Pre-Season Friendly
Walker Central 0-10 Morpeth Town
Carr 13, 21, 67, Graydon 30, Henderson 31, 79, Novak 38, Robinson 59, 82, Taylor 63
Morpeth Town made it four wins on the bounce as they continued pre-season with an emphatic 10-0 victory over Walker Central on Wednesday Evening.
Luke Carr netted a hat-trick, while summer signings Paul Robinson and Liam Henderson both contributed braces as the Highwaymen scored five times in each half. Keith Graydon, James Novak and Sean Taylor also scored in the rout.
With Town coming into the game with three wins in a row, the opening salvos were surprisingly open, Walker Central squandering an early chance as Paul Bell hit an effort from the edge of the area straight at Dryden after some good work down the right by the home side.
Town went close to opening the scoring in the fifth minute, Luke Carr’s corner fell to Sean Taylor who was denied by the Walker ‘keeper. The rebound fell to Henderson who saw his effort cleared off the line.
The Highwaymen eventually took the lead with 13 minutes on the clock. Carr found space at the edge of the area, shooting low to the ‘keepers right, the stopper making a mess of the save and fumbling the ball into his own net.
The visitors almost replied five minutes later as a long ball found Michael Baxter free behind the Town back four, the winger unable to guide the ball over Dryden and into the net, chipping the ball wide of the right-hand upright.
Carr’s second came soon after, Taylor with a reverse ball into the path of Carr to the left of centre in the penalty area, the forward hitting a low shot across goal to double the lead.
It was 3-0 on the half hour mark, captain Keith Graydon latching onto a ball 25 yards out, connecting with a fizzing right foot strike that the ‘keeper could only tip onto his post and into the bottom right hand corner.
Henderson added the fourth two minutes later, Graydon’s quick free-kick caught the Walker Central back-line napping, the striker, signed from Spennymoor Town earlier this summer, latching on to it and lobbing a stranded ‘keeper.
The fifth came as the game approached half-time, Sean Taylor pulling the ball back to James Novak on the left edge of the area, the left-back doing the rest by finishing across goal into the side netting.
It took until the hour mark, after the break, for the sixth to be added. Taylor found Novak on the left wing, he lofted a cross onto the head of Henderson who cushioned a header towards Robinson. He then feigned a shot three times, juking past three players in the six-yard box before rounding the ‘keeper and tapping home.
The seventh followed four minutes later, good combination play from Robinson, Carr and Henderson allowed Taylor to break the offside trap, the striker having all the time in the world to take a touch and fire past a helpless ‘keeper.
Carr completed his hat-trick four minute later in almost identical fashion to his second goal. Taylor again provided a reverse ball through the Walker defence into the path of an onrushing Carr just to the left of the six-yard box, guiding the ball across goal into the net.
A wrath of substitutions saw Morpeth bring on seven replacements, but it was two players who started the game who completed the scoring. On 79 minutes Henderson tapped home after Damen Mullen picked out Chris Reid on the left, the latter providing an inviting low cross.
Robinson added the tenth in the 82 minute, a 20-yard effort that the ‘keeper would argue he should have done better with.
The most important thing was that there was no injures picked up by the Highwaymen. We wish Walker Central all the best in their season ahead.
Morpeth Town – Dryden (Provett 45), Forster (Lay 70), Novak (Reid 62), Hall, Johnson (Grieve 70), Graydon (Bell 70), Fondato (Mullen 70), Robinson, Taylor (Anderson 70), Carr (Williams 70), Henderson
Walker Central – J Trialist, Thompson, Leech, Studholme, Monahon, Balmain, Baxter, Trodd, Bell, Tait, Robson. Subs – Matty Johnson, Danny Robinson, Jack Delaney, Rob Richardson, Paul Mills
Walker Central Stats Morpeth Town
8 Shots 21
4 On Target 16
4 Off Target 5
5 Corners 2
8 Fouls 9
1 Offside 3
