A Waste Of Breath........

At the start of the 2011/2012 season, I made a decision as regards the Percy Main programme and my contribution to it. with only 1 page available, I decided against the sort of articles I've put on here, mainly as I couldn't express myself so concisely. Instead I've been doing "From The Main," a welcome page, and "Around The Grounds," a non-league round up for the north east. I've made the decision not to put them on here as they are news items rather than comment. However, as the edition planned for the visit of Harraby Catholic Club on 16th December 2011 will never see the light of day as the game was called off, I may as well put them up here for posterity. Sorry for their lack of depth, but this is the Alliance zeitgeist I guess.....



From The Main:

  Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Purvis Park for this afternoon’s Pin Point Recruitment Northern Alliance Premier Division game against our old friends from Carlisle, Harraby Catholic Club. I’d like to extend a special welcome to all the players, supporters and officials associated with our Cumbrian visitors, knowing full well that win, lose or draw, our pal Mike Little will be giving the John Smiths in the Cricket Club the benefit of his connoisseur’s palate. Who knows; we may have several special guests at the Percy Main Amateurs Christmas Party that takes place this evening at the Tap & Spile on Tynemouth Road from 7.30. If you are reading this, then you’re very welcome to join us, especially as the manager has arranged the appearance of a special cask of Harviestoun Brewery’s Schiehallion that Norman swears is the finest beer he has ever tasted. It’ll go some way to beat my personal favourite, the Draft Bass in the Tynemouth Lodge, but I’m prepared to give it a go.

If all this talk of beer is making you thirsty, then please remember today is the last chance to purchase Christmas Bottle Draw tickets from any committee member (only 50p each!), as the winning tickets will be selected tomorrow evening at 6pm. In addition, please remember, we are still collecting Evening Chronicle Wish tokens and there is a collection box for them in the clubhouse.

I’d like to apologise for straying away from sport to alcohol, but frankly the last few weeks have been enough to drive you to drink. The last 4 Saturdays have witnessed 4 successive defeats that have been encouraging and demoralising in equal measures. The least said about the 5-1 loss to Seaton Delaval the better and last week’s 1-0 loss at Walker Central was memorable only for Chris Bannon’s remarkable debut performance in goal. However, two encouraging losses saw us go down 1-0 and 3-0 to today’s opponents in the Challenge Cup and Premier division respectively.

However, hope must spring eternal and we have avoided defeat in our last 2 home games against Harraby. In August 2009, we won a pre-season friendly 2-1 with goals by Joe Betts and Liam Knox (while a certain Mr Little sunbathed with a few pints while, concentrating on the sound of leather on willow next door). In October 2010, we drew 0-0 in a simply superb game of football that was a credit to both sides. Let’s hope for more of the same today!

After today, we don’t have a game scheduled until January, when we’ve been handed 4 successive home games. Kicking off at 2pm on each occasion, we face Blyth Town (7^th), Stocksfield (14^th), Murton (21^st) and Rutherford (28^th), providing the weather doesn’t interfere. You can keep up to date with events on our new website, which will hopefully be available the old domain of www.percymainafc.co.uk in the very near future, but can currently be accessed at www.pitchero.com/clubs/percymainamateursfc/

Finally, can I just take this opportunity on behalf of everyone at Purvis Park, including players, management, committee members and helpers, to express our deep gratitude to all of you who come and watch the team? We are truly grateful and humbled that you choose to watch football at what I am convinced is the most scenic and most atmospheric ground in the north east. Please, if you possibly can, come and join us this evening in the Tap & Spile. If you are otherwise engaged, then please accept our very warmest wishes for the Festive Season and all the best for 2012.

Enjoy the game. Come on the Villagers!      

Around The Grounds:

It’s a grim fact of life that our recent difficulties mean that we’re casting nervous glances towards the bottom of the table rather than the top. Currently the Northern Alliance is operating on a 16-11-16 structure in the 3 divisions and without any information to the contrary, we’re assuming the bottom 2 still go down. At the minute, we’re fifth from bottom, 3 points above the nominal relegation spot. Things are tough for the Main, but they’re hard for the other strugglers too. Last Saturday bottom side Murton lost 2-1 at home to Carlisle City, who sit in second place a point behind Heaton Stannington (who are rumoured to be thinking of developing Grounsell Park to Northern League standards).  Second bottom Rutherford went down 3-2 away to fourth top Ashington Colliers,  but have 3 games in hand on the next 3 sides. Third bottom are Ponteland, who followed up an 8-1 crushing at home by sixth placed Whitley Bay A (2-1 losers at home to the Harraby outfit in seventh spot), with a 6-1 towsing at a Hebburn Reyrolle outfit who now stand tenth. Fourth bottom are Walker Central, then us. In eleventh place are Stocksfield, three points above us and with 2 games in hand, though they fell 3-1 to third placed Killingworth at Amberley Park last weekend. The other game saw ninth placed Blyth Town beat Shankhouse in fifth 3-1 at South Newsham.

In the abbreviated Division 1, Amble United are top, but Wallsend Town in second closed the gap to 4 points, with a 3-2 win at Benson Park against mid-table Gosforth Bohemians. The sides either side of them, fourth placed Heddon and sixth placed hosts Cramlington Town placed out a 3-3 draw.  Forest Hall and Chemfica remain in the relegation spots, with Morpeth Sporting just above, though it is difficult to accurately assess the true picture because of the imbalance in fixtures played by several teams, caused mainly by the resignations of Newcastle East End and Wark.

Division 2 is still headed by Red House Farm, who defeated seventh top Alston 3-2, with Harton & Westoe, 4-1 winners over eighth placed Wideopen & District, in second. Wallsend Boys’ Club are third, but were held 2-2 at Rheydt Avenue by New Fordley, who currently sit in ninth spot. The other two fixtures saw traditional bottom division goal extravaganzas, where third bottom Seaton Burn crushed rock bottom Cramlington United 8-0 and fifth bottom North Shields Athletic drew 5-5 with seventh from bottom Whickham Lang Jacks. Games like that will bring the crowds flocking back!

In the Northern League Division 1, Whitley Bay are third, after a 3-1 win away to an Ashington side whose fans reacted to this defeat in a most unsporting fashion it appears. Newcastle Benfield had gone nine games unbeaten, but still came unstuck 2-1 at Marske United. In Division 2, Team Northumbria remain top, after overcoming Gilford Park 2-1 away, while North Shields are second after a 5-2 romp away to Ryton & Crawcrook Albion. To continue the Division 2 optimism, West Allotment Celtic moved up to fourth, after hammering Seaham Red Star 5-0. Sadly things get no better for Blyth Spartans, who are rooted to the bottom of the Blue Square Bet North table, 5 points from safety, after a 3-0 thumping at Halifax town. Gateshead are sixth in the Conference table, but had a week off, as they advanced in the FA Trophy, with a 3-2 win over Mark Stimson’s Kettering, though I guess Ian Bogie’s side will still be haunted by their FA Cup second round loss at home to Tamworth, which has denied them a trip to Everton.

Those of you looking for a post-Christmas football fix in the absence of Percy Main games could follow this itinerary; Boxing Day 11am Team Northumbria v Ryton, 3pm Whitley Bay v Benfield. December 28^th 7pm Whitley Bay A v Seaton Delaval. December 30^th 7.30pm West Allotment v Gillford Park.  Who needs turkey and television when there’s football to watch?