (Jackson, 58’); 9. Michael Chilton (Weirs, 71’), 8. Lee Hetherington (Noble, 58’)

Substitutes: 12. Ryan Noble (YC), 14. Jon Weirs, 15. Tommy Scott, 16. Cieran Jackson, 17. John Mordey (GK)

 Manager: Mark Collingwood

Referee: Helen Conley