Darlington Railway Athletic FC vs Durham United
Wearside Premier Division
Saturday 16th November 2024
14:00
Written by George Gompertz
As winter approaches, fixtures become more congested, and people feel increasingly tired, this is the part of the season where a title chase can start to falter. Away to Darlington Railway Athletic - on a sandy grass pitch - could have easily become one of those banana skins, especially with the circumstances that occurred pre-game.
As the 1L VW Up did its best to carry a car-full of blokes up the hills to Darlington, its nimble nature came in very handy on the Bowburn interchange.
As we prepared to exit the roundabout, we had to sharply veer around a car that was sitting still at a green light, proudly flashing its hazard lights.
As I mumbled to myself about the inconsiderate place the car chose to stop, news filtered through on WhatsApp…
Pictures circulated to reveal that it was Freddy Alcock’s Vauxhall Corsa - older than one of the passengers - that had decided enough was enough, dragged its proverbial heels on the ground, and said it wouldn’t go any further.
Well, it would still go another 10 metres or so… Having been told by many passers-by that ‘you can’t park there!’, the 75 horse-power engine was swapped for a 2 human-powered engine, as Tom Boothroyd and Patrick Dixon got their pre-match warm-up in, pushing the car up onto the verge.
Tom and Paddy push the Corsa up onto the verge
With the car having been pushed onto the verge, the boys wait for assistance
***
Once the ramifications of the Corsa’s demise became apparent, talk turned to who might start in goal for United, given that the only goalkeeper in the squad was currently stuck on the roundabout.
I immediately put my hand up, filled with excitement that my footballing dream may finally be realised. Whilst some dream of winning the World Cup, I dream of the goalkeeper getting sent off and, as an outfield player, selflessly sacrificing myself to go in goal.
This excitement would only last the rest of the journey as, shortly after arriving at Brinkburn Road, I saw Tom Trace already donning the pink goalkeeper shirt.
As he ran about the adjoining field - dressed in his pink shirt and black beanie - whilst jumping in the air and shouting “KEEPER’S!!”, it was difficult not to smile.
Trace is thrilled about the prospect of going in goal
Whilst I’m sure he was thrilled about the prospect of being included in a Wearside squad again, he seemed surprisingly enthusiastic about the thought of having a hard Mitre football pelted at him, as he stood there with no gloves on.
Like mine, his excitement was also short-lived as he was told that Patrick - and the rest of the Corsa’s passengers - were only 15 minutes away. ‘What’s the time now?’, I asked Trace. "Only 20 past 1”, he replied, in a slightly subdued tone.
***
We started our warm-up, taking the first few minutes of passing patterns to get used to the pitch which, although it wasn’t too bad, was certainly a different experience to the artificial surface we’re used to.
With the pre-match kerfuffles behind us, we started to dial in to matchday routines and, with 11 players all playing in familiar positions (which felt unlikely not long before), we kicked off.
***
It took a while to settle into the game, with both teams treating the football like a hot potato but, after this initial period, United started to put pressure on the hosts.
In possession, Durham managed to get in behind with relative ease. In one of the best chances, I found myself in behind the Darlington defence, with Phil Kay and Chris Seery both making runs into the box.
On this occasion, with space to run into, the first time cross was perhaps the unorthodox choice, and the defenders managing to cut it out.
On the next occasion of United getting in behind, however, it was the referee who made an unorthodox choice. With Seery managing to slip Freddie Walton through 1-on-1, the referee decided to pull play back for a foul on Seery.
This was a case of the referee - unintentionally - playing the ‘disadvantage’, as United had to start the attack again. “Can we not just have a drop ball with Waltz through 1-on-1?”, I half-heartedly suggested. We could not.
***
United started to get the ball in midfield more often, with Zane Liles and Charlie Bramwell doing very well to control the tempo of the game, and switching the play effectively.
When one of the Darlington attackers went down injured on the half-way line, it offered us a chance to re-group.
We all huddled on the pitch and discussed our tactics for the last 10 minutes of the half; all apart from Phil Kay… Phil was called over the dugout to have a chat with the coaches.
