Bridlington Town battle back to beat high-flying Dunston

The Seasiders nearly had a dream start in the second minute when Ahmed Salam broke through the back line and looked to cut the ball back for Destiny Nnenuna on his league debut, but a Dunston defender managed a goal-saving intervention.

The missed opportunity felt even more significant just two minutes later when Dunston took the lead; Alex Baird failed to cleanly collect a cross, leaving an easy tap-in for the visitors to make it 1-0.

Dunston controlled much of the early possession, and Bridlington’s afternoon looked to be going from bad to worse in the 31st minute when a handball was given against the hosts in the penalty area.

However, Alex Baird stepped up to redeem his earlier error, producing a magnificent diving save to his bottom right.

The save proved to be the game's turning point; just four minutes later, Bridlington were level. Olly Green swung in a pinpoint corner, and Tom Allan did what he does, rising above the defense to nod the ball home for 1-1.

Momentum was firmly with the Seasiders, and deep into first-half stoppage-time, they took the lead.

Allan flicked on a long free kick and Alex Markham was fouled by the Dunston keeper after chasing down the flick on, and Michael Coulson made no mistake from the spot, rifling his penalty into the bottom left corner.

The second half was a showcase of defensive grit. Riley Cooper, the club's January Player of the Month, was immense, snuffing out Dunston attacks with several huge tackles.

Any hopes of a Dunston comeback were finally extinguished by Destiny Nnenanua, who capped a memorable league debut by finding the net to make it 3-1.

Despite the referee adding over five minutes of stoppage time, Bridlington’s midfield, bolstered by the introduction of Joe Batty and Hamza Hamdosh – remained comfortable under the constant Dunston pressure until the final whistle.

The victory provides a vital boost for the Seasiders as they look to build momentum in the second half of the season.