Bains stretches net as Rothbury end season on a high

The Reds hit-man missed a number of games this season – including the important NFA Minor Cup semi-final against winners Hazlerigg Victory – due to a broken wrist.

But he still ended up second in the Northern Alliance Division One scoring charts with a 26-goal haul that left him just two short of Wallsend Boys Club’s Desmond Igho.

“I was pleased to get the four goals, it’s just a shame I narrowly missed out on top scorer – I’ll definitely be back next season to give it another go,” said the former Ellington striker.

“It’s been an okay season overall, but there’s definitely a bit of disappointment missing out on promotion and a cup final.”

“We’re planning to stay fit over the summer, bring in a few new faces, and hopefully push on for some silverware next time around.”

Rothbury were already assured of a fifth-placed finish in the table and served up a 5-3 thriller against relegation-threatened Whitburn & Cleadon at Armstrong Park.

Bains tucked away his first to level the scores on 31 minutes before Nick Jarvis-Smith put the Reds ahead with a spectacular curling effort five minutes before the interval.

Rothbury’s number nine added to his tally with further strikes in the 50th, 52nd and 71st minutes to pick up the man of the match accolade.

“It’s funny with Bainsy, he was a little disappointed not to catch the top goalscorer despite scoring four goals, which tells you a lot about his mentality for scoring goals,” said player-boss Tom Macpherson.

“In terms of our season, we are relatively pleased but with a sense of disappointment too. Our aim at the start of the season was top three and a Minor cup run, we were two points off third and got to the Minor cup semi-final so not far off.”

“We will be looking to bolster our squad as injuries this year have hit us hard, with Bobby Stone, Adam Gardner, Jordan Harvey and Ryan Gair all missing large spells of the season. We will also be looking to progress some of the off-field developments.”