“Do you want to score today?”, he was asked in a fairly sincere tone.
“Yeah, that’s the plan”, he replied, slightly taken aback.
“Well, be more physical then”, was the instruction to the United front man.
Whether it was that piece of prime Wearside advice or something completely unrelated, but Phil found himself on the scoresheet not too long afterwards.
After receiving the ball wide on the right, Phil started to run at the defence. I thought about busting a gut to try and make the overlap but, like a prime Daniel Ricciardo, it would have meant coming from a long way back.
I decided that Phil could do it himself. After cutting inside a couple of defenders, he launched a left-footed curling effort from 20 yards out. It started out to the left of the goalkeeper, and ended up bending around to the right of him.
Via a flailing hand, the ball found the top of the net, and United headed into the changing room a goal to the good.
Half-Time: Darlington Railway Athletic 0 - 1 Durham United
***
The second half continued in much the same vein as the first, with Durham having most of the possession, but unable to carve out too many clear-cut chances.
At the other end, however, there was little to worry about, as the back three of Chris Wild, Jonah Blake, and Sam Benoist cut out any potential danger before it became a problem.
As the half went on, we created some great chances but, again, were unable to make the most of the ball in the final third.
Legs started to tire and substitutions were made and United had to dig deep for the last 15 minutes, as Darlington continued to bypass their midfield and attempt to hit long balls over the top.
Freddie Walton made way for Tom Boothroyd in a like-for-like change: in the words of the man himself, “When you overtook me, I knew my legs were gone”.
Booth made an instant impact, driving with the ball and winning a free-kick, deep in the Darlington half. As a tiring Wearside defender, the sight of a fresh winger with legs the size of Tom’s probably isn’t what you want to see.
Max Nissim slotted into the back three to protect the three points that he was dreaming of the night before, after providing evidence of his responsibly timed lights-out routine. As the game became full of aerial duels, ‘Hands in the back, ref’, became a common call.
On one occasion, the linesman flagged intensely on the dug-out side of the pitch for that offence, but it took a while for the referee to spot him.
Or, rather, it took a while for the referee to set aside his difference of opinion and blow the whistle. “That push wouldn’t have even closed my bedroom door”, he suggested.
The hosts did have one decent effort on goal, with not many minutes left on the clock. From outside the box, the attacker struck one well across goal, but Paddy Dixon - armed with gloves and all - pulled off a fantastic diving stop, not just to keep the ball out, but to catch it as well.
And, with that, Durham had done enough to claim the three points. Chris Seery, having put himself about yet again, didn’t make many friends in Darlington, not that he cared too much, having got the win.
We headed inside for our customary changing room celebration photo, each win seemingly meaning more than the last.
Full-Time: Darlington Railway Athletic 0 - 1 Durham United
I was honoured to receive the POTM accolade, enjoying a fair bit of freedom down the right-hand side. But, genuinely, despite how much of a cliche it may be, it was just such a joy to have a run out with such a good bunch of blokes and get the win!
The boys pose for the customary post-win changing room celebration photo
***
We headed into the clubhouse for our post-match feed, consisting of a sausage roll and mushy peas, which had taken on a neon green colour. Despite their appearance, a few of the boys gave them a go, and reviewed them considerably well.
Having got his car fixed, Alcock assumed that his dealings with the mechanic were over for the day. Well, not quite…
The mechanic removes his torch from the underside of the car
On his way back home, he got a call from the mechanic, asking if he could pick up his torch, as he was sure he’d left it in the Corsa.
He arrived and, to Fred’s surprise, went straight underneath the car, and dislodged the torch which had been wedged on the underside of the car. Remarkably, it made it all the way back from Darlington. Oh yeah, and the torch made it too…
***
Player of the Match: George Gompertz
Line-Up: Patrick Dixon; Chris Wild; Jonah Blake; Sam Benoist; Charlie Bramwell; Zane Liles; George Gompertz; Ossie O'Neill; Freddie Walton; Phil Kay (Goal 40'); Chris Seery
Substitutions: Tom Boothroyd; Max Nissim; Nicolai Lewis; Freddy Alcock; Adam Browne
***
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