A SECOND-half fightback only just failed to bring Consett a share of the spoils against last season's league and cup double winners. After a dismal first half, in which a repeat of the 5-0 Cleator Cup hammering looked possible, a change of formation almost produced a point, which the overall performance just about deserved.

Kenny Lindoe made two changes to the side which lost to Whitley Bay four days earlier, David Johnson and David Scorer coming in for Michael Coulthard and Paul Henderson-Reay. Steven Johnson and Jonjo Dickman were still injured, and Adam Emson could only be named as a sub after travelling to Consett, thinking the game was at Belle Vue! David Duke, still feeling his way back into the starting XI, again started on the bench. They lined up in a 4-5-1 formation, with Paul Collins at right-back, Johnson on the left, and Scorer and Carl Piecha in the middle. In midfield, Gary Ormston was wide on the right and David Gordon similarly deployed on the left, with Chris Scott, Steven Huggins and Andrew Cuthbertson in the centre, behind lone striker David Pounder.

Benfield started at a high tempo, and a tremendous crossfield pass by left-back Dean Fuller put in Paul Buzzeo, whose effort was turned behind for a corner by Consett keeper Daniel Staples. The Steelmen failed to properly clear the corner, and it looked like they hadn't learned the lessons of the previous meeting when they allowed Adam Scope to crash an effort against the bar from 35 yards. It bounced down but not over the line, and Staples was grateful to get his hands on Adam Rowntree's follow-up header.

David Gordon races past a defender

David Pounder on the attack

Although they were seeing plenty of the ball, too many Consett passes were going astray, and nominal striker Pounder dropping deep in search of the ball, leaving little to aim at when crosses were put into the box, usually by Gordon.

On 25 minutes there was a decent penalty shout when Huggins' cross went over Gordon's head, and appeared to hit Benfield right-back Lewis Tait on the arm. The referee wasn't interested, however, and waved play on. Scott's ball back in beat the offside trap, but Pounder's first-time stab at it as the keeper rushed at him saw his effort bounce just wide.

It was the Steelmen's best chance so far, but on 33 minutes they went further behind, when there appeared to be little danger. Rowntree attacked down the right, Benfield's top scorer Michael Chilton missed his kick, but Shaun Bell reacted quicker than the static defence to tuck the ball away.

The manager rang the changes at the break, bringing Emson and Duke on for Johnson and Scott, and it paid immediate dividends. Ormston had already played Pounder in, and seen his team-mate just fail to toe-poke one in, when Duke reduced the arrears with a crisp strike from 25 yards. Like his matchwinner at Dunston, it ended up in the bottom corner, but was better struck.

Consett's 3-5-2 formation had made them much more of an attacking threat, and Emson was unlucky to see the ball drop kindly for goalkeeper Andrew Grainger after he charged down his attempted clearance.

Disaster struck on the hour, however, when they went 3-1 down, and again it was Fuller who did the damage, smacking home an almost identical 25-yarder to the one in the first half after a needlessly-conceded free-kick.

Consett responded positively, and Emson was a whisker away from getting one back when his header from Duke's left-wing cross shaved the post, with Grainger beaten.

Dean Fuller's free kick opens the scoring

Chris Scott rises highest

Henderson-Reay had come on for Cuthbertson as Consett went for broke, and he forced the save of the game from Grainger. Receiving the ball on the edge of the box with his back to goal, Hendy cracked a fierce right-footed shot, which the keeper pawed out for a corner. Grainger again came to his side's rescue when Pounder curled a left-footed free-kick around his wall and towards the top corner.

Staples had to make a smart save from Chilton as Benfield played on the break, but with nine minutes remaining it was all to play for when Ormston rose highest to a left-wing cross to head the ball home. 3-2 and game on.

The champions' defending started to become more desperate, and Buzzeo became the first player to be booked for hacking down Gordon in the left-hand corner. Huggins' dipping ball in from the resulting free-kick was deflected behind for a corner, from which Scorer had an effort cleared off the line.

Then a glorious Pounder ball out from his own half set Emson away down the left, and he cut in before trying his luck from 20 yards, forcing another decent save from Grainger. Despite the late rally, Consett's efforts came to nothing, and they deserved better than a 3-2 defeat for their second-half showing alone.