Bransay Take Top Spot
Bransay Athletic surged to the top of the North Northumberland League with a commanding 3-0 victory over Lowick United at Craik Park on Saturday.
The win, powered by goals from Liam Lightfoot, Marcel Byrne and Ardelan Ameen, marked four victories in their last five matches, propelling them one point clear of the chasing pack.
Bransay XI:: C Peel, M Haliva (C Uddgren 68’), J Dodd-Thompson, J McGettrick, T Weaver (J Roberts 79’), D Lambert, L Lightfoot, A Ameen, T Bailey, M Baker (A Seaton 79’), M Byrne.
The match saw the debut of new signing Danny Lambert, who replaced the departed Shane Patton on the right wing. Despite high expectations given Lambert’s experience, the 30-year-old had an underwhelming performance, struggling to make an impact against Lowick’s defence. Manager Callum Baird will hope the former Darlington man finds his feet soon in the coming fixtures.
Bransay opened the scoring in the 26th minute through a well-worked move. After interplay in midfield, Tom Bailey fed Ardelan Ameen, who broke forward and played the ball to Liam Lightfoot. The midfielder struck a slow but precise effort from 25 yards out, finding the top right corner past Lowick goalkeeper Jeff Fraser to make it 1-0.
The second goal arrived in the 62nd minute. Left-back Tom Weaver latched onto a clearance from Lowick’s Kingsley Babatunde, raced down the wing and delivered a low cross into the six-yard box, where Marcel Byrne slotted the ball beyond Fraser to double the lead.
Bransay sealed the win in the 89th minute with a swift counter-attack. Lightfoot picked up the ball in his own half and found Alex Seaton down the middle. Seaton turned neatly with one touch before spotting Ameen’s run to the left. Ameen took the ball into the box and slammed a powerful shot into the near left corner, beating the closing defenders to make it 3-0.
The victory continues Bransay’s strong run of form, following a win over Longhoughton Rangers at the end of November. With Berwick Town and Swarland playing out a 2-2 draw, Bransay now sit top of the league with 21 points after 10 games. Berwick Town, Alnmouth United - who beat North Sunderland Reserves - and Swarland are all on 20 points, with goal differences of 7, 4 and 2 respectively, making it a tight race at the top. North Sunderland Reserves, in 5th, trail by five points, suggesting the top four are starting to pull away as contenders for the North Northumberland League title.
Bransay’s next match is a crucial clash at Forge Road against 2nd-placed Berwick Town in a fortnight, which will see all teams pass the halfway point of the season with 12 games played. With the league race heating up, Bransay will need to be at their best to maintain their position at the summit.
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