4-3-3

 Four Longstaffs. Three Percy Main legends. The Three Sails. All at North Shields Athletic...

This rain is getting beyond a joke now. Percy Main managed to play 8 games in August, which is more than they’ve completed in the subsequent three months put together. At the time of writing, the Villagers have endured 7 blank Saturdays since mid-September, though admittedly one of those was because of the whole team attending a wedding and another on account of the away game at Alnwick being pulled back to the Friday night. Therefore, we’ve had 5 idle, wet Saturdays that have required me to find alternative fun. As well as trips to West Allotment Celtic, Whitley Bay and York City that task has included sampling some 4G Alliance fare at Wallsend Boys Club and, twice now, at North Shields Athletic’s base at John Spence School.

The first time I dropped in on NSA, their Reserves were hosting Wideopen Reserves on the last Saturday in October. An unannounced 2.15 kick off caught out several potential attendees, who arrived during the first quarter of an hour, uniformly announcing their surprise at the game being underway and comprising a more than decent turnout for this level of football. In addition, a kids’ Halloween Party saw approximately 150 bairns in various ghoulish outfits running about the place, but only one in a full Newcastle away kit. Star spotters would have been intrigued to learn that the young tyro lacing the ball about was young Freddy Longstaff, who was showing a burgeoning talent that shows where his genes come from. Lovely to see dad Davey for the first time since the end of the cricket season, savouring the tasty Belgian wine in The Three Sails. As for the game, NSAR overcame the Wideopen side by a less than flattering margin of 4-2. While I really enjoyed the comfort of a seat at The Boysa, the presence of hot coffee and cold beer on sale at The Three Sails means trips to John Spence are always a great option when Percy Main are out of action, especially as I can cycle there in 10 minutes and back (uphill) in quarter of an hour.

So, having seen the Main two weeks in a row, Friday night’s downpour put paid to any chance of our Challenge Cup quarter final against Burradon & New Fordley going ahead on their spongy surface. Sure enough, a text from Norman before 9.00 confirmed what we all feared. Indeed, every game on grass in the Alliance and Northern League went the same way, which left me with about a dozen games to choose from. Thankfully, I didn’t take a trip to Coach Lane, where our Premier Division rivals Newcastle Independent and Chemfica played a goalless draw. Division 1’s fixture list was utterly blank; Hexham having lost 5-1 at home to Wideopen on the Friday night. In Division 2, Newcastle City lost 5-3 at their latest 4G home of Kenton School to Benton and Hazlerigg squeezed past Chemfica Amateurs by the narrow margin of 11-1 on the 4G at Bullocksteads. I suppose I ought really to have taken in that game, partly because we’ve got Chemfica Amateurs this week and partly because Hezzy shelled out £192 to play this fixture. In Division 3, Blyth Rangers booked Benfield School’s 4G for their tie with Whitley Bay Sporting Club A and I bet they wish they hadn’t bothered, as a 2-0 half time lead ended up as a 3-2 loss. Over the hedge, The Boysa’s U23s drew 2-2 with Wideopen Reserves.

As well as league fixtures, there were cup ties as well. In the Challenge Cup, Wallington blitzed Stobswood 8-3 at the same place we lost 5-1 a few weeks ago, which in the Neville Cowey Cup, I was aware of Great Park hosting Whickham Under 23s at Druid Park, but discounted it because of public transport difficulties, missing out on a 2-0 home win. Instead, it was John Spence for me and the Neville Cowey Cup tie between NSAR and Heddon United, a team who have lost every time I’ve seen them. Sorry lads!

Arriving at 1.15, I was surprised to find the game already underway, with Heddon twice going incredibly close to scoring from a corner in the first 15 seconds I saw, and Shields Athletic Reserves already 2-0 ahead. It was only then I checked Twitter to learn that kick off had been advertised as 1.00, which I’d missed. There was some good news though; the afternoon would be a double header as Shields Athletic first team were hosting Benfield Reserves, who’d surrendered home advantage as Sam Smith’s is underwater, in the Combination Cup at 3.15. You’ve probably no idea how happy that news made this saddo.

The score remained 2-0 at half time, by which time the Benfield Reserves side were showing up. Captained by Percy Main legend Dean Ellis, it was great to catch up with the midfield dynamo, who is enjoying the challenge of his first managerial role, especially as he is combining it with a playing role. I know we’re all growing older, but the news that Dean is no longer 19, but turns 34 next birthday, stunned me to the core. I was equally dumbfounded to learn that another Percy legend, the indomitable Graeme Cole, has connections to the Benfield squad, as his little bairn Ethan, now a strapping centre half, is one of their players. Sadly Ethan was injured, but it was great to see Cola, now bespectacled and clean shaven, looking not a day older than in his prime.

On the pitch, the main entertainment was proved by the referee losing both the plot and the pea from his whistle. Once he’d had the sin bin rule explained to him in words of one syllable, NSAR went 3-0 up after the Heddon keeper parried but failed to gather a free kick, and a Shields player ran in to tap the ball home. A fine flowing move saw the home side complete the scoring late on and I grabbed a coffee in The Three Sails, in the company of former workmate Jim Scoffham (son of the legendary Keith) and fellow TCC 3^rd team cricketer Lee Reed. They were on Stella, of course.

I made my way outside for the second game, which was a Combination Cup tie and, being contested by sides two leagues higher than the previous game, was markedly faster, more competitive and better to watch. Benfield controversially had a goal disallowed, not for offside (which it clearly wasn’t), but for a foul on the keeper, which I couldn’t comment on. Straight from the restart, NSA swept downfield and won a clear penalty when the keeper wiped out the attacker. However, he put this behind him and made a great parry to his left from the resultant spot kick.

 Soon after, I made the mistake of looking away for 5 seconds and missing the last man foul that turned the game. Shields were reduced to 10 and Tony Woods fired the free kick into the top corner. After this Exocet, he doubled Benfield’s lead soon after with a low free kick into the bottom corner. If I’m reding the Alliance website correctly, he left Benfield for Shields Athletic the day after this game. Some way to sign off…

I spent the second half in the company of another Percy Main legend; Brian Smith, having recently left Newcastle Blue Star, was taking in this game, as were another couple of decent footballers. Not only were Freddy and Davey Longstaff watching the game, but Matty and Sean as well, the latter in a protective boot, suggesting Newcastle’s injury problems may not be over just yet. While the game rather petered out into a 2-0 win for Benfield, it was another great afternoon in superb company, where nobody felt the cold because of the quality of the conversation. This is a fine, fine place to watch grassroots football. Almost as good as Percy Main, but not quite.