South Shields are comparative giants in Northern League football; not necessarily for their exploits on the pitch, as they were positioned only marginally higher than ourselves in the League table prior to today’s game – but because of the size of the population. At around 85,000, South Shields is more populated than Macclesfield, Shrewsbury and even Burnley who were Premier League inhabitants only a couple of years back. Perhaps the moral is that South Shields is a club with potential; slumbering giants of the Tyne and a side that played league football in the early years of the last century. By Northern League standards, South Shields are well supported with crowds just shy of two hundred. They brought a healthy away contingent to the game today on a crisp, clear October afternoon where the calm atmospheric situation made for perfect playing conditions.
In terms of star quality, two names sprung out from the South Shields team sheet as I cast my eyes over it before the game – Davey Southern and Alex Benjamin. At one point, perhaps seven or eight years ago, I remember Southern as the scourge of our visits to Dunston, where he then plied his trade. He was quick, incisive and had great awareness. Southern was one of the leading lights in the Dunston side which dominated the early parts of this decade. Alex Benjamin is renowned for his Northern League goalscoring feats and it was a surprise to me that he left Bedlington in the close season. With these two players as the fulcrum of their side, there was no doubting that the visitors could be very dangerous.
Several years on, Southern’s role at South Shields appears an altogether different one. Rather than haring down the wing, he now plays in a less advanced role. He was nevertheless central to everything that Shields did; he would lay the ball off, switch play, float the ball into gaps and invariably take every free-kick and dead ball, more often than not very effectively. Benjamin is a strong, direct and traditional centre forward and one of the first contributions he made was to stroke the ball with precision into the bottom corner from the penalty spot as South Shields took an early lead. The chief architect in winning the penalty was the fresh-faced Yanis Galas, whose pace was a constant threat.
Despite this early set-back, Guisborough soon settled into a clear pattern of play. The evergreen Willie Boland would pick the ball up from goalkeeper or centre half, draw a challenge and play the ball into a forward or fellow-midfielder’s feet. More often than not, it was to the feet of Luke Bythway who was at his effervescent best. Bythway created panic as he ran at defenders and whilst Shields looked dangerous as they sprung forward at pace, they looked equally as likely to be undone by speed and running themselves. An equaliser soon followed. Bythway swung in a perfect free-kick from the left and Austin Johnson applied a deft headed flick into the roof of the net. The delivery of the free-kick was nigh on perfect; it was almost impossible for the centre half to get in front of and left the hapless (and totally blameless) visiting keeper stranded and exposed to any diversion from either attacker or defender.
Momentum is everything in sport. Capitalising on this momentum is crucial. Before long Guisborough had taken the lead. Brimming with confidence after his hand in the first goal, Bythway embarked on a mazy dribble towards the visiting goal. As defenders backed off, Bythway kept going and as still no real challenge was made as he entered the area, he wrong-footed the keeper to complete a great piece of individual skill. Guisborough soon had a two goal cushion courtesy of an own goal and having fallen behind early on, could not have wished for a better half time scoreline.
Credit here has to go to South Shields; they came out for the second half rejuvenated and for the first ten minutes of the second period they virtually camped in Guisborough’s half. They had more corners than the Pentagon and such was the intensity of pressure, it felt a matter of time before they pulled a goal back. Had they scored, South Shields would very much have had the momentum and may have gone on to secure at least a point from the game. But on several occasions, the ball was scrambled away and shots went narrowly wide. The real turning point was when Goalkeeper Norton somehow spooned the ball over the bar as he flung himself down low, akin to Gordon Banks’ 1970 World Cup save from Pele. At every set-piece Shields looked dangerous and Southern’s free-kicks - floated across on some occasions as though he had used a nine-iron and whipped across at pace at other times – caused serious problems. Yet the home defence stood firm and gradually the early second-half thrust and energy of the visitors petered out. Guisborough’s Onions had the chance to seal it as his relentless running put him through, but his tired effort fell wide.
