Following two impressive wins in the league to start the season, it was time for Durham United to make their entry into cup football with a trip away to Easington Lane.
As well as being a tough game in its own right - against a team with 6 wins out of 8 in the league - it was going to be a challenge for the boys as they went on their travels for the first time this season.
We headed to Easington with a much changed starting XI, which included six changes: Jonah Blake, Morgan Lant, Alex Dinan, and Phil Kay were all given a start; Patrick Dixon was making his debut for the club in goal; and Chris Wild was making his first start of the season after joining up with the squad last week.
Seb Hopkins settled into his new surroundings early on when, in the warm-up, he managed to clear the crossbar, the fence, and the hedge with a single shot. While the infamous ‘bobble’ could feasibly be used as an excuse on this occasion, it certainly puts him in a weak bargaining position the next time he skies a shot at home.
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While Durham started the game well, with Chris Seery hitting the post from a corner, it was the hosts who took the lead 10 minutes in. A deflected cross found the feet of the front-man and, with his back to goal in the box, he instinctively swivelled and fired into the bottom corner, leaving Patrick Dixon no chance.
Soon after, Hopkins put his warm-up into practice and fired harmlessly over from range. This time his shot was within the confines of the protective netting but, as the saying goes, practice makes perfect.
20 minutes in, and the United subs went to warm up on the side of the pitch, as Fred Walton tried his best to get in on the action. In fairness, that was a difficult task given that he was a named substitute, but he warmed up with both feet on the pitch just to get a feel for the game.
Hopkins was back in the action when he was wiped out after the whistle had already gone, which injected a bit of life into the game, resulting in a few tasty challenges in the period that followed.
Zane Liles was chasing a loose ball in the corner, when the opposition defender decided to stop playing the game and instead have a go at the Durham man. Expecting the winger to also stop playing and retaliate, Liles just continued running and got to the ball unopposed.
Disappointed with how this unfolded, he charged in with a two-footed slide-tackle, fortunately missing the United man and, instead, sending the full wrath of his force into the corner flag.
With five minutes to go before half-time, and with an attacking free-kick for the home side, the Easington centre-back decided to take matters into his own hands, or, should I say, elbows. With Durham set up on the edge of the box to defend a free-kick, the Easington player waited for the referee to look away before flinging an elbow into the face of a Durham defender.
Even though the noise alone could be heard in neighbouring counties, the referee, remarkably, remained unmoved. Any claims that it could have been accidental were made redundant when the defender admitted that, because there were no assistant referees, you could get away with anything.
There was also some football played amongst all of this...
Rory Edwards provided the most crowd-pleasing moment of the first half when he was backed into the corner with, seemingly, nowhere to go. A couple of drag-backs and drops of the shoulder later, he’d expertly wriggled free and won a corner.
When the corner came to nothing and Easington threatened to break, Edwards sprinted back, shouted, “this is ours”, to Alex Dinan, his midfield partner, and then won it back. Whether it’s the Wearside League or the Premier League, people will always appreciate work-rate.
HALF-TIME: EASINGTON LANE 1-0 DURHAM UNITED
Easington Lane vs Durham United, September 2024
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The second half was filled with a lot of Durham possession in the Easington half, but no real chances.
Phil Kay was a constant option up front and, whenever the ball was fired into him, he made it stick. With a combination of hold up play and a superb drop of the shoulder, he made it to the by-line a few times, but the Easington box was devoid of Durham attackers.
Chris Seery worked tirelessly on the left-hand side, twisting, turning, and battling but, like Kay on the right, on the occasions when he beat his man, there wasn’t much to aim for in the middle.
Despite Durham’s attacking possession, they failed to really create any clear-cut chances. Yet, still, the mounting Durham pressure was proving too much to handle for one member of the home side…
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…Having made his entry onto the pitch - and his debut for the club - just minutes earlier, Oscar Cooke did well to beat his man but, just before making it into the box, was scythed down by a late slide-tackle.
As play stopped, one Durham supporter muttered, in a subdued tone, “Ref, that’s horrible, that.”
For the Easington centre-back, however, that was simply too much to take, and he ordered that the four Durham supporters were moved from behind the goal.
As we remained, unmoved, he suggested that we think again, saying “If you don’t move, wait there after the game and I’ll take on all four of you at once.”
Just in case we thought that statement was far-fetched, he backed it up for us with first-hand evidence, proving why his claim was valid. He pointed at each of us, one by one, and shouted insults which certainly can’t be repeated in the public forum.
I was the final person in the line, yet to be shouted out and, momentarily, felt slightly left out of proceedings; in all honesty, I was quite excited to hear what insult he was going to hurl at me. I’m not sure anyone in the stadium was prepared for what he said next and, given the calibre of the insult, I’d argue nor was the man himself.
“And you…”, he pointed my way as I leaned slightly more eagerly over the railing.
“...You’re wearing a hat, I don’t even know what to say.”
That much was evident. I'd got off lightly, it seemed.
The player sighted ‘player safety’ in order to get us moved, after he failed to gain any sympathy with his first attempt of, “you can’t stand there, you’re off-putting the keeper.”
One Durham supporter made a good argument that you don’t see this in the Premier League, with Andre Marriner just moving the entire Kop end.
Anyway, in this story, I’m not sure how we reached the conclusion that the four people who had just been threatened were the ones at risk of endangering others.
I’m not sure I’ll ever understand why people get so angry about the lower reaches of non-league football; I thought it was meant to be enjoyable.
Nonetheless, we migrated to the side of the pitch, from where we watched the last 10 frustrating minutes play out.
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DUAFC on Instagram: @durhamuniversityafc
For all the attacking possession, it simply never looked like United were going to find a way through. Having been drawn into a physical battle, we struggled to show much of our free-flowing football.
There were still positives to take from the game: playing away from home for the first time this season; plenty of passages of play that were greatly encouraging, showing our ability to attack centrally and out wide; and some good individual performances, including several first starts of the season.
Patrick Dixon made an impressive start to his time in Durham, impressively claiming crosses, and proving more than comfortable under pressure with the ball at his feet.
But, it was Rory Edwards who was awarded ‘Player of the Match’; having started all three games in his first season at the club, he’s barely put a foot wrong, and continues to be a bright spark in the team whatever the match situation. With his technical ability, remarkable work rate, and positive attitude, he may well have a big role to play this season.
With no midweek game, attention now turns to our match next Saturday, with another chance at a cup run, as we take on West Auckland FC Reserves.
FULL-TIME: EASINGTON LANE 1-0 DURHAM UNITED
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Player of the Match: Rory Edwards
Line-Up: Patrick Dixon, Jonah Blake, Morgan Lant, Chris Wild, Elis Challinor, Alex Dinan, Seb Hopkins, Rory Edwards, Zane Liles, Phil Kay, Chris Seery
Substitutions: Adam Browne (50’), Ossie O’Neill (50’), Fred Walton (75’), Oscar Cooke (75’), Freddie Merrett
Written by George Gompertz
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