Whitehaven Amateurs progressed to the second round of the Ernest Armstrong Divisional Cup competition after a hugely entertaining game under lights at the Focus Scaffolding Sports Complex.

Straight from the kick off both sides made their intentions known with attacking football which flowed from end to end.

The greasy surface, following an afternoon of rain, also made for excitement as players fought to control the ball. 

It was the home side who struck first on 23 minutes when Kevin Connelly took the opportunity to shoot when  space opened in front of him, and although visiting 'keeper Ian Myers got a fingertip to the ball, it hit the inside of the post and nestled in the net.

Mike Farrer was unlucky minutes later when his shot was brilliantly saved by Myers, who pushed the ball round the post for a corner kick.

But it was Brandon who equalised on 35minutes, when the influential Liam Bramley planted a curling shot into the top corner of the home goal past Jack Fryer.

Bramley was at the heart of everything Brandon created, and his passing and probing caused all sorts of problems for the hosts who had to be alert to block shots and intercept crosses. Graeme Lilly and debutant Adam Johnson were prominent in defence for the home side, while Mally Holliday and Lee Dixon tried valiantly to get things moving from midfield. 

Brandon's Steven Fothergil tested Fryer from distance as the half drew to a close, and winger Phil Robinson blasted over the bar to send the teams in all square at the break.

Play resumed with both sides pushing for advantage.  Craig Robson and Darren Donald both put over quality crosses into the Brandon box that weren't converted, and Farrer hit the 'keeper’s legs with an opportunist strike from inside the box.

At the other end Jordan Archer brought a smart save from Fryer, and Fothergil "scored" only to have the effort chalked off for an obvious foul on sub Luke Smith.

Bramley continued to be prominent for the visitors, and he created chances for John Guy and Robinson that came to nought, both efforts sailing over the bar.

Then on 76 minutes, a Holliday pass found Dixon on the right, and his driven cross was touched home by Robson to put Whitehaven into a lead which they never relinquished.

Brandon threw more players forward in an attempt to force the tie into extra time, but the defence held firm, and at the final whistle both sets of players knew they'd been in a hard game.

Manager Martin Harris was most complimentary after the game and said: “Brandon caused us problems in the first half especially when we went in all square, but we changed the system at half-time, and John (George) and I were really delighted with how the players adjusted and adapted.  It was tight, but we were resilient and ground-out a result."

Saturday sees new boys Newton Aycliffe visit the Focus Scaffolding Sports Complex for the resumption of the League programme, kick off 3pm.

Last Saturday, Whitehaven had returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Seaham Red Star in the Northern League Division Two.

They got off to the best possible start after five minutes when David Dustin got on the end of a Kevin Connelly through ball to beat 'keeper Michael Thackery and give his side the lead.

He should have doubled the lead on nine minutes when a flowing move saw Darren Donald cross from the right, but the ball seemed to get stuck under his feet, and the chance was gone.

Seaham looked a lively side at this point and they succeeded in forcing a series of corner kicks.

From one such corner Andrew Sullivan fired directly into the net to equalise, much to the hosts frustration, and they restricted Whitehaven to the one goal up until the break.  Whitehaven tried to break down the visitors defence with attacks down the wings, but all too often the chance was wasted, or the shots on goal were easily dealt with.

After the break Seaham launched long ball attacks into the Whitehaven half, but apart from a sharp effort from Andrew Toman which home 'keeper Jack Fryer turned over the bar, there was no real danger.

The hosts began to turn the screw as the half progressed, and Connelly saw one effort clip the post and another cleared off the line. 
Pressure had to tell in the finish, and a brilliant solo effort from Craig Robson was the turning point of the game.  Taking the ball wide on the left, he cut inside to find space and drew Thackery, before planting his shot into the net on 72 minutes.

Seaham depended mainly on counter attacks to try and break up Whitehaven's rhythm, but with the home back four in miserly mood, they came to nothing.

A Graeme Lilly header flashed past the post from a corner, and Mike Farrer just failed to convert another Donald cross as the hosts dominated the later stages, but the score remained at 2-1 to give Whitehaven three more valuable points.

"It was a hard-earned win, but what was really pleasing was the way we responded to last weeks setback.  We were determined and very resilient, and eventually ran out worthy winners," commented manager Martin Harris, as his side remained in second place in the league.

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