If ever proof was needed that when you're at the bottom nothing goes your way then this was it.  On the face of it, this was another home defeat against beatable opposition, but quite how Consett ended up on the losing side here only the Great God of Football can explain.

As usual with midweek games, a number of unavailabilities due to work commitments meant a reshuffle of the pack.  Saturday's substitutes Grimes, Lowdon and Thompson all started this evening and Consett were only able to name three others on the bench.

Having started the last couple of games with an early goal Consett almost did so again, as Andrew Thompson blasted just wide from the edge of the box as early as the second minute.  In a lively start though, Morpeth were quick out of the blocks too and an 11th minute free kick from Carr also passed within close proximity of the goal.  As the half progressed the home side gradually gained the ascendancy, however their lack of confidence in front of goal was painfully obvious as at least three shooting chances were squandered by players in advanced positions.  Similarly, jitters at the back were plain to see and Morpeth almost capitalised on the half hour mark when Walker stole the ball from a hesitant rearguard, rounded Kelly, but then blazed over.

Consett suffered a blow ten minutes from half time when influential skipper Jeff Sugden limped off with a pulled hamstring, and Steven Smith entered the fray to replace him.  As the half entered its closing stages the Steelmen upped the tempo and created several very good chances.  Scott Wilson made an excellent surging run down the right before pulling the ball back to Chris Hodgson, whose spectacular volley was smartly tipped round the post by Dunn.  Two minutes later, Hodgson broke ahead of the Morpeth rearguard but saw his measured shot slip agonisingly wide.  Then on the stroke of half time a 25 yard piledriver from Andrew Thompson was well pushed over by Dunn.  The half ended though with the scoresheet blank. 

Half Time: Consett 0-0 Morpeth

For the first home game this season Consett managed to negotiate the five minutes after half time without conceding a goal.  Indeed they picked up where they left off in the first and poured forward into the Morpeth half.  Ten minutes into the second period Hodgson's run and cross from the right was met by Neil Lowdon on the volley but again the effort went just wide. 

A minute later, Morpeth were ahead.  The ball was played down the right to Justin Asiaman who shinned his attempted cross, but to the disbelief of just about everyone the ball sailed over Stuart Kelly's head and into the net.  This was a sickening blow to a Consett side who had until then been playing well, and the effect was tangible as heads dropped all over the field.

Morpeth pressed home their advantage at this stage and just after the hour mark Colin Lawton cut in from the left and hit a firm shot from the corner of the box which Kelly got down well to save. Lawton didn't have to wait long for his goal though as, in the 73rd minute, he latched on to a square ball from substitute Johnson to hammer home from the edge of the area.  

Consett continued to plug away and Wilson forced a good save out of Dunn, then in the last minute a blocked Thompson free kick fell at the feet of Darren Grimes in the Morpeth penalty area but his hurried effort flew over the bar.  In the end though Consett again failed to get anything from a game they could easily have won, and their already fragile morale took another serious dent.