Team Northumbria (26-10-2013)

Team Northumbria 3 – 4 Whitley Bay, Northern League Division 1 (26^th October 2013)

I’ve always liked the idea of a team representing an entire county, so I was looking forward to this game at Team Northumbria. The third game of the North Tyneside ground-hop brought us into the top Northern League division at Coach Lane, in what proved to be something of a classic encounter. A short walk from West Allotment Celtic, Coach Lane is actually on the campus of Northumbria University, as the team are technically part of the university set-up. This is similar to Team Bath, who King’s Lynn had encountered a couple of years earlier in the Southern League. The ground was not quite as idiosyncratic as West Allotment’s, but was certainly modern and neatly laid-out. Entrance was through a turnstile (yes, actually a turnstile, not just a table!) next to a sports centre – to my right was a short section of covered seating, and round the pitch perimeter was the usual paved area. The grounds-men here had clearly looked after the pitch, which was a healthy bright green, with hardly any of the muddy patches we’d seen at Heaton.

After a brief sit-down to gather my energies for this game, I took up my place just along from the seated area – strategically positioned in front of the tea van! The game was terrific, played at a fast pace and with great football from both sides. Team Northumbria took the lead on 7 minutes, with their number 8 slotting in, while Whitley Bay tested the home keeper with a header which was saved. The away side were sending various warning shots, and duly equalised on 15 minutes. This was looking like a very evenly balanced match today. The home side responded with another goal on 21 minutes, following a dribble into the area, before Whitley Bay made it 2-2 with a penalty from number 10. Both teams forced further saves from the keepers before the half-time whistle went.

This had been a frenetic game of football so far, and it continued in this way in the second half. As the shadows on the ground grew a bit longer, Whitley Bay’s number 10 made it 3-2 on 55 minutes, before his opposite number for Team Northumbria made it an incredible 3-3 after a mazy run into the penalty area. The away side looked like they might sneak it, and could have made it 4 when their number 10 rounded the keeper and fired over an empty goal. It wouldn’t matter, as the same player scored to make it 4-3 with a diving header late on. Team Northumbria weren’t done yet, and forced a superb tip over from the away keeper, and then hit the crossbar in the 90^th minute. A crowd of 396 saw this game, in what was another great advert for the Northern League with goals galore. 3 games down, and 1 to go!