Match Report 8/11/2023
Billingham Synthonia 5, Redcar Town 2

Ernest Armstrong 2nd Division Cup 1st Round

Teams:
Billingham Synthonia: O Simpson, Miley, Lines, Davis (Scaife-Wheatley), McLeod, Heap, Hogan, Winstanley (C) (Brown), Williams (Willshaw), S Johnson (Lavan), Porritt (Banki).
Redcar Town: Algie, Wilson, Redman, Lee, Drummond (C), McCardle, Chapman, Smith, Webb, Dickinson, Prest. Subs; Blackburn, Heathcock, Reader, Smuk, Bean.

Synners hosted Redcar Town in the 2nd Division Cup and progressed to the next round with a 5-2 win.

Billingham got off to a good start and opened the scoring in the 5th minute when a McKellan Lines free-kick from near the left corner flag was headed in by defender LEWIS HEAP.

A Carl Williams shot was saved by Redcar keeper Jonathan Algie and then Luke Hogan shot over the bar as Synthonia continued to have the upper hand in terms of chances created.

More chances followed with Williams being set up by Lewis Porritt; his stabbed shot at goal saved. Then a short corner on the right from Stevie Johnson saw him recieve the ball back and sent in a shot from the right angle of the penalty area which struck the left hand post.

Redcar threatened when former Synner Anth McCardle won a header which set up another ex-Synner Chris Dickinson; his shot harmlessly wide. Synners then came close again as a Lines free-kick dropped to Heap in front of goal, his effort though was stopped on the goal-line from Algie.

The last chances of the half for Synthonia saw Hogan fire just over the bar from the left. Then a Lines corner from the left to the back post saw a shot from Johnson which was blocked in a packed six-yard box.

Half-time: Synners 1, Redcar Town 0

The visitors levelled the game up in the 60th minute when they broke following a Synners corner as McCardle won possession and a run forward from James Webb saw him lay the ball right to CONNOR PREST who made no mistake with a low shot past Synners keeper Ollie Simpson.

Redcar then had the game turned around with a second goal two minutes later in the 62nd minute. A cross from the left to CONNOR PREST in the penalty area saw the Redcar player deliver a fine first-time strike into the net.

A host of substitutions proved fruitful for Synthonia as two of them combined to give them an equaliser in the 76th minute with Joe Scaife-Wheatley sending a corner from the right into the box where DECLAN BROWN attacked the ball with vigour to head home.

Again the subs combined as Synners re-gained the lead in the 79th minute when Scaife-Wheatley sent in another corner from the right which this time MATTY WILLSHAW got on the end of to head home at the back post.

Billingham added a fourth goal in the 85th minute with Willshaw's shot seeing the keeper block, but LUKE HOGAN had followed the ball in and netted home the loose ball.

A fifth goal sealed the cup-tie in the 88th minute when Ash Lavan's shot from distance again saw the keeper unable to hold on after a save and this time MATTY WILLSHAW followed in to fire into the net.

Full-time: Synners 5, Redcar Town 2

Referee: G Mann, Assistants: G Dredge, H Cairns.

Attendance: 64

Match highlights from SynnersTV on YouTube