Newcastle Blue Star’s unbeaten run came to an end on Tuesday night, as they were defeated 1-0 by promotion rivals Bedlington Terriers.
Despite playing the majority of the game with ten men, Blue Star gave a valiant performance after going behind in the 4th minute.
Blue Star sat second in the league heading into the game with Bedlington hot on their heels, a point behind in third. Both sides would have been desperate for the three points, hoping to keep the pressure on runaway leaders Blyth Town.
If the previous meeting was anything to go by, Northern League fans were going to be in for a treat, with Blue Star coming out on top in an entertaining 3-2 win back in August.
With so much on the line, many fans would have expected the game to be tight early on. That however would not be the case, with Bedlington racing into an early lead in the 4th minute. The Terriers would catch Blue Star on the break and Joseph Thompson would head home, after a beautiful team move.
The home side would then have a chance to double their lead in the 15th minute when their forward raced in behind the Blue Star backline only to fire his shot narrowly wide.
The game then would be thrown into controversy in the 25th minute, as Shaun Ryder would receive a straight red card after a tackle on the edge of the box, a decision which would come as a surprise to both sets of supporters.
Despite playing with a man down, Blue Star continued to control the ball and would nearly get themselves level in the 45th minute, with Dan Lanning’s curling free kick nearly finding the top right corner.
The score however would remain 1-0 at the halftime break.
The second half would continue similar fashion, with Marc Nash’s side controlling the majority of possession. They would however fail to create any meaningful chances with Bedlington holding firm.
As the minutes wore on, tensions would continue to rise as Bedlington looked to hold onto their slender lead. That tension would soon boil over as Bedlington’s number thirteen would be sent off in the 90th minute.
Blue Star would then make a late surge for an equaliser, sadly for them though, the Bedlington backline would remain resilient and hold onto their 1-0 lead; coming away with the three points.