Darlington Railway
Athletic 2 – 3 Thornaby (Northern League Division 2), 1st March 2014
As we approached
Darlington’s Brinkburn Road ground at about 5.30pm, there was still some light
just about visible, which made a nice change from the dark afternoons of the
past winter. I took a decent snap of the stand behind the near goal, which
seemed to have had a couple of rows of seats rolled into it. Like many in this
league, Darlington RA is a club which started as a works social club, before
emerging as a community football club as local industry declined. I wonder if
any of the current team actually work for the local railway these days? As it
was dinner-time, I opted to try out the club cuisine, and settled down with a
minced beef pie and a pork pie to keep me going. It seemed to be pretty much
the only food on offer at the bar, but at £2 it was tasty and well worth the
investment. A pint of Guinness washed it down very nicely, and I was able to
sit and enjoy the Southampton-Liverpool game in the bustling bar. For once, I
wasn’t complaining at the 5.30 kick off!
It was with
trepidation that I left the bar and stepped out into the cold in time for kick
off here. The temperature had dropped considerably since leaving the ground at
Stokesley, and it was shaping up to be a cold evening. Maybe spring had not
arrived just yet. No under-armour again, so I was relying on my Quechua jacket
and hat and gloves to keep me warm. The game was well worth the wait in the
cold. Thornaby (15th in the league) started strongly, taking the
lead with a header by Lee Blythway on 10 minutes, doubling it on 20 minutes,
with a goal from Richard Walker. This was a turn-up for the books, as
Darlington RA were 10th in the league, and were probably marginal
favourites for this one. The pace of the game was astonishing, and made this a
really entertaining affair. Slowly, Darlington forced their way back into the
game, and got a goal back on 38 minutes via their number 9 Steve Allison. David
Webster then swivelled and shot, forcing a diving save from the away keeper.
2-1 at half-time and this was anyone’s game.
Darlington started
the second-half as they had begun the first, and Webster fired an early
free-kick just wide, before Adam Sakr hit straight at the keeper when it looked
easier to score. Impressively, both teams maintained the pace and aggression of
the first-half. For all their efforts, Darlington couldn’t find an equaliser
against a bullish Thornaby side, and Liam Woodhouse made it 3-1 to the away
side with a neatly slotted in goal on 83 minutes. Game over? Not quite – on 84
minutes, Allison grabbed his second of the game to set up an open finish to the
match. Thornaby’s Joseph Melvin missed a great chance to make it 4-2 when he
was completely unmarked inside the area. After that, the away keeper (Michael
Duff) received a yellow card for time-wasting in his over-elaborate
preparations for a free-kick. It finished 3-2 to Thornaby, in what had been a
hard-fought and open encounter. Anyone can beat anyone in this league.
I note that the
ground-hoppers had brought bad fortune to all the home sides today, as they had
all lost! Hopefully that will be compensated for by the extra revenue brought
by clubs’ participation in the ‘hop’. I trudged back to the coach back to
Darlington station (improbably parked behind the stand I’d photographed
earlier), and then walked a couple of miles to the local Travelodge. On a
bright Sunday morning (the day of the League Cup final as it happens) I made my
way back to the station, where I had breakfast and then made my way back to
Sheffield in time for lunch. This had been another terrific hop – well done to
the organisers, who must spend ages on planning and preparation. I may consider
doing a part of the Easter 2014 hop when it comes around.
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