Silsden 2 North Shields 4 (aet)

The Cobbydalers again bowed out at the first hurdle but at least this year they put up a fight.

North Shields, who top Northern League Division Two, came into the tie on the back of a superb unbeaten league record of seven wins from nine games, with 39 goals scored and five conceded.

Silsden boss Andy Geary, who last week saw his team concede two goals in the opening minutes at Squires Gate, brought in the experienced Michael Rosser in a back three which also saw the return of Danny Gleave. Will Storrie played as wing back on the right and Kristian Hargreaves on the left, while skipper Stephen Throup played as midfield anchor.

The match’s major incident took place in the ninth minute when a corner was perfect for Mikey Hall to rise above the defence and head home from close range.

Joe Elliot, standing on the line, stuck out a hand and blocked the header behind – but the whistle didn’t blow! On another day the Cobbydalers would have had a penalty and the visitors would have been down to ten men.

Shields broke forward but top scorer Gareth Bainbridge hit his effort high over the bar. Strike partner Dan Smart then set up Bainbridge, who again fired over. Silsden created another golden chance when Storrie burst up the right. Beating two men, he crossed low into the box and Andy Lynch reached the ball but his flick lacked any power and the Robins were able to clear down the left.

Smart exploited the gap left by Storrie and reached the byline. His cross hit Jack Houlker and landed perfectly for Bainbridge, who drove his shot wide of Ed Hall to open the scoring.

It was 30 minutes before Silsden began to create further openings. Andy Hill was beginning to spread the ball across the pitch but the Shields defence stood firm and Courtney tipped Nathan Egan’s effort over the bar.

Chris Wademan, who had come on for the injured Egan on the stroke of half-time, went close with a flick after Storrie had slid the ball though at the start of the second period. Hill then saw a free-kick punched over by Courtney and the keeper also managed to push Wademan’s low shot clear.

With 20 minutes left, Geary brought on Josh McNulty and Tom Sowerbutts for Mikey Hall and Throup, who had worked his socks off in midfield. Immediately the Silsden youngsters began to open up the Shields defence with some slick passing but they could not create clear chances. Bainbridge went close from a throw in before Silsden advanced again. Two shots were scrambled clear by the Robins defence before Silsden were awarded a free-kick. Hall swung it in and first Rosser and then Gleave had headers.

The second clearance reached Hill on the edge of the area and the Silsden playmaker hit an unstoppable looping volley to level the scores with four minutes left to send the game into extra-time.

From the opening stages of the extra period it became clear that some of the Cobbydalers players were struggling and the Robins began to gain control.

Shields took the lead in a move which was a mirror image of their opener, Bainbridge making full use of a kind deflection. Three minutes later Adam Forster broke down the left to set up a simple chance for Walker.

Frustration came over some of the Silsden players and McNulty was dismissed for a two-footed tackle. With six minutes left, Har-greaves hit a superb free-kick which left the keeper rooted to his line, making it 3-2. But in the dying seconds Bainbridge broke to notch his hat-trick.

The Cobbydalers now have a week off as scheduled league opponents Runcorn Linnets are in-volved in the FA Cup.

Silsden: E Hall, Storrie, Hargreaves, Rosser, Gleave, Houlker, Throup (Sowerbutts 69), Hill, M Hall (McNulty 69), Egan (Wademan 45), Lynch. Subs not used: Fagan, Crabtree.