Hawayday at the Bay

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 18 February 2012 at Hillheads
Result	Whitley Bay 1 West Auckland Town 2
Competition	FA Vase Round 5 – a tie between two teams from the step 5 Northern League Division One
Hopping	I am here because I rolled a six.  See last post.  This is within the bounds of normal behaviour for a human being if you ask me.  Venue #451 on the lifetime list.
This match in one sentence
The holders go out in a game that had drama at each end and tension in between, as a late equaliser was wiped out by an even later winner.
So what?
West Auckland go into the last eight, where they will be at home to either Billingham Synthonia or Bournemouth.  Whitley Bay will be, as they say, concentrating on the league
Something random
Far and away the best random notice I have ever seen at a football ground, anywhere.
The drama unfolds
This is a game that has already been well covered, so I am sticking to the spirit and form of this blog and writing from my original notes and impressions, before reading others’ accounts.  Honest. As I headed north on Saturday morning, the Twittersphere spluttered into operation and the locals were warned of my impending arrival.  And so it was that I was welcomed by @HuddoHudson, @NewcastleDavey and @sheeshkebab among others for some pre-match prattle in The Last Orders, across the road from the ground.  They filled in some of the gaps in my northern league knowledge and were splendid hosts for the day as I embedded myself in the Bell-Enders.  Loved the old-school bell and rattles of the long-standing Bay supporters. As usual, I recorded a “scene-setter” clip after about ten minutes or so, standing in the bright but cold sunshine behind the goal.  Bay are in blue.  The clip ended with the referee’s whistle for a foul, and I pressed stop before the implications became clear.  The game was not to restart until 3.50pm, some thirty-five minutes later, and from a purely selfish point of view after such a long drive I was relieved that it restarted at all. All I can say is that my immediate impression was that the Whitley Bay player was over-stretching for a ball that the wind was taking away from him, and the wind was a factor in his mistiming.  It didn’t look like malicious intent, and the reactions of the other players were horror at the injury more than anger towards the perpetrator.  I now know that the tackler was Lee Paul Scroggins, and the injured party was Alex Francis.  It was clear within seconds even to us behind the goal that this was a serious injury.  The ambulance came on to the pitch and it took some time to stabilise Francis before moving him. It gradually became clear that the game would continue, and at 3.50pm the red card was shown to Scroggins, over half an hour after the event, which was astonishing in itself.  Whitley Bay made a substitution, either tactical or because the player concerned was too distressed to continue, and the rest of the half was played out in a surreal atmosphere – the police arrived as tensions were mounting. Kyle Hayes, the Bay keeper, saved superbly from Adam Nichols as Town really should have taken the lead.  Then Mark Bell in the other goal went down, rolling in agony after being caught by Paul Chow, but no card was shown.  Within seconds, Bay’s Chris Fawcett was also needing treatment – in that instance I thought I saw a deliberate kick that the officials missed, but I’m not certain who did it.  It was all getting rather niggly.  There was time for Nichols to send in one dangerous cross for Town, and for Bay to go close (McFarlane, I think) with a shot just over.  0-0 at half-time Whitley Bay started the second half on the front foot and here is the first of several decent saves from Bell, after 48 minutes. Both goalkeepers were busy, in fact.  