This was a fiercely competed and enjoyable encounter between two well-matched sides. It’s amazing what a difference a week makes – in the space of two games, we have doubled our points tally with back to back wins. With games in hand, the picture looks brighter. We now have the small task of taking on Whitley Bay on Wednesday night as they travel just a few miles more than Shields from the other side of the Tyne. The talk is that Whitley Bay’s derelict amusement park – The Spanish City – is all set for renovation. Like the infamous Spanish City attractions, Wednesday evening will no doubt throw up lots more twists, turns, thrills and spills.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
More reviews of the book...
Fly me to the moon, Middlesbrough's highly acclaimed fanzine describes the book as "delightful", "thoroughly enjoyable" and praises the writen style, noting its "large smattering of wit"
http://www.fansonline.net/middlesbrough/article.php?id=2564
The most recent Northern Ventures magazine (135) also describes the book in similar terms - "beautifully crafted" and "nakedly passionate".
http://www.fansonline.net/middlesbrough/article.php?id=2564
The most recent Northern Ventures magazine (135) also describes the book in similar terms - "beautifully crafted" and "nakedly passionate".
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Pipping Penrith...
Saturday 24th September
FA Vase
Penrith Town 0 – 1 Guisborough Town
With green rolling hills framing the ground and the sight of a Buzzard soaring across the picturesque landscape, Penrith’s World Group Stadium is a genuine pleasure to behold. We were warmly welcomed by both the hospitable home officials and the sun which coated the ground in an amber, early Autumn glow. It would be fair to say that Guisborough supporters were made to feel at home and a quirk of the fixtures meant that this was our second visit to the ground in the space of four days. Having won a tight League Cup encounter 4-3 in extra time on the Tuesday, Penrith’s team talk would have been an easy one and the opportunity for revenge in this FA Vase clash was presented to them in super quick time. Yet it was Guisborough who were the fastest out of the blocks and only last-gasp defending and profligate finishing prevented early goals for the visitors.
At all levels of the game, pace frightens defenders and can force errors of both body and mind. Guisborough’s Michael Roberts – who looked as though he would not play this season until the New Year after a badly broken collarbone – demonstrated just what we have missed in the early weeks of the season as he pressured and harried the home defence. It was Roberts’ trickery as he cut inside from the right which opened up and stretched Penrith’s back four. As they moved out to close him down, Roberts played in Shane Henry on the left and his well struck effort nestled in the corner, despite a good effort from the home keeper. With his marker now unaware of just which way he would twist and turn next, Roberts posed further problems and delivered a series of threatening balls into the box.
All football supporters are biased to some degree and I would not exclude myself from these descriptions. Some supporters are totally blinkered and can only see their own strengths and failings and never recognise the good things their opposition have done. With the half-time score at 1-0, several home fans complained at their side’s poor showing. “We’re making them look good” said one elderly spectator as I passed him. “We’re not even doing a good job of that” said his companion. Amused at this exchange, it made me reflect on the previous week’s game against Billingham Synthonia when we had been two goals down at the interval and all of the talk in the clubhouse had revolved around our own mistakes and never the clinical nature of Synthonia’s forward play or finishing.
As last week’s rousing comeback against Synners demonstrated, half-time offers a chance to regroup when you are losing and to refocus any remaining energy. Penrith certainly did this and within ten minutes of the second half they had carved out more chances than in the whole of the first period. Visiting keeper Jack Norton saved well low-down to his left and as the half wore on, Guisborough’s defence and midfield found themselves sucked backwards like the receding tides under the influence of the moon’s gravitational pull. Clearances were finding Penrith players and the ball for long stages was like a proverbial hot potato as nobody could hold onto it for any period of time.
Penrith enjoyed a spell of pressure and had they scored, may well have had the momentum to go on and win the game. Credit must go to the visiting defence who drew the sting from the home attack and the midfield harrying of Johnson, Henry and Luke Bythway forced Penrith into longer balls into the box which either ran into touch or were well dealt with. It increasingly felt as though Penrith’s spell of pressure had come to nothing and the ever-willing Onions, Roberts and Decosemo looked as likely to sneak a second goal on the break as Penrith committed more men forward in search of a goal that would take the two teams into another extra-time period.
