Clitheroe broke Yorkshire hearts and another away ground hoodoo with a dominant display on the east coast. The Blues did not back down in the face of an aggressive home side desperate to assert themselves, before they let their skill win the day.

With the wind swirling around, the first 15 minutes ensured a scrappy affair. The only chance fell to Ross Dent on three minutes when a floated Harries’ lob saw him go to ground as he looked to hook the ball into the net, but failed to make clean contact. On 18 minutes, Woodhead hared 40 yards out of his goal to clear the ball after a home forward sprang the offside trap. This jolted the away team into life and on 26 minutes, another Harries ball slipped Mayers through but his shot was tame.

On 29 minutes, Gonzales challenged the home keeper fairly for a bouncing ball and left him in a heap, as the more Neanderthal elements in the crowd appealed for a sanction. The Seadogs then had a couple of chances, with Woodhead turning a shot round the post and Harries being dispossessed setting up a cross with a header flashing over.

On 36 minutes, the Blues took the lead. A Harries free kick from the left saw Brady cushion a header from the back post, leaving Gonzales with the simplest of headers in front of goal. Two minutes later the lead was doubled as Mayers laid the ball to Dent on the edge of the D and he coolly side footed the ball home. The Blues could not take the lead into half time as a soft free kick was awarded well in the Clitheroe half and skipper Heywood expertly finished the cross into his own bottom corner with a glancing header.

The first real attack of note in the second half came on 59 minutes, when Mayers took the ball down the left, laid it inside to Gonzales whose sublime ball to Harries saw him scoop it narrowly over the bar.

The play was getting feisty by this point and Dent was taken off after a crunching tackle. Two minutes later, a 20 man melee broke out after Mayers had been fouled, and whilst tempers were restored, Gonzales took advantage to bundle the ball in with a deflected shot. On 68 minutes, Willoughby chipped the keeper, but it just did not have the legs to accelerate beyond the keeper.

Barski was then singled out for some serious punishment, before Harries was taken off after a bad tackle. The Blues kept their heads admirably in the face of intense provocation and coasted home to take the first Clitheroe three points at Bridlington’s ground.

The forward line were never quite as on song as in previous weeks, so the man of the match nod goes to Danny Brady, who was a colossus throughout.

Clitheroe XI
Woodhead, Heywood, Walker, Lynch (Chris), Brady, Garner, Harries, Dent, Gonzales, Mayers, Barski. Subs Bonaminio, Lynch (David|), Bakkor, Hampson, Willoughby.