Bay certainly looked dangerous as they came forward but there was also palpable anxiety whenever Town got the ball.  Their wide players were finding plenty of space against ten men and there was one other occasion when a shot went straight at Hayes rather than into the net.  It remained tense and we checked the programme to see whether extra time was playable today.  Scores of phone calls were made to the Wives of Whitley Bay making apologies for lateness.  Here’s another clip. Town had another chance, with the ball being cleared off the line, it appeared, after a moment of goalmouth chaos, but we resigned ourselves to extra time until … well, Wow, what an ending.  That is, if you are a neutral or from West Auckland. With one minute of normal time to go, Matthew Moffat connected with a corner and he headed in.  0-1 Then this … Great work by Robbie Dale to fashion the chance for Paul Robinson to score.  1-1 My final clip is the “if only” moment for the Bay... … because, at 5.26pm, in the 6th minute of stoppage time, a cross-shot at the other end was knocked back and it fell to Michael Rae who smacked it into the roof of the net.  Final Score 1-2 There was a stunned silence, a moment of anger and frustration, and then the home supporters cheered their team, who had lost an FA Vase tie for the first time in four seasons.  For this hopper, it was both a sadness and a privilege to see the run end – I’ve seen them win on the road and twice at Wembley – but now West Auckland fly the Northern League flag for at least one more round, and I hope more supporters will turn up to see it.  They are a resilient side and all eyes will now be on them.  They won both league fixtures too, and should not be underestimated.  The Northern League supplied five of the last sixteen and will have two or three of the last eight in this year’s competition. One day it would have to end like this.  It's nature's way.
Man-of-the-Match
Robbie Dale (Bay) and Adam Nichols (Town) caught the eye in midfield, and both keepers did well – and on balance I am giving the nod to Mark Bell as I am a lapsed part-time associate member of the goalkeepers’ union.
A snippet from the programme
Bay Watch (Love it!) is a very professionally-produced programme which, for those in the know, clearly shows @damon_th of therealfacup celebrating wildly at Wembley during the Bay’s last win.  There is a whole page devoted to “Whitley’s 5th round drama” which prophetically concludes: “Today is the seventh time that Whitley have reached this stage of the competition.  On three previous occasions, extra time has been required and twice the tie has gone to a replay.  There have been penalties, sendings-off and last-gasp equalisers.  What drama will today’s game bring?” The article covers, among others, the home draw against Brigg Town in 2001-2.  “It looked all over for Whitley until Ian Chandler (now Bay manager) sent the fans wild when he scored a dramatic 119th minute equaliser.”  They went on to win the replay and the trophy.  Lee Paul Scroggins had a happier day to some extent in 2002-3 where he scored Bay’s goal in a 5th round home defeat by Oadby Town.
What I learned today
On a bright sunny day, it is possible to remove one layer of clothing at Hillheads and attend the match with nine rather than the recommended ten. STOP PRESS: Michael (see below) and others have pointed out to me that I have used the Sunderland pronounciation of "Haway" and therefore I am like that secret agent in 'Allo 'Allo who has irritable vowel syndrome.  So, listen, and I will say this only once, it should indeed have been "Howay" for the authentic Tyneside feel and I mode a mustook.  I feel so sully, but I have lawned something useful!
What Next?
As readers will know by now, forward planning is not a strength but I am certainly eyeing up the Bournemouth v Billingham Synthonia replay next Saturday.

