Match Report by Freddie Merrett.
Momentum is a funny thing in football. Just four games prior to this photo, a defeated side walked off the field having been beaten by the Uni of Nottingham after a lacklustre display. Durham sat bottom with a meagre 4 points from 6 games cut adrift from the rest of the league. I wish I could have captured the faces of the team in the dressing room that day.
Two weeks later a determined Durham side took a well earned point at Trent, historically a stern test for the side. Branded a 'massive point' at the time, the team knew that had to be just the beginning. Following the Christmas break, the boys returned with revitalised focus and the target was set for seven points from our last three games to definitely secure safety, following a deep dive analysis into previous BUCS Premier league standings from yours truly. A point versus league winners, Stirling, followed by a Charity Match drubbing of Newcastle meant that Durham would secure their Premier Division status, without question, if they beat Loughborough on the final day.
This would be no small feat as, in the last 19 years, Loughborough have placed in the top 3 in BUCS Premier North on 14 occasions, winning the league in 7 of those years. They have also won the national Championship twice in the last 10 years, as well as, reaching the final in another year. They are currently reigning national champions.
Football, however, exists for a giant-killing.
Durham are by no means minnows, however, winning the league in 2015/16, as part of a ten-year stay in the BUCS Premier League, and as messages of support from alumni rolled in, the boys knew there were memories to be forged.
As friends, family and spectators rolled in as kick-off approached, there was a tangible excitement in the Durham camp. The ball flew around through the warm-up as they were noticeably more upbeat than their counterparts. After a final few corralling words before the start, the boys headed out for kick-off. It was a nervy opening to the game for both sides with chances few and far between. While Durham remained cagey, Loughborough took control of possession and began to dictate the flow of the game. Credit where it is due, there is a noticeable IP to any Loughborough side, as they comfortably moved the ball through the middle third of the pitch. In spite of this ascendancy in possession, they created little decisive threat on the Durham goal for much of the first half, probing around the edge of the box without much imposition, barring a fine save from Arnold. Durham looked set to close out the half, when a mix up at the back, as a ball was crossed in from the left, gifted the Loughborough number 9 with a golden opportunity to slot home, which he did so comfortably.
Half Time: Durham 0 - 1 Loughborough
The team talk at half time was potentially the most simple we've had all year. We knew that we'd been well off of our best in the first half, but the game was still well within our reach. Get back to the gritty, fast and direct approach that has come to form the identity of this first eleven in 2023, and we had no doubt we'd prevail. 45 minutes to get back into the game and onto the scoresheet. 45 minutes to stay in the league.
The second half might well have seen a different eleven take the field for Durham, as the landscape of the game was completely changed. Durham had rediscovered their aggression, passion and tenacity and started to move the ball sharply around Loughborough, beating them to first and second balls. This pressure didn't take long to pay with a neatly worked move through the final third, giving England the space to find the head of Gwillim, whose attempt came back off the post, enabling the ever-prolific Hizzett to tuck home the rebound. A goal that would prove crucial against a Lougborough side who had conceded a final-minute-equaliser against the Uni of Nottingham just seven days prior. Four minutes later and a trademark pinch off-the-toes from Gibbons, saw him start a bustling run straight at the heart of the Loughborough defence. He slotted Alfalahi who finished brilliantly at the near post to continue his fine run of form in front of goal. The game remained in the balance for the next half an hour, with both sides entering their opponent's final third in a game that had started to open up. It was the 87th minute that would prove decisive. A marauding defensive sequence from the Durham right, saw Camarda come away with the ball, he found Alfalahi who committed the Lougborough left back with aplomb, before releasing Gwillim. The no. 9 drove straight at goal, slotting the ball into the back of the net from a tight angle, sending the Durham players and crowd into pandemonium. Durham remained narrow for the rest of the game, repelling the final desparate waves of attack from Loughborough. As the ball dropped out of the sky from an Arnold goal kick, the referee blew full time. We'd secured survival, relegating BUCS heavyweights, Loughborough, in the process. Euphoria.
FULL TIME: DURHAM 3 - 1 LOUGHBOROUGH
A pitch invasion from the boys in the club, players on the floor in disbelief and songs of "we are staying up" underpinning how much it meant to all involved. The boys headed to see friends and family, before piling into the changing rooms to celebrate as a group. It was a quiet night in that followed, as I am sure you can imagine...
Momentum, what an incredible thing.
Following the result at Nottingham, Durham secured 4th place in BUCS Premier North and a home tie versus Swansea in the Round of 16 in the National Cup on the 15th February.
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