Match Report
by
Christopher Sweetman
Newcastle travelled up the M6 to Lancashire hopefully of putting the recent defeat to Macc behind them and getting back to winning ways.
However, Newcastle got off to a bad start as Darren Holden lifted a perfect cross into their area for Gonzalez to head home after five minutes.
Newcastle tried to build their way back into the game, with home keeper Chris Thompson having to gather Mikey Conlon’s chip.
Jack van der Laan then had two attempts from range, with Thompson having to save the first while the second drifted wide.
Thompson then had to save another long-range effort, this time from Jake Lovatt, then Ritchie then made a surging run up the left flank, but his cross was inches too high for Lovatt to turn it away, Castle were looking more lively and getting into the game after a slow start.
However, Clitheroe began to dominate towards the end of the half, with Callum Leigh firing a free kick straight into the wall.
Then, with the last play of the half, they broke off a Newcastle free kick and Cane just beat visiting keeper Joe Slinn to the ball to tap in.
The half-time deficit was perhaps harsh on Newcastle, who had mustered their fair share of chances.
Newcastle brought on Kyle Stubbs and Academy prospect Lewis Holdham on at the break, and the two proved a useful early outlet as Holdham had a couple of crosses blocked in the box.
Clitheroe were also trying to build chances, with Gonzalez and Cane both denied good opportunities by the dogged defence and Slinn’s bravery.
Ritchie was then played in by Jack van der Laan, but could not get past Thompson in the one-on-one.
However, minutes later Stubbs and Lovatt combined to feed van der Laan, who played Ritchie in again, and this time he made no mistake with the finish to score his first for the club and of the season.
However, Newcastle hopes of a comeback were blunted minutes later, as Conlon brought down Gonzalez in the box, who converted the penalty.
That precipitated a collapse from Newcastle, as Cane and Wilkins added two quick goals from Clitheroe breaks.
First Jack van der Laan was disposed of in a robust challenge before the ball was played forward to Cane, who chipped past Slinn.
Then Gonzalez won the ball back in Clitheroe’s half, and this time it was fed to Wilkins, who finished from the goal line, despite Newcastle's pressure on him. Newcastle tried to rally, with Ethan Vale forcing Thompson to tip his long shot over the bar, before Askey had a header cleared off the line from the resultant corner.
But Newcastle could not contain Clitheroe on the break, and Holden fired a perfect cross across the area for Gonzalez to complete his hattrick.
Then, with the last play of the game, Cane was fed on the break, and he fired a long range shot on the angle past Slinn for his own treble.
Newcastle remains eighth in the league and will have to wait until next Saturday (Nov 5th) for a chance to recover from this result, when they travel to City of Liverpool.