You are here

View from the Cemetery - February 2015

Submitted by Ghostly Gadgie on Monday, 9 February 2015

Very good win down at Bishops, and an encouraging display I hear. Overall one of our lucky opponents Bishops, get a fair number of results against them, much to the disgust of some of their loyal supporters it must be said. Great weeping and wailing through the match and afterwards from one or two local gentlemen, after some premature celebration when Bishops took the lead, and quite an amount of noise on the web. But it definitely shows they care, and there are plenty of them.

Not my business of course, but they always look to me like a steadily run club, not taking chances or spending money they haven't got. Much like our own little club indeed, though on a bigger scale. Makes you think about our place in things.

In the short term I guess many of us are fairly optimistic about making a fist of this season, when we finally play a few games, but can we continue to compete at this level in the longer term? I hope so. Some of the stories you hear about the money going around in some parts make your eyes water, it’s true, but we do have some advantages. And the main one is demographics. Numbers of people sir. Lots of lads for who a local Sunderland club is a better bet than someone with more money, but a 45 minute drive away. If only the same could be said for spectators. Although it gets more competitive all the time: the Colliery back up in the Northern League, and perhaps more importantly, both Seaham and Washy making a real bid for promotion up to the first division this year. Personally I hope and think they will both make it. Derbies breed interest, and it’s interest we need. Hopefully the Colliery can follow them next season. The first ever Northern League Ryhope derby is a game I very much want to see. But battles against Red Star and Washington have always been fun as well, and the travelling is certainly easy. Be fantastic if we can get to a point when four local side are well established at the same time in the First Division. And not impossible. Our beloved photographer, who lives over on the dark side, has Benfield, North Shields, West Allotment and Whitley Bay all virtually on his doorstep, not to mention Team North and Heaton Stannington. Not bad considering for so many years there were no sides on Tyneside in the NL, so let’s do the same for the golden City of Sunderland.