Marske United 2 Billingham Synthonia 0
Marske’s pre-season got off to a tempestuous start with a comfortable 2-0 victory that saw both sides have a player sent off following a melee involving 14 players.
Marske opted for a 3-5-2 formation with Matthew Wilkinson in goal, with one eye on the North Riding Senior Cup semi-final which new signing Ryan Catterick can’t play in. Connor Smith and Liam O’Sullivan lined up as wing backs with Adam Wheatley, Kev Burgess and Andrew May as the three centre backs. The midfield three consisted of Craig Gott, Glen Butterworth and Lewis Maloney with Louis Johnson up front alongside new signing Adam Boyes. The bench consisted of Jack Blackford, Mathew Garbutt, Matthew Tymon, Curtis Round, who had missed the start of pre-season so was left on the bench, and Billy Clark.
Marske got off to the best possible start, taking the lead on 5 minutes when quick thinking from O’Sullivan, taking a quick throw-in which released Boyes who saw his exquisite lob drop under the crossbar. It was nearly 2-0 on 19 minutes when another O’Sullivan throw-in saw Wheatley win a header and the ball dropped to Johnson who saw his shot on the turn go inches wide. Synners only chance of the half was in the 45th minutes when a Wilkinson clearance was blocked but May was on hand to clear.
Half Time: Marske 1 Billingham Synthonia 0
Within the first minutes of the 2nd half, it was 2-0 when a mistake at the back allowed Boyes a clear run on goal who finished calmly with a low shot across Dawson. On 52 minutes, a late challenge on Burgess led to a mass brawl involving 14 players from both sides. When peace was restored, both Burgess and Daniel Chapman were shown red cards by referee Jamie Cann. On the hour mark, Marske made 4 changes with Boyes, Smith, Johnson and Maloney replaced by Tymon, while playing a 4-3-2 formation following the red card. The only other chance of the game for Marske fell to Round on 81 minutes when Tymon and Gott combined but last season’s top scorer fired over the bar.
Next up for Marske is the re-arranged North Riding Senior Cup semi-final versus Scarborough Athletic on Thursday 13th August at Mount Pleasant, kick off 7.45pm. You can follow the game on Twitter and the club are looking to stream the game live.
Teams: Wilkinson, Smith (Garbutt), O’Sullivan, May, Wheatley, Burgess, Butterworth, Gott, Maloney (Blackford), Johnson (Round), Boyes (Tymon)
Sub (not used): B. Clark