This was far from a classic game, but was it was a classic example of how to defend a lead in the cup away from home having scored relatively early on. The margins between the two teams was small, but I reckon that we just about deserved it. But as I said, I am biased…
Of the two cup games, had I been offered one win and asked which one to choose, naturally the FA Vase tie took on greater significance. To win not once but twice was a tremendous effort and sets up a home tie against Consett in a few weeks. For Penrith, to lose twice to the same team in a matter of days is a kick in the teeth. But they need not fret; they have two more opportunities to gain revenge against us in the league. Having thoroughly enjoyed this visit to Penrith’s sleek and professional set up on the edge of the town, I’d be more than happy to return again later in the year.
Like the A66 journey back to Teesside, there is a long road to travel within the competition. Consett, as they themselves have demonstrated already at the King George V ground, will prove to be a stiff challenge.
FA Vase
Penrith Town 0 – 1 Guisborough Town
With green rolling hills framing the ground and the sight of a Buzzard soaring across the picturesque landscape, Penrith’s World Group Stadium is a genuine pleasure to behold. We were warmly welcomed by both the hospitable home officials and the sun which coated the ground in an amber, early Autumn glow. It would be fair to say that Guisborough supporters were made to feel at home and a quirk of the fixtures meant that this was our second visit to the ground in the space of four days. Having won a tight League Cup encounter 4-3 in extra time on the Tuesday, Penrith’s team talk would have been an easy one and the opportunity for revenge in this FA Vase clash was presented to them in super quick time. Yet it was Guisborough who were the fastest out of the blocks and only last-gasp defending and profligate finishing prevented early goals for the visitors.
At all levels of the game, pace frightens defenders and can force errors of both body and mind. Guisborough’s Michael Roberts – who looked as though he would not play this season until the New Year after a badly broken collarbone – demonstrated just what we have missed in the early weeks of the season as he pressured and harried the home defence. It was Roberts’ trickery as he cut inside from the right which opened up and stretched Penrith’s back four. As they moved out to close him down, Roberts played in Shane Henry on the left and his well struck effort nestled in the corner, despite a good effort from the home keeper. With his marker now unaware of just which way he would twist and turn next, Roberts posed further problems and delivered a series of threatening balls into the box.
All football supporters are biased to some degree and I would not exclude myself from these descriptions. Some supporters are totally blinkered and can only see their own strengths and failings and never recognise the good things their opposition have done. With the half-time score at 1-0, several home fans complained at their side’s poor showing. “We’re making them look good” said one elderly spectator as I passed him. “We’re not even doing a good job of that” said his companion. Amused at this exchange, it made me reflect on the previous week’s game against Billingham Synthonia when we had been two goals down at the interval and all of the talk in the clubhouse had revolved around our own mistakes and never the clinical nature of Synthonia’s forward play or finishing.
As last week’s rousing comeback against Synners demonstrated, half-time offers a chance to regroup when you are losing and to refocus any remaining energy. Penrith certainly did this and within ten minutes of the second half they had carved out more chances than in the whole of the first period. Visiting keeper Jack Norton saved well low-down to his left and as the half wore on, Guisborough’s defence and midfield found themselves sucked backwards like the receding tides under the influence of the moon’s gravitational pull. Clearances were finding Penrith players and the ball for long stages was like a proverbial hot potato as nobody could hold onto it for any period of time.
Penrith enjoyed a spell of pressure and had they scored, may well have had the momentum to go on and win the game. Credit must go to the visiting defence who drew the sting from the home attack and the midfield harrying of Johnson, Henry and Luke Bythway forced Penrith into longer balls into the box which either ran into touch or were well dealt with. It increasingly felt as though Penrith’s spell of pressure had come to nothing and the ever-willing Onions, Roberts and Decosemo looked as likely to sneak a second goal on the break as Penrith committed more men forward in search of a goal that would take the two teams into another extra-time period.
