Four for Hexham against the Saints

In the early moments this unsettled Hexham and it showed with them giving the ball away to easily and this put the defenders under undue pressure. After ten minutes, slightly against the run of play Hexham took the lead with Striker Thomas North (pictured) scoring from close range after good work from Luke Parkinson on the left wing cutting inside.

But this advantage only lasted for moments after the restart, again given away needlessly in the middle of the park Damien Wood latched onto this error powered into the box and shot past keeper Anderson bringing the scores level.

It was vital now Hexham regained their composure or these points would be slipping away, gradually this they did and began to look much like the team that played so well the previous Saturday.

There was a blow for Willington mid way in the half when dangerous centre forward Mark Henderson limped off with what looked like an ankle problem and he had to be replaced.

For the rest of the half it fell into a pattern of Hexham feeding Luke Parkinson and him in turn creating chances for the forwards. From one of these crosses Tom Phillips was on hand to score from close in after a low hard drilled cross.

The injuries were mounting up for both teams when goal scorer Tom left the field when a knock he received on Saturday returned with vengeance to cut his evening short.

This meant Neil Tiffin could take his normal role sitting in front of the back four with Paul McLean and freed up Scott Coates to take his more normal attacking role.

As the half drew to a close Darren Dobson increased the lead with a well taken goal which must have been a heavy blow to Willington as they had performed well for much of the first period.

The second half was a very close affair, neither team could claim dominance but with Hexham having that first half lead they looked the most comfortable.

Willington did start to get the upper hand without really putting any pressure on the Hexham keeper and this was down to the back line of the home side.

Gavin Cox had to take a lot of credit for this as he held the line together and never missed a tackle or a challenge all night; he was ably supported by Graham Turner and Michael Robson. Gavin was awarded the man of the match which was thoroughly deserved although the team itself dug in and held firm when the pressure was on.

The team showed a desire and grit when it was required and it is testament to the lads that if this game had been played last season they could have capitulated and lost the points. A major improvement to the team is that the squad has a much greater depth this season and having quality on the bench is the key.

All the squad will be used this season as it had shown already that injuries take their toll and it's a long campaign till next May. Local lad Thomas North, who has had a very impressive start since joining the team from Premier outfit Cramlington Town in the summer, was the next player who needed treatment.

A kick to his knee means he is doubtful for the trio of fixtures next week so with Tom Phillips and Jamie McNamee out also and Iain Strachan still on holiday, striking options are limited.

The game was running its course and with Willington still unable to find a way through, Hexham finished the game off a killer goal. With the Saints pressing this left gaps at the back which Darren Dobson and Luke Parkinson had great pleasure exploiting and from one of the many breaks they were able to feed Neil Tiffin who was unusually high up the field who made no mistake with the keeper stranded.

This was the team's second win in four days giving them a total of seven points which lifted them to sixth place in the table