Blyth Spartans won't get carried away by first win - Dobson

Blyth Spartans goalkeeper Callum Dobson has insisted nobody at Croft Park will be getting carried away by their midweek win against Northern Premier League East rivals Newton Aycliffe.

It has been a challenging start to the season for Colin Myers and his players as they look to help Spartans through a rebuilding process after they suffered back-to-back relegations over the last two years. A 4-1 home defeat against reigning Northern League champions Redcar Athletic proved to be a chastening experience on the opening day of the campaign and that was followed by a late defeat at Consett and an FA Cup exit at the hands of Pontefract Collieries.

Spartans were punished for a slow start in their midweek clash with Aycliffe as winger Lucas Lowery fired home a stunning effort to give the visitors at early lead at Croft Park. However, Myers’ youngsters rallied and claimed a first victory of the season and ended a wait of 206 days for a competitive win thanks to an equaliser from Jack Wilson and a Benji Shodeinde penalty. On-loan goalkeeper Dobson believes the comeback win has proven a point - but insisted the focus remains on further improvement.

He told The Gazette: “It was massive for us and there was a weight lifted off our shoulders when the full-time whistle was blown. I think we showed how we can play and we showed that we can push on now - but we won’t get carried away.

“I think after the first game where we got a bit of a battering, there were some thinking that’s us done and we’d get relegated. But beating a team like Newton Aycliffe, it proves that we aren’t here to make the numbers up, we are here to make a point.”

Determination

The former South Shields goalkeeper joined Spartans on a season-long loan earlier this month and has enjoyed the early weeks of his time at Croft Park. Dobson revealed the youngsters within Myers’ squad are ‘young, hungry and ready to learn’ from their more experienced team-mates and stressed his determination to get the club moving in the right direction once again.

He said: “It’s been positive so far and the dressing room is a positive place. Most of the lads are young, I’m still young and learning but there is a nice mix with the senior lads and they are helping us with their experience and we give them a bit by being young, hungry and ready to learn from them. It is a big club, everyone knows Blyth Spartans not just in the region but around the country. I am enjoying and I want to help the club get back to where I think they should be.”

Focus

A visit to newly promoted Silsden is next on the agenda for Spartans as they travel to West Yorkshire on Saturday afternoon before looking towards a Northumberland derby when Ashington visit Croft Park on Bank Holiday Monday. Dobson described the fixtures as ‘a good opportunity’ to build on the win against Aycliffe - but insisted Spartans can not afford to look beyond their trip to Silsden.

“It’s a busy weekend for us but it’s also a good opportunity. We taken every game as it comes, we won’t get ahead of ourselves and think we have already won a game before playing it. We are just focusing on Saturday and then we go into a massive game against Ashington at Croft Park on Monday.”

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