This was far from a classic game, but was it was a classic example of how to defend a lead in the cup away from home having scored relatively early on. The margins between the two teams was small, but I reckon that we just about deserved it. But as I said, I am biased…
Of the two cup games, had I been offered one win and asked which one to choose, naturally the FA Vase tie took on greater significance. To win not once but twice was a tremendous effort and sets up a home tie against Consett in a few weeks. For Penrith, to lose twice to the same team in a matter of days is a kick in the teeth. But they need not fret; they have two more opportunities to gain revenge against us in the league. Having thoroughly enjoyed this visit to Penrith’s sleek and professional set up on the edge of the town, I’d be more than happy to return again later in the year.
Like the A66 journey back to Teesside, there is a long road to travel within the competition. Consett, as they themselves have demonstrated already at the King George V ground, will prove to be a stiff challenge.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
A fitting tribute...
A fitting tribute
Four seasons in one day was a 1992 hit for Australian Band Crowded House and described Melbourne’s notoriously unpredictable weather. Teesside and Melbourne are perhaps not natural bedfellows, but as the game today began with torrential rain before light clouds and drizzle gave way to dazzling sunshine in the second half, it was almost a case of four seasons in one game.
I was more than a little curious to see how Thornaby’s Teesdale Park had taken shape since my last visit in the spring. After years of problems with vandalism, Thornaby finally appear to be making some headway with their ground which was in urgent need of renovation, repair and renewal. At the top of many football club’s summer shopping lists would be a star striker to boost the goals for column or a new creative midfielder to open up sides and conjure opportunities from nothing. At the top of Thornaby’s wish list was a new perimeter fence. Situated at the end of a long track which is well away from the main road, Teesdale Park has been the victim of repeated acts of violence. Almost as soon as their hard working committee put something new into place, local yobs would be attracted to it like moths to a flame. They would then create their own flames with several fires and acts of graffiti and destruction. One evening (several years ago), Guisborough arrived to find that the pitch had been marked out not only with the regulation white markings but also by the rutted marks of car tyres as some mindless idiots had driven across every square inch of the pitch the previous day, creating the rather curious impression that we were playing on top of a zebra. Perhaps with this context, it is clear to see why the club are determined to push on with ground repairs, more secure in the knowledge that their good work is less likely to be undone now that the problems can be kept out.
As Guisborough arrived for our pre-season friendly, the work that has been done was clear to see. There is now a club house on site, a hospitality room and most significant of all on this occasion, a newly renovated stand which is fittingly dedicated to the memory of Club Secretary Peter Morris, who recently died whilst refereeing a local football match. The opening of the new stand also heralded the start of the first Peter Morris Memorial match between the two sides (and hopefully the first of many).
It is seventy-seven days since I last saw a game between two Northern League sides – Guisborough’s Promotion Party trip to Gilford Park in Carlisle. But like a conversation with a long absent friend, within minutes it felt as though I had never been away. Thornaby’s pitch looked as good as it has for many years and both teams tried to keep the ball on the deck. In a relatively even first half, Guisborough’s possession finally told as Shane Henry carried on from where he left off last year as he poked the ball into the far corner to give us a half-time lead. The second half was more one-sided. Luke Bythway thundered a shot into the bottom corner and Chris I’Anson – after four goals in a half against Washington at the end of last season – added two more here to secure a comfortable 4-0 victory.
David Onions was as threatening and enthusiastic as ever and the muscular Tommy Marron impressed at centre half. The game ended as all pre-season games should do – in bright sunshine. Both teams had reason to feel satisfied. For Guisborough, this was a good work out as we build towards the start of the season and some tough challenges. For Thornaby, the opening of the new stand was a fitting tribute to a man who had done so much for his club.
With the ongoing ground improvements, Thornaby are moving in the right direction and it is no less than their excellent and very welcoming committee deserve. After years of uncertainty, there are hopefully brighter skies ahead.
