Alnwick Town to face Prudhoe YC twice in four days

The two clubs also met in the Northumberland Senior Cup at St. James’s Park on Tuesday night and with SIXTEEN out injured the manger’s options for squad rotation are limited.

Latimer was left ‘bitterly disappointed’ after Town blew a three-goal half time lead against Redcar Town last weekend where a stoppage leveller saw the visitors snatch a point.

“That’s four games now where we’re conceding too many goals - and we’re gifting goals away as well - so I’ve asked the lads if they’ve got a bit more about them,” he told Alnwick Town TV after.

“We should be enjoying that second half but we’ve just dropped deeper and tried to hang on to the 3-1, as it was at the time.”

Usman Ogidan shot Alnwick ahead early in the game before further goals from Yannick Azaikonou and Max Monaghan put Alnwick in control.

“In the first half it was almost like a game of basketball – two teams just trying to catch each other on the counter attack. The spectators from a neutral point of view certainly got their money’s worth.”

“We had a great start and a good goal but we went through a period where Uddy (Ugochukwu) has kept us in front and pulled some brilliant saves off,” continued Latimer.

“We found our feet and looked pretty comfortable but it’s a dangerous scoreline at half time as lads can switch off and it’s a very difficult team-talk to make because you don’t want to give them a pat on the back too much,” he said.

“Unfortunately, a mistake has let them get their foot back in the door, and then from that point I think Redcar were all over us,” admitted Latimer.

“We didn’t deal with it at all, we lost our shape, and it’s a strong word but I told the lads that I think we bottled it second half and when it was tough we seemed to fold a little bit which isn’t great to see.”

Redcar sent their keeper up for a last-ditch corner as they grabbed a dramatic leveller that Latimer felt ‘everyone in the ground could sense coming.’

Prudhoe are in eighth spot with Town currently in fourteenth.