West Allotment Celtic (26-10-2013)

West Allotment Celtic 0 – 0 North Shields (Northern League Division 2), 26^th October 2013

Before visiting West Allotment Celtic for the second game of the North Tyneside hop, I had a clear idea of what the ground would look like. I imagined that the team played to the West of an old allotment which was cultivated to give the appearance of green stripes. The reality – I have to say – was far more interesting.

After the Heaton Stannington game, I had begun to wake up from my early start, helped by the short walk to West Allotment’s ground. The club was well-prepared for the influx of today, with a dedicated turnstile for the groundhoppers. The entrance opened out onto a flat section of terracing on an embankment – to my right was a small section of covered terracing, while on the left was a clubhouse and tea bar. The pitch was down a steep embankment, and was surrounded by the usual concrete walkway, sitting next to a cricket pitch which stretched into the distance. No allotment as I had quaintly imagined! I immediately liked this ground as it had a lot of character, and one where there was a friendly welcome from the club. Team sheets were available for 10p, and I even bought a copy of the club magazine ‘Three Miles West’ – pretty impressive to have a club magazine at this level. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the teams announced over a clear and audible PA system, which made a nice change. After sitting to take a break and eat my sandwich, I took my place on the far right corner flag closest to the embankment. This should be a good game today, as both teams were in and around the top 6 and I wasn’t disappointed.

 

The game was played at a high pace, and good quality as both teams kept the ball on the floor. Tackles were enthusiastic to say the least, with the referee clearly deciding to let the game flow a bit. North Shields created the first opportunities, with Holmes and Tait both having shots smothered by the home keeper. West Allotment were equal to the task, and Liam Hudson fired over before Ian Dunn missed another chance on the 40 minute mark. Just before half-time, North Shield’s Gareth Bainbridge took a great first touch to take the ball down in the area before firing an angled shot just wide. This was a very evenly balanced game, turning into a very watchable game of football.

The second half opened out even more, with chances being exchanged tit-for-tat. North Shield’s Daniel Smart rounded the keeper but couldn’t finish, before Sean Reid for West Allotment hit a stinging shot straight at the keeper. West Allotment hit another shot wide, while they had a free-kick deflected just wide. West Allotment were starting to seize control, and created more chances – Paul Stoneman hitting straight at the keeper, while Dormand did fantastically well to rob the ball in midfield, ending up shooting just over. The home keeper (Ryan Beal) was subbed off with around 10 minutes to go, and looking back at my notes, it looked like they had started to lose a bit of momentum. North Shields threatened briefly, scoring an offside goal which had been deflected off a post, before a neat flick from a corner was foiled by the new keeper. It finished 0-0, and it was one of those goalless draws which are thoroughly watchable and entertaining. The reality was the teams had probably cancelled each other out, but they had put on a decent performance.

This had certainly exploded two of the great myths in English football at the moment. Firstly, that English teams play 'kick-and-rush' route 1 football - today's game had been played on the floor, with creative movement of the ball throughout. And (in the TalkSport version of football) the myth that Northern football is in a steady decline. Today I saw evidence of the strength of teams in the North-East, and was really impressed with my first games in the Northern League. In a procession of ground-hoppers, I trudged onwards to the next ground at Coach Lane (Team Northumbria). This was definitely the highlight of the North Tyneside hop – a ground with plenty of character, friendly folk and a decent game of football.