Charlton hat-trick leads Titans to friendly win at White Rose Leodis
By Paul Morris
White Rose Leodis, 1
Tyneside XL Titans, 5
The Titans travelled south to Pudsey for a friendly against White Rose Leodis and came home with a 5-1 win, Jack Charlton helping himself to a hat-trick at the Woodhall Sports Hub.
Manager Lee Tate had a squad of 15 and set up in a 4-3-3, aiming to shut out the Leodis attack while carrying a constant goal threat. His pre-match message was simple: relax, "play our own game" and "believe in the plan".
Joey Gregory started in goal behind a back four of Kristopher Kilsby, Ryan Mcinerney, Dylan Farndale and Jake Robson. Jake Brown returned to central midfield after a long injury layoff, alongside Paul Morris and Adam Armstrong, who was also back from injury. Daragh Lambert, Michael Blakey and assistant manager Jack Charlton made up the front three.
The usual instructions of keeping the ball on the ground, making space and passing it around are not always executed perfectly, but in the early exchanges they were carried out to the letter. Short spells of passing and plenty of movement produced four or five early chances, though none went in. Morris can expect an invoice from the opposition manager to replace at least two lost balls.
White Rose then took the lead against the run of play. A superb ball over the top reminded everyone that Egil Olsen-esque tactics from the 1999 Wimbledon era can work , and the Leodis striker finished beautifully.
The Titans kept passing and moving, and the chances kept coming. The equaliser arrived after a moment of hesitation between the Leodis defence and goalkeeper left the ball loose, and Charlton calmly slotted it home from the tightest of angles. Not long after, another mix-up saw a White Rose defender cut out a ball his keeper looked set to collect and poke it into his own net from 18 yards to put the Titans 2-1 up.
The rest of the match followed the same pattern, with the Titans probing and White Rose defending with real commitment while creating openings of their own. Titans had a blatant penalty appeal denied. Superb substitute Richard Osborne took one of the most unique throw-ins football has ever witnessed. And the referee appeared to entirely forget that handling the ball is an infringement of the rules — but we digress.
At times it was end to end, but as legs tired and space opened up, the pressure told. Charlton added two more — one from the spot — to complete his hat-trick, and Lambert, who never stopped running, got the goal he deserved to make it 5-1.
With no points at stake, it was another 90 minutes of football against a relatively new White Rose Leodis side who were excellent hosts and a fantastic group of lads.