North Shields 4 Newcastle Benfield 2: Patton hattrick secures Robins victory in thriller

A Kyle Patton hattrick secured the Robins a 4-2 victory over Newcastle Benfield in a wet and windy thriller.

An early Peter Glen-Ravenhill strike helped the visitors off to a fast start.

However, goals from Patton and Scott McCarthy gave the Robins a 2-1 lead at the break.

Dennis Knight drew Benfield level midway through the second period with a smart finish.

But in added time, Patton struck twice to secure all three points for the hosts.

After a slow start, the game came to life in the 10th minute when Benfield attacker Mechack Kanda’s shot from range flew over the crossbar.

Three minutes later, the Robins had a glorious chance to take the lead when Benfield keeper Andrew Grainger failed to collect a cross, with the ball falling to Cam Cunningham.

However, the shot-stopper made up for his error by denying the young winger twice with an impressive double save.

One minute later, the visitors took the lead when a deep cross into the box was met at the far post by Glen-Ravenhill, with the former Whitley Bay forward nodding home under pressure from a defender.

Wanting to respond quickly, the hosts piled forwards and in the 18th minute, a McCarthy header, from a North Shields corner, was comfortably saved by Grainger.

With the Benfield defence under heavy pressure, a marauding Chris McDonald had the Robins’ next chance in the 20th minute, only for his low drive to skip wide.

The hosts were almost punished for not converting their chances as midway through the first half, Ben Richardson’s well taken freekick smacked against the crossbar before the ball could be cleared to safety.

But in the 25th minute, the Robins had their equaliser when McCarthy gained possession just outside of the penalty area, before turning his man and calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

Benfield responded well to conceding as shortly afterwards, Knight ran from the half way line before unleashing a low shot which skipped narrowly wide of Greg Purvis’ goal.

However, in the 43rd minute, the Robins took the lead when a smart pass from McCarthy found Patton on the corner of the penalty area, with the winger driving his marker back before unleashing a shot which deflected in off the base of the post.

As the weather worsened, the start of the second half suffered as both teams struggled to deal with the wind and the rain.

The first real chance of note fell the Robins’ way when an effort from Patton was headed off the line before the ball was eventually cleared to safety.

Minutes later, Benfield drew level when the in-form Knight hammered a cross from Glen-Ravenhill past the outstretched hand of Purvis and into the back of the net.

Both teams were now throwing everything they had at each other in search of that crucial third goal but it was the Robins who came closest to edging ahead.

In the 71st minute, a great ball from Paul Robinson found McDonald in space, allowing the fullback to have a shot, only to see the ball take a critical deflection to take it away from the goal.

The weather conditions were now making it difficult for both sides to maintain possession of the ball, with several substitution a piece also playing a part in the game slowing down.

But as it looked like both sides would have to settle for a share of the points, a great pass from Gary Ormston freed Patton in the penalty area and after turning his man, he passed the ball into the bottom corner to send the home fans wild.

And with Benfield heads down, a mistake from Grainger only moments later gifted the ball to Patton. With the Benfield shot-stopper well out of position, Patton only needed to take a few steps before emphatically hammering the ball home into an empty net.

This results lifts the Robins up to fifth in the Ebac Northern League Division One table whilst Newcastle Benfield now sit in 11th.