Wearside League: More misery rocks Boldon CA on the road to Hartlepool

It was a third away defeat to Pool this term, following a 5-0 league humbling and a 3-1 reverse in the Total Sport Alan Hood Charity Cup semi-final.

Saturday’s tie was meant to be played at Grayfields Enclosure, but a frozen pitch forced a switch to the artificial surface at Brierton Sports Centre.

Boldon, though, found the new venue no better, from their point of view, despite getting off to a flier.

They needed just four minutes to make the breakthrough, when a dangerous cross was turned in by Daniel Dolan.

Boldon remained in command until Hartlepool staged an impressive fightback, bursting into life in the final 15 minutes.

Jamie Tumilty equalised after Andy Blackburn’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Alan Greenan.

Three minutes later, Michael Snowdon made a great 55-yard run and slid the ball through two defenders to Matty Gardiner, who fired home past keeper Greenan for the winner.

Hartlepool secretary John Ward said: “It was not the best of games, as the ball spent a lot of the time in the air, but the main thing is Hartlepool won and are into the semi-finals in February.”

Durham Alliance Combination League outfit West Auckland Tunns pulled off a shock cup win by defeating Wearside League side Coxhoe Athletic 2-1.

Coxhoe took the lead at Cockfield five minutes into the second half, following an own goal, but Tunns hit back through Anthony Philipson 15 minutes later, with a right-foot shot past goalkeeper Luke Cowie.

The winner came in the 70th minute, when Philipson struck again in similar style to seal a last-four spot.

Sunderland West End must try again this weekend to stage their home quarter-final against Gateshead Rutherford following another postponement.

Silksworth CW’s visit to Leam Rangers was also called off.

West End head to Consett tomorrow in the second round of the Durham Challenge Cup.

Only two league games got the go-ahead.

South Shields Reserves travelled to Cumbria to take on lowly Windscale at the Falcon Complex and went down 2-1.

The Cumbrians went ahead on 27 minutes, when Lewis Jolly fired a low shot into corner of the net, beating goalkeeper Keeton Marrs.

Nine minutes later, Shields equalised following a header through David Loch.

But Windscale dominated the second half and, on the hour mark, Ben Graham scored the winning goal with an excellent strike, securing only their third win of the season.

Windscale secretary Joe Shepherd said: “I’m just happy with the win for a change.

“The first half was very evenly contested, but the second half was dominated by us and we played really well.

“If it wasn’t for their goalkeeper, we could have ran away with the game.”

Darlington Reserves impressively held leaders Cleator Moor Celtic to an entertaining 2-2 draw.

The Cumbrians duly extended their advantage at the top to three points, still with two games in hand on closest challengers Hebburn Town Reserves.

Cleator Moor took an 11th-minute lead, courtesy of a shot by Callum Birdsall which beat goalkeeper Eddy Wilczynski.

But Darlington levelled on 29 minutes, when Gareth McMahon’s shot from edge of the penalty box, flew into the net.

Vinnie Steels then put Darlington ahead with just 14 minutes left, when he smashed a left-foot shot into the corner of the net, giving goalkeeper Craig Devine no chance.

But, in the seventh minute of stoppage time, Tom Mahone fired in from the edge of box for a dramatic, last-gasp equaliser.

All the other scheduled matches were postponed.