Blyth Spartans get new league campaign off to a flying start with four goals against Gloucester City

JJ Hooper celebrates after scoring his penalty against Gloucester City. Picture: Paul Scott/Blyth Spartans

It was a dream start for Graham Fenton’s team, with new signing JJ Hooper getting the ball rolling from the penalty spot in the 34th minute after he had been brought down in the penalty area.

The former Gloucester City player picked himself up and slotted the ball past the keeper to score on his league debut for Spartans.

Before his goal, Hooper had almost forced the ball home following a goalmouth scramble and captain Nicky Deverdics’ curling free kick was pushed away by The Tigers’ keeper, Liam Armstrong.

Gloucester pulled one back after Alex Mitchell was unable to keep hold of a shot by Danny Wright, the ball falling to Harry Emmett, who scored.

Blyth got their second goal just before half time after some good pressing by Curtis Round and Hooper caused panic in the Gloucester defence, the ball fell to Michael Liddle, who couldn’t force it home, before Jordan Hickey hit it past Armstrong to restore Blyth’s lead.

Blyth started the second half on the front foot, Liddle’s cross just eluding Round before Mitchell was called into action again to save a deflected shot by the visitors.

Having seen his free kick saved in the first half, Deverdics made no mistake with a 25-yard curler into the top righthand corner in the 58th minute.

City pulled a goal back with a lofted ball over Armstrong after some poor play by Spartans and Finn Cousin-Dawson was on hand to clear a corner as the visitors looked to equalise before substitute Lewis Knight grabbed Blyth’s fourth following a cross by Round.

Speaking after the game, assistant manager Jon Shaw said: “For us to start with a win after the disruption of pre-season; we never really got our squad all together until this week and we definitely didn’t see them all together in a game.”

He added: “To score four, to dominate large chunks of the game, I’m not sure we could be happier.”

Blyth are away at newly-promoted Warrington Town tomorrow, a place Shaw knows well from his previous clubs and which he described as “a hard place to go to”.