H'way the Bay

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Sunday 8 May 2011 at Wembley Stadium
Result	Whitley Bay 3 Coalville Town 2
Competition	FA Vase Final
Hopping	Not a new venue, but my 15th visit to the refurbished national stadium – sadly I have no reliable record of how many times I had been there in its “Twin Towers” days.
This match in one sentence
Bay’s Paul Chow got two goals meaning that he has scored in every round this year but the man-of-the-match was goalkeeper Terry Burke as Coalville Town went down fighting to the end.
So what?
Whitley Bay win the Vase for the third consecutive year and a record fourth time altogether.
The drama unfolds
As a spectacle, this was probably the best game of football I have seen all season.  My brief summary is followed by a series of clips, and hopefully the clip titles tell the story in a self-explanatory way.  I decided to sit with the Coalville supporters simply because my ancestors on my dad’s side have some Leicestershire connections.  It's the old "nearest-team-to-where-you-were-born" test of my generation. Any thoughts that Coalville might be overawed and Bay’s experience would see them home were dispelled in the first moments, when a goal-line clearance was required.  Coalville forced a number of early corners and had much the better of the first fifteen minutes.  With the hindsight that is always perfect, their failure to find the net at this point probably cost them the game. Whitley Bay gradually settled and got into the game.  A short backpass from Stewart gave them a chance, but fortunately ‘keeper Bowles got there first and his clearance rebounded wide off Chow.  They took the lead after a piece of brilliance from W2, who set up an unmissable opportunity for Chow to score his 26th goal of the competition.  1-0 Coalville had a goal disallowed after 33 minutes and hit the post on 38 minutes, the ball rebounding fortunately straight into the arms of Burke.  1-0 at half-time The well-deserved equaliser from Moore came after 58 minutes (sorry I did not react quickly enough at the key moment!)  1-1  However, Bay restored their lead only three minutes later with a glancing header from Kerr.  This meant that Kerr and Chow had both scored in all three Bay finals.  2-1 When Coalville hit the bar, you began to wonder whether the footballing gods were against them, but Goodby’s goal came with ten minutes to go and we licked our lips at the thought of extra-time.  2-2  However, a free-kick from Kerr gave a poacher’s opportunity for Chow and he took it.  3-2  Coalville threw substitutes, goalkeeper and kitchen sink at the Bay goal in the final few minutes, but this was a stunningly resilient performance from the cup holders.  H’way the Bay, as they say.  Final score 3-2 The Coalville fans applauded both teams (as I am sure the Bay’s did too) and they stayed to watch the trophy lifted by their opponents.  There was no anger, recrimination or nastiness from those around me – it was old-school sportsmanship and appreciation of their side’s fantastic effort.  I am sure that most people who really cared about this result were actually here today to see it, so I am writing this for an audience of potential non-league fans.  It really is a different experience, and look back over some previous posts on this and other blogs if you still need convincing. Here are my clips, in chronological order.  Watch as many or as few as you like.  I am sure that this match will get plenty of coverage from the non-league blogging fraternity, and quite right too.  Sorry that Coalville's first goal is slightly out-of-shot.
A snippet from the programme
"Aficionados of the Vase competition tend to rate the 1992 Final between Wimborne Town and Guiseley as the best.  Wessex League Wimborne had never been beyond the Third Round before, but they embarked on a spectacular Vase journey that took them all the way from the First Round to the Final.  A goal down after 14 minutes at Wembley, the Dorset side fought back to win 5-3." For the record, Whitley Bay's route to the final this year was: Round 2: Thackley 0 Whitley Bay 1 Round 3: Whitley Bay 7 AFC Liverpool 1 Round 4: Herne Bay 1 Whitley Bay 2 Round 5: Whitley Bay 5 Dunstable Town 1 Round 6: Dunston UTS 1 Whitley Bay 2 Semi-Final (2 legs): Poole Town 1 Whitley Bay 2 & Whitley Bay 3 Poole Town 1
Something random
Whitley Bay finished 3rd in the Northern League Division One (step 5) and will be able to defend the Vase next year and try for an amazing fourth win in a row.  Coalville Town, as Midland Alliance champions, will be heading for step 4 and therefore will be ineligible for this particular competition. I saw Bay’s victory over Glossop North End two years ago and don’t remember the crowd being herded on to one side of the stadium.  (I didn’t see last year’s win over Wroxham.)  Today’s crowd was around 7,800 which must be on the margins for creating “atmosphere” at Wembley and I am among those who wonder whether this game should be played as a one-day double-header celebration of the non-league game with the FA Trophy final. I’m not one of those complaining too loudly about the £25 match ticket, but I thought £22.50 for the “official” carpark was nothing short of extortion, so I handed £10 over to a random bloke in one of the side streets instead.  I have done this many times at Wembley and never had any problems. As an aside, who misses the Twin Towers of the old Wembley any more?  Foster's arch has really become as iconic as it was meant to be, and it gives the stadium a brand that is instantly recognisable.  I have yet to be convinced that the London 2012 logo is going to do the same for the Olympics.
What Next?
If work commitments allow, something from step 7 or 8 on Tuesday evening.

Now I've Done Dunston

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 5 March at the UTS Stadium, Dunston
Result	Dunston UTS 1 Whitley Bay 2
Competition	FA Vase Round 6 (quarter-final) between two sides from the step 5 Northern League Division One.
Hopping	I am here because @damon_th of therealfacup was the first to respond (within a minute!) to a choice among four colours that I offered without any further explanation on Twitter.  The colours, unknown to anyone, were linked to the home sides in the four FA Vase quarter-finals.  Probably because of his Ipswichish subconscious, blue was the colour, and that is the home colour of Dunston UTS.  It’s random, but in a good way, and that’s what drives my groundhopping whenever possible.
The drama unfolds
My full deluxe match report can be found at http://f.ast.ly/bbN47 under the care of my friends at therealfacup.  However, here are a couple of clips that give a sense of the occasion as the Bay march on.