Bridlington Town sunk by North Ferriby on Boxing Day
Bridlington Town fell to a 3-1 defeat on Boxing Day as North Ferriby claimed the derby spoils at The Versa Sportswear Stadium.
The visitors started brightly, enjoying a good spell of possession early on and moving the ball well in the opening exchanges.
Alex Markham’s early cross and a dangerous flick-on across the face of goal hinted at promise, but Ferriby struck first after nine minutes when a loose ball at the back allowed Josh Thacker through to slot past Dash.
Ferriby continued to threaten from long throws and direct play, and doubled their lead on 22 minutes in controversial fashion.
Dash was wiped out in the air while attempting to collect a cross, but the ball dropped kindly for former Seasider Lewis Dennison to tap home at the back post, the goal standing despite strong protests.
Brid responded well and found a way back into the contest on the half-hour mark.
Ben Farrar, who showed great composure with his back to goal, managed to swivel and fire a low strike into the bottom corner, reducing the deficit to 2-1 and giving the travelling Seasiders renewed belief.
That momentum was halted just before the break as a ball lifted over the Brid back line found Josh Dennett, who calmly lifted his finish over Dash to make it 3-1 at the interval.
The second half was scrappy at times, with plenty of stoppages and physical exchanges.
Brid looked to wrestle control, pushing higher up the pitch and forcing Ferriby back for long periods.
Farrar almost forced an own goal with a dangerous low cross, while Deshaun Musgrave-Dore, making his debut from the bench, impressed with his energy and willingness to take on defenders, seeing one long-range effort blocked.
Debutant Reece Kendall also caught the eye, completing 90 minutes and showing composure throughout, while the Seasiders continued to apply pressure late on with a series of corners and attacks.
Despite sustained spells in the Ferriby half, Brid were unable to find the final ball or clinical finish needed to mount a comeback.
An attendance of 746 witnessed a competitive derby encounter, and though the result went against Town, there were encouraging signs in performance, effort, and the contributions of the new faces.
The Seasiders will look to build on those positives as attention now turns to the next fixture on New Year’s Day at home to league leaders Redcar Athletic.
Town’s interim player-manager Michael Coulson said: “I am really disappointed with the manner of the goals. Apart from the three goals which were all really bad mistakes it was a pretty even game.
"I think it’s been the story over the last three games the goals we’re conceding is not like us.
“I thought Reece was really good, probably needs a few games to get match sharpness, but you can see he’s got great quality.
“Deshaun was brilliant, I was really impressed with him, it’s hard coming into these sorts of games but he got on the ball drove with it, I think he will be a big asset for us moving forward”
North Ferriby: 1 Ben Bottomley (GK), 2 Jack Johnson (83' OFF), 3 Jack Walters, 4 Louis Kirk, 5 Niall Tilsley (C), 6 Dom Roma, 7 Josh Dennett, 8 Elliott Walker, 9 Lewis Dennison,10 Josh Thacker, 11 Josh Whiteley. Subs: 12 Sam Aynsley ON 77, 14 Myron Gibbons ON 83, 15 Mason Johnson ON 86, 16 Aristides Cunha ON 94.
Bridlington Town: 1 Jonathan Dash (GK), 2 Alex Markham, 3 Leon Gibson-Booth, 4 Peter Davidson, 5 Reece Kendall, 6 Tom Allan, 7 Casey Stewart, 8 Matt Dixon (C), 9 Jake Day, 10 Michael Coulson, 11 Ben Farrar. Subs: 12 Ahmed Salam (59’ ON), 14 Stanley Vaughan Hewitt (65' ON), 15 Johari Jovan Lacey (84' ON), 16 Riley Cooper ( 84' ON) , 17 Deshaun Musgrave-Dore (65’ ON).