As some of you may be aware, I’ve been in Greece for two weeks. That’s why it has been very quiet on here. I was in Elounda, Crete for a fortnight and landed back into Edinburgh a couple of minutes after midnight on Sunday morning. While over there, I tried my best to get to a game. The local team in Elounda hadn’t yet started pre-season but I did have a look around their ground again. Agios Nikolaos also have a team but I couldn’t find a single thing about their pre-season friendly. The games I could find were either OFI Crete’s pre-season games or Platanias’ games in the Greek SuperLeague. Platanias played Panathinaikos the day after I got there but I was never going to get over there so quick. Platanias is past Chania which is three hours in a car from Elounda. They were playing another game the weekend after against Xanthi and we were thinking of going over to Chania for a night and I might have got to that but it wasn’t to be. OFI Crete were playing a few pre-season friendlies with Cypriot First Division side AC Omonia being the most notable. But, I couldn’t get to any of them either. Today, I had won two free tickets for Hexham Races so that’s where I was. A bus to Sunderland and then train to Hexham got me there and on the way back I got into Sunderland at 18:50 so it would have been rude not to have gone to this game tonight!

Match report:

Dunston climb to second in Northern League Division One with victory at Ryhope CW

Dunston UTS climbed to within goal difference of leaders West Auckland Town on Tuesday night with an impressive 3-0 win at Ryhope CW.

Michael Hall, Dan Halliday and Adam Rundle were all on the scoresheet as the Tynesiders put an end to Ryhope’s three-game winning run.

Dunston started with Mark Fitzpatrick and Scott Heslop leading the line, while James Martin and Liam Thear worked the wings.

The visitors started brightly and almost found themselves ahead in only the seventh minute. Martin’s cross found a way through to Thear at the back post and he drove a low ball back across goal. A further touch sent it goalbound but Ryhope were able to clear off the line.

Four minutes later, Fitzpatrick weaved into a shooting position but his effort was saved by Ryhope’s Jonny Ball.

Just before the quarter of an hour mark, a sharp Dunston break almost ended with the opening goal. Jake Stafford headed clear a Ryhope corner and found Fitzpatrick in the process. His superb ball played Heslop in and the former Chester-le-Street Town man did well to hold possession before his effort trickled narrowly wide of the far post.

Despite not creating many chances, Ryhope CW were seeing plenty of the ball in the opening half hour.

In the 22nd minute, Ryhope CW had their best chance to date. Dunston goalkeeper Aidan Grant was adjudged to have handled the ball outside of the penalty area and Thomas Bott took responsibility of the resulting free-kick. His drive was low and hard but darted just wide of Grant’s left post.

Just before the half hour mark, Dunston UTS broke the deadlock. An attack was cleared as far as Hall who took aim from 25 yards and his low drive picked out the bottom corner.

Heslop had a couple of chances to extend Dunston’s lead just before the break while a towering header from the visitors failed to find the target.

Dunston were good value for their lead at the break and the hosts knew they would have to create more chances in the second half if they were to get anything.

A rather quiet start to the second half saw no clear chances in the opening 10 minutes.

Joey Melvin fired well over for the hosts in the 57th minute before Dunston doubled their lead a minute later.

Good football from Dunston played the ball out wide to Thear. His powerful low cross was met by a first time Halliday effort and the ball rocketed into the roof of the net.

Twenty-one minutes from time, Ryhope could have halved the deficit. Substitute Dale Milburn, on loan from Darlington, was played in and he attempted to lob Grant who was just say tall enough to jump and catch.

Ten minutes from time, Dunston sealed the win with a third goal. Elliott’s fine trickery in the corner pleased the traveling support and his cross was just as impressive. With the cross eventually falling at the back post, it dropped to Rundle who smashed home.

Daniel Lowther fired a Dunston free-kick narrowly wide inside the final five minutes while Corey Nicholson cut in at the other end but could only shoot wide.

It should really have been four when an opportunity from a matter of two yards was squandered by Dunston but it counted for very little as The Fed claimed the three points.

Full-time: Ryhope CW 0-3 Dunston UTS

Next up for me is Easington Colliery vs Thornaby on Thursday.

Ryhope CW: Ball, Turnbull, Cocks, Riding, Paxton, Trewick (c), Skidmore, Bott (Davis, 64′), Melvin (Milburn, 64′), Weirs (Cairns, 64′), Nicholson

Unused subs: Home-Jackson, Ord

Dunston UTS: Grant, Elliott, Halliday, Stafford (Rundle, 46′), Pollock, Hall, Thear (Anderson, 71′), Burrell (c), Fitzpatrick, Heslop (Lowther, 82′), Martin

Unused subs: Harrison, Jones

Admission: £6 adults, £4 concessions

Programme: £1

Attendance: 127

Hot dog: £1.50