Scarborough Athletic win 2-0 at Redcar to book North Riding FA Senior Cup final spot
Scarborough Athletic booked their place in the North Riding FA Senior Cup final at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium with a hard-earned win at Redcar Athletic on Tuesday evening.
A sixth-minute own goal and Bill Marshall’s late finish secured the win for the visitors, writes Steve Adamson.
The Seadogs’ 2-0 win at Northern League Division 1 leaders Redcar was the hosts’ first loss of 2025.
With Jack Waldron unavailable and Stephen Walker cup tied, Marshall made just his second Boro start, and capped a fine performance with a goal, while the defence, with skipper Will Thornton outstanding, dominated the prolific Redcar front three of Oscar Fletcher, Adam Boyes and Brad Fewster (68 goals between them this season), to secure a third successive clean-sheet. The hosts made a shaky start, an Alex Purver free-kick was headed just over by Frank Mulhern, before Boro went ahead in the sixth minute, when a right-winger corner to the near post from Sam Reed, skidded into the net off the head of defender Chay Liddle.
A few minutes later keeper Josh Mazfari saved on the goal line when a clearance struck Harry Green and deflected goalwards.
In Redcar attacks, Alex Brown tackled Boyes as he charged into the area, and Boyes volleyed over from the resulting corner.
Dom Tear was in fine form, and he laid off to Mulhern, who shot into the chest of Mazfari, then a Green strike was blocked by home skipper Danni Lay.
Redcar enjoyed a good spell, a glancing header by Boyes from a Bryan Taylor cross was tipped away by Ryan Whitley, Fewster curled a shot past the right-hand post, and a Fletcher strike was blocked by Thornton.
Tear burst clear for Boro but was halted by a tackle from Lay, and Tear then scuffed a shot wide following a through-ball from Reed.
Marshall sent a fabulous through-ball to Green, who fired wide, Richie Bennett skied a shot over the bar, and the lively Mulhern dinked a pass towards Bennett, but Liddle slid in with a great tackle.
For the hosts, Liddle flashed a half-volley over, but the solid Boro defence was in control, winning all the headers and tackles.
The best move of the game came on 70 minutes, when Alex Wiles raced forward from the half-way line, played a slick one-two with Green, and was through on goal, but Mazfari dived to save his low shot.
A foul on Green after a mazy dribble, saw Mulhern blast the free-kick into the 5-man wall, then Mulhern flicked-on to Wiles, but Lay’s overhead clearance averted the danger.
A Michael Duckworth cross found Mulhern, whose downward header bounced into the keeper's arms, before Boro wrapped up the win on 84 minutes, as Tear and Bennett exchanged passes, the latter having his shot deflected against the right-hand post, but Marshall was on hand to slam the rebound past Mazfari.
Bennett then had a shot saved, Craig Gott intercepted as Tear passed forward to Bennett, and Green blazed high over. Redcar also had a late chance, when Curtis Round surged into the area, but Whitley got down quickly to save at his feet.
REDCAR - Mazfari, Guru, Taylor, Liddle (Stott 79), Gott, Lay (c), Anderson (Guy 79), Keithley, Boyes, Fletcher, Fewster (Round 66). Unused subs- Burgess, Cann.
BORO - Whitley, Duckworth, Reed (Bennett 46), Brown (Maltby 46), Thornton (c), Purver, Marshall, Tear, Mulhern, Wiles, Green. Unused subs - Bancroft, Hudson, Weledji.
REFEREE - MacAuley Gibson
GOALS - Chay Liddle (og) 6, Bill Marshall 84
GOAL ATTEMPTS - REDCAR 5 (1 on target) BORO 14 (6 on target)
CORNERS - REDCAR 1 BORO 2
OFFSIDES - REDCAR 2 BORO 2
YELLOW CARDS - Mark Anderson, Oscar Fletcher (Redcar)
BORO MAN OF MATCH - Will Thornton
ATTENDANCE - 450 (155 away).