Four seasons in one day was a 1992 hit for Australian Band Crowded House and described Melbourne’s notoriously unpredictable weather. Teesside and Melbourne are perhaps not natural bedfellows, but as the game today began with torrential rain before light clouds and drizzle gave way to dazzling sunshine in the second half, it was almost a case of four seasons in one game.
I was more than a little curious to see how Thornaby’s Teesdale Park had taken shape since my last visit in the spring. After years of problems with vandalism, Thornaby finally appear to be making some headway with their ground which was in urgent need of renovation, repair and renewal. At the top of many football club’s summer shopping lists would be a star striker to boost the goals for column or a new creative midfielder to open up sides and conjure opportunities from nothing. At the top of Thornaby’s wish list was a new perimeter fence. Situated at the end of a long track which is well away from the main road, Teesdale Park has been the victim of repeated acts of violence. Almost as soon as their hard working committee put something new into place, local yobs would be attracted to it like moths to a flame. They would then create their own flames with several fires and acts of graffiti and destruction. One evening (several years ago), Guisborough arrived to find that the pitch had been marked out not only with the regulation white markings but also by the rutted marks of car tyres as some mindless idiots had driven across every square inch of the pitch the previous day, creating the rather curious impression that we were playing on top of a zebra. Perhaps with this context, it is clear to see why the club are determined to push on with ground repairs, more secure in the knowledge that their good work is less likely to be undone now that the problems can be kept out.
As Guisborough arrived for our pre-season friendly, the work that has been done was clear to see. There is now a club house on site, a hospitality room and most significant of all on this occasion, a newly renovated stand which is fittingly dedicated to the memory of Club Secretary Peter Morris, who recently died whilst refereeing a local football match. The opening of the new stand also heralded the start of the first Peter Morris Memorial match between the two sides (and hopefully the first of many).
It is seventy-seven days since I last saw a game between two Northern League sides – Guisborough’s Promotion Party trip to Gilford Park in Carlisle. But like a conversation with a long absent friend, within minutes it felt as though I had never been away. Thornaby’s pitch looked as good as it has for many years and both teams tried to keep the ball on the deck. In a relatively even first half, Guisborough’s possession finally told as Shane Henry carried on from where he left off last year as he poked the ball into the far corner to give us a half-time lead. The second half was more one-sided. Luke Bythway thundered a shot into the bottom corner and Chris I’Anson – after four goals in a half against Washington at the end of last season – added two more here to secure a comfortable 4-0 victory.
David Onions was as threatening and enthusiastic as ever and the muscular Tommy Marron impressed at centre half. The game ended as all pre-season games should do – in bright sunshine. Both teams had reason to feel satisfied. For Guisborough, this was a good work out as we build towards the start of the season and some tough challenges. For Thornaby, the opening of the new stand was a fitting tribute to a man who had done so much for his club.
With the ongoing ground improvements, Thornaby are moving in the right direction and it is no less than their excellent and very welcoming committee deserve. After years of uncertainty, there are hopefully brighter skies ahead.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Sales (and reviews) both positive...
The Northern Echo described Far from the massive crowds as 'hugely enjoyable' last weekend. Thanks to all those that have either bought a Print copy or downloaded it via Amazon kindle. All relevant links are provided below...
Mark
Mark
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Pay by PayPal
Many thanks to SyMpOsIuM on Nonleaguezone for providing me with the knowledge of how to install a PayPal button. The book can now be purchased for £5.99 (+£2 P&P) by clicking on the secure link below!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Ebook is ready...
The print version of Far from the massive crowds is on its way...Watch this space for further details over the coming days.
The ebook is ready and can be downloaded for Kindle (for PC, Ipad, Iphone, Kindle - obviously) by clicking here (from PC):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Far-massive-crowds-ebook/dp/B005456NMK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307309734&sr=8-1
Or if you are viewing this from your phone/ipad: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B005456NMK/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/280-3321396-7921705?m=A3TVV12T0I6NSM&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&qid=1307185523&sr=1-1
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