View from the Cemetery

Little doubt what the RCA talking point is these last few days, a succession of red cards. No doubt others will comment so I won’t say much, but everybody seems to think we were more than a bit unlucky with at least the double yellow sendings off. Rough with the smooth, rough with the smooth, is all you can say really, and buckle in for the next match.

Two defeats stopped our progress, that's for sure, particularly losing down at Pickering, a real body blow.

Still on we go, it looks like this is going to be a proper trappy league this season, with plenty of sides winning and losing against expectations already, and that will continue I expect. We won’t be the only surprise losers. Heaton Stan were the star turn this last week with their excellent win up at Ashington, a bit of a hangover for the Colliers after their superb FA Cup exploits maybe, but Heaton Stannington are really flying now after a slow start following their promotion. No great surprise, they have a great set up, a lovely ground and facilities, and are getting excellent crowds and they will only get stronger in coming seasons. No reason why they couldn’t flourish higher up the pyramid.

Ashington still look a real good bet for the top spot come April, although Bishops and Whitley Bay will be expecting to be there or thereabouts. But a few of those surprise results and who knows which other little old clubs could be in the mix.

And on it goes. Leaving aside the blip when we played Thornaby, which resembled the Whitley Bay game in as much as we never got going in a real way, we continue to grind out wins, no matter the circumstances. Following the Thornaby game the performance against Tow Law, with largely the same lads and against a side in good form, was top class from the word go. Great to see Tow Law back in the top flight by the way, a top club and great people.

The obvious difference, and this is no criticism by the way, is that the manager was unavailable for the Thornaby game. Long arranged, Covid carry over postponement, etc, etc, and everybody is entitled to miss a game, but, but, but, in my experience from both sides of the grave, is that if the the manager is missing you get beat. An iron rule of football.

It is probably psychology rather than anything else, but there you go.

Still, six wins from our last seven league games, and up to fourth in the table is not to be sniffed at. Ashington, given their FA Cup exploits, still ongoing, are clearly in a false position and will come on strong when they get back to league action, and Whitley Bay look competent and capable and well-organised.

(Before the Vase game)

Well, our good recent run continues. Tough game down at Redcar, they look a very decent side, but eventually we began to get on top and scored some good goals. To Redcar’s credit they never gave it up and kept going to the end with Keaton as busy in the last five minutes as at any time through the match. We ran out confortable in the end though, so a valuable three points and a further rise up the table. Not sure how far we can go this year, but we do look in very decent order now, so who knows? The biggest spanner in the works at the minute is a rash of injuries, inevitable at some time, but a worry all the same. We have managed brilliantly so far without Sparky and AJ but a few more had knocks after the Redcar game so we need to see where we are for the Vase against Bishops.

Form is difficult to work out isn’t it? By all accounts a tremendous effort against Ashington a week gone Tuesday, leading early, defending stoutly and then getting beat by a couple of late goals, against what good judges tell me is starting to look like maybe the best Northern League side for a few seasons, and then up to Whickham on a Sunday lunchtime, and not so good. In fact a long way from so good. Whickham are very decent mind you, and their early season form shows that, but even so we really weren’t at the races. Shame, because a little FA Cup run can be very good for morale, and the result and the performance against Hebburn was tremendous. Before those games we had enjoyed a five goal romp over at Penrith, always a pleasure, although some people claim that the highlight of the Penrith trip was in fact the initiation singing in the beer garden of the Golden Lion at Barnard Castle on the way home. Stand out performances came from Captain Kieron, the returning Jordan L, and our overseas contingent in the shape of Robert and Thibaut, and young Luke did very well also. Actually the standard was very good from everybody, and we certainly entertained the locals; before they hurriedly left that is ...