Unpublished 6: Around the Grounds 19/01/13

Last season, we beat Harraby 1-0 at the fourth time of asking, after 3 postponements. We knew this game would be off from about Monday onwards, probably because I'd penned this article last Saturday. Still, at least it gave me the chance to attend Newcastle v Reading, which I'm still in shock after. I'm hoping to blog about it by around Tuesday, or perhaps Wednesday......

We may have been inactive last Saturday, but there were several other games that managed to survive Friday night’s downpour, which had the effect of knocking us down from 6^th spot to 8^th. The biggest shock was today’s opponents Harraby thumping leaders Amble United 5-1, which moved the Cumbrians up to fourth. Whitley Bay A climbed to 6^th after a 3-1 away win against Seaton Delaval Amateurs, who lie in 10^th spot. The other team to go above us were Wallsend Town, who crushed second bottom Hebburn Reyrolle 7-2 away. Finally, Gateshead Rutherford remain anchored to the foot of the table after a 4-1 home loss to Shankhouse saw their opponents move 5 points above a relation place, even though they still sit third bottom.  There were a trio of shocks in the George Dobbins League Cup, with three Premier Division sides falling to lower league opposition in the quarter finals. Blyth Isabella saw off Ashington Colliers 2-1, while Blyth Town fell 3-2 at home to resurgent Ponteland United and Wallington saw off Carlisle City 1-0.

Cramlington Town exploited Wallington’s cup heroics to move above them to the top of Division 1, with a 1-0 away win over Gosforth Bohemians who lie in 12^th place. Northbank moved in to 4^th spot with a 2-1 away win against a Newcastle University side in turmoil as they drop to the foot of the table after having all 8 points they’ve accumulated this season deducted for playing ineligible players. Heddon are a place below Northbank in the rankings after shading a 5 goal contest away to 13^th placed Cullercoats. Hexham sit 7^th after cuffing a Willington Quay Saints side, who have moved out of the bottom 2 following the University’s disciplinary travails, 5-1. Finally, Gateshead Redheugh got the better of their midtable battle with Chemfica by a margin of 2-0, as the two sides sit in 8^th and 9^th respectively. Morpeth Town are the first team through to the semi-finals of the Bill Gardner Memorial Trophy, overcoming Division 2 side Cramlington United 3-1.

Birtley St. Joseph’s remain top of Division 2 after a 7-3 thumping of Wallsend Boys Club, who now lie in 10^th place.  The other league game in the bottom division saw an equally emphatic outcome, with third top Wooler beating fourth placed Longbenton 5-0. Additionally, Grainger Park Boys Club made it through to the next round of the Northumberland FA Minor Cup, with a 6-3 away success against Gosforth Bohemians A.

In the Northern League, fourth placed Whitley Bay warmed up for their trip to Brantham in the FA Vase today, with a scintillating 5-0 trouncing of an abject Hebburn side at Hillheads, in front of a crowd of 401; it’s not often I make a difference at football, but I did to the crowd at that one, which I attended with celebrated author Harry Pearson, who would otherwise have been at Purvis Park, if the rain had not intervened last week. Newcastle Benfield’s seemingly unstoppable slide towards relegation gathered pace as they fell to 21^st, with a 2-0 home loss to Ashington, who are at Bodmin in the Vase. Team Northumbria sit in 15^th, after a 2-2 draw with Norton. In the second division, 7^th placed North Shields played out a 2-2 draw at home to Ryhope CW, while West allotment Celtic enjoyed a morale boosting trip down the East Durham coast, coming away from Horden 5-2 victors.

Gateshead’s seemingly intractable problems with the boggy International Stadium pitch continued, as their FA Trophy tie with Barrow was postponed, with the new sections of the playing surface not passing a late morning inspection. Finally, Blyth Spartans fell to a 1-0 loss away to Chorley in a Evostik League game.