Maiden Castle has played host to some unforgettable moments over the last few years: A 6-1 win against Newcastle to retain Premier status; Fin Gwillim’s headed goal against Loughborough to send DUAFC to the BUCS final; and my winning goal against York in the 2021/22 season. Well, perhaps the last of those doesn’t quite belong on that list…
… But a goal that definitely does is Jack Gibbon’s last minute free kick in a 4-3 win against Durham Corinthians in 2022/23, sending 11 Durham United players (and the subs) sliding in the corner.
Almost two years on and, as Durham Corinthians came to visit again, the memory of that goal is still strong. But, with Corinthians having recorded 6 wins from 7 and United playing catch-up on the rest of the league, it wasn’t about re-living the past, it was about creating the future.
The team celebrates Jack Gibbons' winning goal against Durham Corinthians in 2022/23
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As the sun set and the floodlights came on, the Durham United players walked through the corridor which was filled with the sound of heavy-hitting music coming from the Durham Corinthians changing room.
The floodlights illuminated the mist, creating a remarkably atmospheric setting, which had all the feel of a derby day under the lights. After an intense and sharp warm-up from United, it clearly wasn’t only the weather that was pulling out all the stops for the Durham Derby…
It also wasn’t only the weather that had changed since our last game, but the team, too. Ossie O’Neill, having finally worn-in his new boots, and Chris Seery, having finally worked out how to actually sign-up to play in the Wearside League, were both making their debut for the club.
Fin Gwillim was the final change, making his first appearance of the season after a delayed start to pre-season, instead enjoying a holiday where “FORE RIGHT” was top of his vocabulary list.
***
United made their way onto the pitch long before their opposition, on a day where you’d want to maximise your time inside.
As their pre-match huddle extended in time from unreasonable to implausible, it became apparent that the only possible explanation was that they were huddling for warmth, like a pack of penguins, waiting for the opposition to arrive. After all, surely not even the club captain, Freddie Merrett, could come up with that many motivational words…
Eventually Corinthians made their way onto the pitch but, due to the lack of officials, we were still unable to start. Merrett and Harry Archer decided to use this time to practice some yoga, discarding any sense of metaphor from the phrase, ‘the calm before the storm’.
***
In typical Wearside League fashion, the game got off to a fast start, but it was Durham Corinthians who had the better of the opening exchanges. Getting the ball on the ground and playing good football, it was due to Harry Archer that United were still level five minutes in.
But then the tide changed and it was at the other end where the action was happening, as Fin Gwillim was brought down in the box after getting across his man. He took on the responsibility himself, and scored the penalty with a level of composure that almost looked out of place on a misty Thursday night in the Wearside League.
Finn Gwillim converts the penalty to put United 1-0 up
It wasn’t long before Gwillim got his second, coming in off the left and finishing the one-on-one with confidence. Having challenged my prediction in the warm-up that it was a “Gwillim day”, I’m sure he was glad to be wrong.
After a short lull, United thought they had a third just before the break. Let me rephrase that, Seb Hopkins thought United should have had a third…
When Chris Seery was on the receiving end of a set of studs to the calf - which looked worse from the stands than it did on the pitch - the ref promptly blew his whistle.
Hopkins, however, having either not heard it or pretended not to hear it, continued to play, slipped in Zane Liles, and the winger popped it in the goal.
Hopkins ran half the length of the field to protest. At first, it looked like he was going to protest the tackle but, as the United players - and the ref - were tending to Seery, who was on the floor, Hopkins waved both hands in the air, pointed to the goal, and inquired as to why it didn’t count.
HALF-TIME: DURHAM UNITED 2-0 DURHAM CORINTHIANS
The second half certainly wasn’t 45 chance-filled minutes for either side. In fact, I sat in the corner of the pitch in the cold and the drizzle for 35 minutes hoping to get one or two usable clips, but very little made its way into the Corinthians half.
Fred Walton came off the bench and went on a lovely dribble which started with a double-stepover; a brave move having just entered the field. Such was my delight that something exciting was coming down this side of the pitch, that I somehow missed the record button…
One of the last two notable things that happened is that a Corinthians player was flagged for offside, which everyone in the stadium noticed apart from the referee. This went on for so long - the linesman unmoved with his arm aloft - that even Harry Archer took it upon himself to alert the ref what was going on.
Of course, by the time the whistle was blown, United were now on the attack, and the indirect free-kick was more of a detriment than an advantage. Being acknowledged was the least the assistant referee deserved, however, as he adhered to the unwritten rule that the officials aren’t to wear base layers or gloves, regardless of the weather.
One Corinthians player had clearly been looking at our social media, and took inspiration from our trip to the bowling alley as Charlie Bramwell was driving with the ball. Having beaten one man, he received a shove in the back which sent him flying (with form that Dean Ashton would be proud of) straight into the legs of a Corinthians player who was minding his own business.
Bramwell is clearly a better bowling ball than he is a bowler, as the Corinthians man was sent tumbling to the ground. Unfortunately, any comedy was removed from the moment, as the Corinthians player remained on the ground and had to come off injured - we wish him a speedy recovery.
A misty Maiden Castle
***
A skied free-kick, a few long throws, and many headers later, a rather uneventful second half came to an end with United winning the derby, having done much of the hard work done in the first half.
As the Corinthians fans behind me turned their topic of conversation to Durham United, I listened in.
“Their defence is good, their midfield is good, and their attack is good. They’ve not got a weak link.”
Well, I couldn’t help but agree. Given that the boys have only played together as a group for two weeks - and with a couple of additions still to come - they’re likely only to get better.
Ossie O’Neill showed both grit and composure on an impressive debut, and Chris Seery mixed power with poise to suggest that he’s going to be a real threat this season. But, it was the other addition to the side, Fin Gwillim, who took the plaudits and, on “Gwillim day”, with his two goals, was awarded ‘Player of the Match.’
With plenty more matches still to play and spirits high, in the words of Jonah Blake, we’ll just keep “rolling on”.
FULL-TIME: DURHAM UNITED 2-0 DURHAM CORINTHIANS
Player of the Match: Fin Gwillim
Line-Up: Harry Archer, Freddy Alcock, Freddie Merrett, Ellis Challinor, Ossie O’Neill, Seb Hopkins, Charlie Bramwell, Rory Edwards, Zane Liles, Fin Gwillim (Goal 20’, 25’), Chris Seery
Substitutions: Jonah Blake (80’), Morgan Lant (65’), Alex Dinan, Fred Walton (75’), Phil Kay (70’)
Written by George Gompertz
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