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Tuesday 8 October 2013

Seaham Red Star stat attack

NORTHALLERTON Town meet promotion favourites Seaham Red Star at the Calvert Stadium tomorrow evening and here we bring you all the stats you need.

Last season;

Seaham Red Star finished 10th in Division Two, winning 19 matches, drawing 8 and losing 15. They scored  86 goals and conceded 85.

Town finished 6th with 23 wins, 8 draws and 11 defeats. Town scored 101 goals and conceded 63.

Town won both league meetings between the sides last season with a goal difference of 9-4. The match at the Calvert Stadium in September ended in a 5-2 Town success. Alan Pegram gave the visitors an early lead but goals from Carl Chillingsworth(2), Steve Butterworth, Adam Emson and Gav Parkin sealed the points before Pegram grabbed a late consolation.

The match at Stockton Road in February brought a 4-2 Town win. Again it was Seaham that scored first early on, this time through Sean Sweeney, but a brace from Emson and 2 penalties from Danny Shoulder gave Town the points. Pegram then grabbed a second for Seaham.

Previous meetings;

Town and Seaham have met 42 times in the league since the first meeting in the 1982-83 season with Town winning 15, Seaham 19 and 8 draws.

The fixture has generally tended to favour the away side over the years as Seaham has won 12 of their 21 visits to the Calvert Stadium and lost only 5. On the other hand, Town has won 10 of their 21 visits to Stockton Road and lost just 7.

In recent years the fixture has produced a lot of goals. Seaham's last 3 visits to the Calvert have seen 19 goals, 12 in Town's favour, while the match at Seaham in the 2010-11 season finished in a 4-4 draw.

Current form;

Seaham arrive at the Calvert in third place, but was surprisingly beaten 2-1 at home by Whickham last weekend - their second defeat in a row, having lost 2-0 at Darlington RA in the Ernest Armstrong Cup the previous mid-week. Prior to that Seaham had won their previous three league matches, including an impressive 1-0 victory at the previously unbeaten leaders North Shields.

Seaham have lost only twice away from home in the league this season, at Jarrow Roofing in August and West Allotment Celtic in September.

Town, who currently sit in 5th place, ended a poor run with a 4-0 win over Brandon United on Saturday, although this was this their first home win in five, since a 6-0 victory over Esh Winning in late August.

Town have lost twice at home in the league this season, against Heaton Stannington and Chester-Le-Street on consecutive Saturday's in September. Town have not a mid-week home game since a 4-0 defeat by Jarrow Roofing in March.

Players to watch;

Seaham has one of the most potent attacking forces in the league, with Adam Johnson and Sean Reay now joined by former Town striker Jamie Clarke. Johnson has scored 17 times already this season, while Reay has 5 and Clarke 10, although 9 of these were scored for Town. Meanwhile, Channon North is another player to watch.

Town may have lost their leading scorer to Seaham and winger Jason Brazauskas to Tow Law Town, but they are still amongst the leading scorers in the league. Col Anderson has scored 6 so far, while Danny McLachlan has 4 and Graham Caygill 3. Chris Dickinson, on loan from York City, has only scored once so far but he did create all 4 goals on Saturday and will be determined to end his current loan spell in style. Young Mikey Stevens scored twice on Saturday in only his second start so will be looking to continue that fine form, while Town's threat also comes from central defender Grant Hickman who has scored 5 times this season.

Summary;

Seaham will be looking to end a run of two defeats and get their promotion push back on track, while Town come into the game with confidence restored following victory last Saturday.

While it is too early in the season to call it a promotion decider, there is no doubt it is a vital match for both sides and neither will want to lose ground with defeat to a rival.

There are several sub-plots too. Jamie Clarke returns to the Calvert just 2 weeks after leaving Town for Seaham, while it also marks the last game of Chris Dickinson's loan spell at Town from York City.

Prediction;

This one is a very tough one to call. Seaham's good record at the Calvert may go in their favour, but Town will  have a point to prove and are desperate for a home win against one of the 'big boys.'

Seaham have the fire power and experience to cause Town problems while Town will be dangerous on the break and have youth on their side, so I can see it being a real humdinger of a match.

Ever the optimist, I will go for a 3-2 Town victory, although I would not be surprised if it finished with honours even. Either way it is definitely a game not to be missed.

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