Young loanee striker makes an instant impact on his Blyth Spartans debut

The Sunderland U21 forward signed for Blyth on Friday and went straight into the team, scoring a goal in each half on Saturday. JJ Hooper scored Blyth’s third goal in their 3-1 win, after Amadou Kassarate had opened the scoring for the home side after 10 minutes.

Blyth are slowly climbing back up the league table, the win against bottom club Bishop’s Stortford following away and home wins against South Shields sees them move up to 12th.

They will be hoping to make it four wins on the bounce tomorrow when struggling Banbury United visit Croft Park. The visitors have lost their last four games.

Kassarate scored following a short corner to give the home team the lead, a lead they held for 16 minutes before Gardiner got the first of his brace, dinking the ball over the keeper.

The two teams went in at half time all square but it was the home keeper, Jack Giddens, who was the busier in the second half.

Three minutes in he parried a cross by Blyth skipper Nicky Deverdics before saving a Finn Cousin-Dawson effort. He was beaten in the 65th minute when Gardiner pounced again, poking home a cross from Deverdics.

The youngster almost got his hat-trick moments later, rounding the keeper only for a defender to block his shot.

Hooper made sure of the points after a defensive slip by the home team in the 76th minute.

Manager Jon Shaw was delighted with the team’s performance and said: “The more the game went on, the better we were. Just a great performance all round.”

He was also delighted with Gardiner’s debut and told the Sunderland Echo: “He really could have finished the one-on-one chance he had and walked away with the match ball.”

Elliot Forbes has signed a contract with Blyth until the end of the season after his deal with Gateshead expired.

Forbes has been on loan at Blyth for most of this season and has made 20 appearances, including Saturday’s win at Bishop’s Stortford.