View from the Cemetery

Busy football week, starting with a whirlwind performance against Hebburn. Top class stuff in the first half hour, and Hebburn never got over the shock. Excellent. And speaking about a shock, what about Gee’s creche? Who knew our irascible if lovable coach was a child care expert on the side? Pagey says he has to bring his bairns to the match, no problem says Gee, I’ll look after the young ones. Changed his mind after an hour or so though; Luke scores, gets hooked, and has his children returned pronto. Ruthless. Still might be a good idea, must be lots of footballers who have childcare problems, this could be Gee’s big chance to shine.

Tuesday night brought a defeat in the Ryhope derby; is it the first ever derby win by our neighbours in a competitive match? Certainly the first I can remember, not that there can have been too many until recent times. Usually in different leagues for most of our history, and most often meeting in the Alan Thompson game pre season, which doesn’t really count, although its a handsome trophy. Guess there might be a County or Charity Cup match somewhere back in time, have to ask Joe Dixon or Keith Stoker I reckon. Anyway, a well deserved win for Ryhope CW from what I hear, and in front of a very decent crowd by all accounts. Good for both clubs for it to be to and fro in these games, and some recompense for the CW for our earlier win in the FA Cup. We will get a chance for revenge later this season.

Very good couple of away wins, after the disappointment of losing to Clitheroe. I thought we certainly should have won it, although they did score a couple of corkers to be fair. We seem a bit fated over the last few years to lose these big cup games narrowly, Bristol Manor Farm, Newport Pagnell, Runcorn Linnets, and now Clitheroe to add to the list. Never mind, we have had some great days home and away as well, including against Bridlington, and here we go again with a home draw against them in the Vase. 2-1 to us in recent years I think, no doubt El Queso Grande will put me right if I’m wrong. Anyway back to the league games. Away wins at West Auckland and Benfield in the space of a few days, you would always take that, and with a unsettled side as well. Most pleasing thing for a lot of people has been the promise of the new young players in this first few weeks of the season. Dom Moan, Sam Lilley and Alex Ramshaw have all done well when called on, which is good for the future, and there are a couple more in the pipeline I am informed. The new link up with the College will hopefully bear some fruit in coming seasons, might be worth nipping along to Meadow Park on a few Wednesday afternoons if you fancy yourself as a good judge of young talent. Ryhope needs a Simon Cowell.

The NL League table has a funny look to it nowadays. Not so much Hebburn at the top, although their progress is remarkable, but just because it looks so short; it's amazing how big a difference eighteen teams is to twenty two. There is comfort in numbers it seems. You look a lot closer to the top if you win a couple, but the bottom is never far away. Should keep everybody’s mind on the job, steady as she goes. The FA have released some more details of the re-organisation, in this case mostly as far as the South West is concerned, but people will be reading between the lines to see what it might mean for the likes of us. I saw someone posted what a potential combined NL/Evostik North East level four league might look like on nonleaguezone, made for interesting reading, but it maybe well wide of the mark. Who knows what our gaffers are thinking? Ours not to reason why.

I don’t miss much stuck here in this old cemetery, but I wouldn’t have minded a run out to Clitheroe last Saturday. By all accounts Byrnes the wine merchants, suppliers to HM the Queen no less, was as interesting as ever with a few canny bottles picked up for Christmas, or to keep the wife happy as a newt; the local beer was very palatable, the locals were, comparatively, welcoming and the game itself, well OK I guess.

OK? OK? I don’t think so. The sort of game which nobody will forgot playing in or watching. My admirably even-handed reporters tell me that it was a game of three if not four halves. RCA started a bit shorthanded, played OK in the first half, but lost two key players to injury and ended up on the wrong end of four goals, came back ferociously in the second half, but forgot to defend as well, took it to extra time and scored twice when past the 92nd minute to get a draw. Oh, and the opposition managed to get themselves reduced to 9nine men with six minutes to go, scored again anyway, (how many teams over the years have conceded when playing 11 against 9? Some team, RCA), and ended up with RCA thinking they should have won it? Manic.

There is nothing that infuriates players and fans more than the inequality that exists in the disciplinary protocols for the game and their applications by referees and linesman in games. Stephen Callen misses the FA cup trip to Clitheroe on Saturday because he reacted, unwisely but not that badly, to an atrocious tackle by the captain of Ryhope CW in the last minute of the game last week. The game was won, Ryhope CW were well beat, and there was nothing left to play for, when their centre half and captain tried to chop Steve in half with an appalling challenge. Steve reacts, understandably but wrongly, both get a three match ban, where is the justice in that? Never mind, nobody said it was fair.