The match started with an early chance for West Auckland in the 7th minute when Hope delivered a precise cross, but Norton, the Redcar goalkeeper, made a crucial save to deny Walker’s header. However, it was Redcar Athletic who broke the deadlock in the same minute when Tymon unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box, despite a strong hand from Liversedge the ball carried too much pace and found it’s way into the net.

West Auckland continued to press forward, and in the 16th minute, Hope tried his luck from distance, but his shot narrowly missed the target. Walker then had a golden opportunity to equalise in the 19th minute, beating the offside trap and bursting through on goal, but Norton once again came to Redcar’s rescue with a fine save. Scott’s follow-up effort was blocked by the Redcar defence.

As the first half progressed, Whitfield came close to levelling the score for West Auckland in the 31st minute when he struck a well-placed free kick, but Norton pulled off another impressive save. In the 36th minute, the visitors had a chance of their own as Issac Walker broke free down the left, but Liversedge, the West Auckland goalkeeper, made an excellent save with his legs to keep his team in the game.

It was Whitfield’s free-kick in the 42nd minute that changed the course of the match. His delivery found Constantin, who powered a bullet header into the net, levelling the score at 1-1.

Second Half:

West Auckland came out strong in the second half and quickly took the lead in the 53rd minute. Hume delivered a dangerous cross from the right, and Walker flicked it on for Scott, who headed the ball into the back of the net, giving West Auckland a 2-1 advantage.

Redcar Athletic didn’t give up and continued to press forward. In the 54th minute, Liversedge made a crucial save after Fletcher’s strike from the edge of the box, with Dale making an excellent block from the rebound. Constantin had a chance to extend West Auckland’s lead in the 58th minute when Hope provided a perfect cross, but his touch under pressure from a defender narrowly missed the target.

In the 63rd minute, Redcar Athletic had a lifeline as they were awarded a penalty, but the spot-kick was blasted over the crossbar, letting West Auckland off the hook. The game took a dramatic turn in the 75th minute when Redcar Athletic were reduced to 10 men, as Anthony Bell was shown a red card for a reckless challenge. Emotions ran high from this point, and there were a number of clashes and bad tackles as the match intensified.

In the 80th minute, Redcar Athletic were awarded a second penalty, but Liversedge was the hero again, making a crucial save to preserve West Auckland’s lead. Despite being a man down, Redcar Athletic continued to press for an equaliser, and in the dying moments of the match, Whitfield attempted a shot from the edge of the box, which was blocked for a corner. The final chance of the game fell to Scott, who found himself with an empty net after a clever dummy by Whitfield but somehow blazed his effort over the bar.

In the end, West Auckland held on to their lead, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory. There was still time for more controversy though as both Dave Onions and Gary Forster of the Redcar management team were shown red cards after the final whistle.

Man of the Match: Wayne Whitfield