This was the third pre-season game for the forthcoming season with Bedlington Terriers being the visitors to Sam Smith’s Park, with a win and a loss from the previous two games. Benfield were quick out of the traps when in the third minute a swift move down the Bedlington left flank saw a drive well saved for a corner by goalkeeper Adam Cameron. A couple of minutes later Benfield had another good move ending with Kieran Watson shooting over the Bedlington crossbar.
Six minutes had passed when a cross by Aiden Haley found team mate Ryan McGorrigan, who saw his well struck volley go just wide of the Bedlington post. Little had been seen of the Bedlington team in an attacking sense and they were soon to rue their lack of commitment and possession when in the fourteenth minute Benfield got the opening goal of the game.
A ball was floated into the far post to be well controlled by Ryan McGorrigan, who after controlling the ball struck the ball giving Bedlington goalkeeper Adam Cameron no chance of saving, making the score 1-0 to Newcastle Benfield.
Only four more minutes had passed before Benfield saw their second close chance go just wide when Aiden Haley headed over the bar from a cross by Kieran Watson. It didn’t take long however for Benfield to get a second goal when a ball by Ryan McGorrigan was floated to the Bedlington far post to be well controlled by Kieran Watson who drove the ball past the Bedlington keeper Adam Cameron, giving him no chance of saving it making the score 2-0.
Bedlington’s first attack of any note came in the twenty-second minute when they won a corner from which centre forward Joe Thompson headed over the Benfield crossbar.
Bedlington were starting to get a little more into the game and on the half, hour mark they were unlucky when a through ball by Gavin Dick was just too strong for James Wilson, to the relief of the Benfield defence. A minute later a good break by Bedlington’s Joe Thompson set up team mate James Wilson, but he fluffed his lines by putting a good goalscoring opportunity wide of the Benfield goal.
It was the turn of Benfield to miss a good goal scoring chance in the thirty-fourth minute, when a ball into the Bedlington penalty area was well controlled by Ryan McGorrigan who after a swift turn hit his shot against the Bedlington post, missing a good chance to increase the lead. Play was then even petering out to halftime with Benfield leading 2-0.
The second half was only two minutes old before a third goal was scored and it went to the visitors when a through ball found its way to James Wilson who advanced forward in a one-on-one situation with Benfield goalkeeper Andrew Grainger and he came out on top after rounding the keeper before side footing the ball into the empty net making the score 2-1.
The hour mark had just passed when another goal was scored and this time it went to Benfield, a terrific cross from the right wing was met by the head of Sam Reid who saw his bullet like header crash off the Bedlington crossbar and who was johnny on the spot to tap the ball into an empty net making the score 3-1 no one else but Paul (Brassy) Brayson.
A good goalscoring chance came the way of Benfield two minutes later when a cross from Dennis Knight gave Connor Walker a good goalscoring chance but he put it wide of the Bedlington post. To their credit Bedlington kept on coming forward with nothing to lose with it being pre-season and were rewarded in the sixty-sixth minute when a ball into the Benfield penalty area caused confusion before Joe Thompson scrambled the ball home to make the score 3-2.
Bedlington had a great opportunity in the eightieth minute when James Wilson the scorer of Bedlington’s first goal had an easy chance to get an equaliser but to his despair, he put the ball wide of the Benfield goal. Benfield eventually got another goal with just three minutes of the game left and it came by way of a penalty after Dennis Knight was brought down and up stepped Ayo Allison to make the score 4-2 which was also the final score.