Northern League: Easington Colliery boss saddened by Whickham crisis

Olly Hotchkiss praised the professionalism of his Easington Colliery players after they romped to a big win against troubled Whickham on Friday night.

The visitors arrived at Welfare Park with a young side lacking in Northern League experience after a budget cut led to the departure of management team Dan Crooks, David Palmer and player coach Dan Craggs and the vast majority of their playing squad. Interim manager Andy Kingsland hastily pieced together a squad for their meeting with the Colliers following the postponement of a midweek clash with Blyth Town - although the inexperienced of the Lang Jacks players showed as they were to put to the sword.

There were braces for Colliers trio Ethan Ord, Thomas Bott and Aiden Stanton and Denny Tapping and Liam Adamson grabbed a goal apiece as Hotchkiss’ men romped to a 9-0 win that ensured they bounced back from their midweek defeat against Newton Aycliffe in some style. Speaking after the game, Hotchkiss showed his delight over the attitude shown by his players during the win - but also expressed his sadness over the plight of their visitors and praised the Whickham youngsters for the effort they showed up to the final whistle being blown.

He told The Echo: “We are really pleased with the win and I thought the players showed a great level of professionalism throughout the game. Some of our play was nice to watch at times. It’s not nice to see Whickham in that position but credit where credit is due, they have fulfilled the game and done the club proud. Those young lads should be proud of the level of effort they showed because they did not give up at all. We at Easington wish Whickham all the very best for the remainder of the season.”

Results

Friday: Birtley Town 6-3 North Shields, Easington Colliery 9-0 Whickham, Horden CW 0-1 Thornaby Saturday: Bishop Auckland 2-0 Penrith, Crook Town 4-1 Redcar Town, Kendal Tow 5-4 Blyth Town, Marske United 1-0 Whitley Bay, Newcastle Benfield 1-2 Northallerton Town, Shildon 4-2 Newton Aycliffe, Yarm & Eaglescliffe 0-1 Newcastle Blue Star

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