Rothbury get Northern League player boost in promotion hunt

When the Northern League side have played their final fixture, Dick will turn out for his home town club in their remaining eight Northern Alliance Division One games.

Rothbury’s Josh Nelson had his head in his hands after missing a late chance to level against Gosforth Bohemians as the Reds crashed to a third straight defeat and saw their promotion hopes take a big dent.

Nelson burst into the box and got a shot away but the visitor’s keeper stood up to block and then denied him again from the rebound.

“Josh came into the changing room after and apologised to everyone but we all told him not to be daft,” said player manager Tom Macpherson.

“He did well to get into the position and did everything right. We just didn’t show enough throughout the game to really deserve anything from it.”

The Reds also had a big call for a penalty waved away when Greg Woodburn was floored in the box from a corner.

Bohemians won it in the first half with a goal from Oliver Smith. He latched onto a loose clearance by Rothbury keeper William Hindmarsh and smartly lobbed into the empty net from distance.

The fixture was switched from Benson Park to Armstrong Park to get it played.

Rothbury visit second-bottom Seaton Burn on Saturday looking to keep in contention at the top as the defeat saw them slip into sixth spot.