Once again thanks to Ian Cusack for the report.......

After last week’s defensive debacle at home to Cullercoats, Percy Main Amateurs began this week’s contest in determined fashion. Twice in the opening couple of minutes, Delaval keeper Ethan Custance was called upon to keep his side level, with sprawling saves from the lively Kai Charlton. However, it was the visiting Amateurs who took the lead after 6 minutes with a Goal of the Season contender. Burly opposition centre forward Malik Kalimba hit a first time, side foot, cushioned volley from 14 yards out that flashed past Reece Monaghan before he had time to react. When such an audacious piece of skill is enacted by the opposition, there is no place for recriminations; all you can do is nod your head in appreciation and applaud.

Once the lead had been established, Delaval sat back and invited the Villagers to come at them. This the home side did, but with more enthusiasm than skill. Custance, belying his slender frame and lack of inches, took on the role of sweeper keeper, racing from his goal to hammer clearances away. The Main attempted to obviate this threat by switching to a short passing game, though this allowed Delaval to harry the hosts out of their stride. Far too often in the first period, ponderous Percy players held on to the ball for too long, or took extra, unnecessary touches in the hope of finding a killer pass. When the shots did come in, they were too often weak and misdirected, resulting in the visitors leading at the break.

It was a reinvigorated Percy Main that came out after the interval and slowly, but surely, began to turn the screw on their visibly wilting opponents. It was Custance who came to Delaval’s rescue on numerous occasions. He eye-catchingly spread himself to deflect Dylan Taylor’s goal-bound effort behind for a corner after 55 minutes. The equaliser was soon to arrive, however; on 59 minutes the impressive Finlay Baty floated in a superb corner, right on the head of Thomas Kaltoeber, who precisely nodded the ball beyond the despairing leap of Custance for a thoroughly merited equaliser.

From that point on there was only one side likely to win it. Twice Taylor and Charlton saw their on-target shots desperately deflected behind for corners. A series of questionable offside decisions also stalled the Percy momentum when in good positions. So, despite doing more than enough to win the game, Percy Main had to settle for a point. Next week, PMA are away to Newcastle Chemfica in the Northern Alliance Team Valley Carpets Challenge Cup at Newcastle University’s Longbenton Sports Ground on Coach Lane. The postcode is NE7 7XA , kick off is 1:30