A 10-0 Windscale win in the Wearside League was probably the most bizarre game ever hosted at the Falcon Complex.
Shotton arrived at the ground with only 10 players on their coach with a number of others following by car.
However, they had not arrived prior to the scheduled kick-off time.
Unfortunately for Shotton, pre-match administration contributed to their downfall as their team sheet had been submitted to the match officials with only the names of the 10 players present highlighted.
Consequently when the remainder of the squad arrived following the kick-off, disappointedly for the visitors, the match official denied them access to the game.
To their credit there was no histrionics from lowly Shotton.
They continued to complete the fixture with only the 10 players available to them and subsequently were on the end of a double figure defeat.
The quality of the game was not high due to the circumstances, with the Atoms taking an early 3-0 lead which made the outcome fairly predictable and resulting in a reduced level of commitment by the hosts.
Credit to Shotton, the players who took to the field battled well for their cause.
They were not helped when a player was dismissed late in the game for abusive language to the referee, probably more in frustration than malice.
Chris Daley, Shotton’s keeper was understandably the busiest man on the pitch, his contribution ensuring the score was not much higher.
Skipper Dan Turner also set a good example to his team, working tirelessly in midfield despite the numerical imbalance.
For the record, Man of the Match, Travis Fyfe helped himself to four goals; Ray Sempill and Harry Hodgson bagged a brace each, Reece Fretwell and Rob Davidson made up the Windscale tally.
The Atoms will be grateful for the three Valentine’s Day points, their second league victory in a row.
They will have a much more difficult task next Saturday when they travel to take on high-fliers Seaton Carew in the semi-final of the Shipowners Cup.
Listen to what Windscale manager Stephen Fawcett had to say about the match below:
