THERE was a setback for Tynedale Ladies in the Northumberland A Hockey League. 

They went down 3-2 at Whitley Bay III after a last minute strike cancelled out what had been an encouraging display. 

Tynedale, who had defended well for long periods, were unfortunate to lose a closely-matched, hard fought encounter. 

In the first half, Eleanor Pearson, Katy Brown and Clara Heuschar kept out the opposition with a gutsy performance at the back.

They defended resolutely, marked the opposition forwards effectively, and tackled strongly against a steady wave of Whitley Bay attacks. 

Sarah Martindale worked tirelessly, with her distinctive low and strong tackle often securing possession of the ball.

Whitley Bay won a steady stream of corners. Around a dozen were confidently dealt with, as Immie Pearson and Sue Crawford came back to support the defence. 

Goalkeeper Carla Gray made a host of excellent saves as Tynedale battled tirelessly to go into the break at 0-0.

The second half started brightly for Tynedale, who made use of open spaces to supply their attacking forwards. 

It was Tynedale who scored straight after the restart. Vicky Foster drove the ball out to the right, where Becca Glaister accelerated at speed before supplying player of the match Lizzie Scott, who was on hand in the circle to score. 

Whitley Bay soon equalised when a quick break was followed by an excellent finish for the hosts. 

Tynedale’s Alison Westworth and Rachael Little linked up well to produce a string of attacks down the left side. 

They soon restored their lead as Annie Anderson weaved her way up the pitch.

Her pass to Becca Galister lead to a scramble, before Iona Mills pounced to send the ball into the net.

Whitley Bay equalised for a second time to make the score 2-2. 

They clinched the winning goal just before the final whistle, when a tussle in the circle resulted in the ball releasing to a Whitley Bay player, who made no mistake in converting.