Darlington bounce back from Ramsbottom Drubbing with a Dominant Team Performance away to Salford 28/9/13

 

Tuesday 24^th September is a date that all Darlington fans will want to forget in a hurry, a shambolic performance from Darlington resulted in a humiliating 3-0 drubbing away to Ramsbottom United, to the delight of a few neutral Curzon fans who had also made the trip. The result left a minority of fans questioning where we will actually finish the season in a league that presented a much tougher challenge than the previous seasons domination of the EBAC Northern League. So when the following Saturday came and a tough away trip to Salford City in 9^th place, who themselves were looking like contenders for the play-offs, it would have been understandable that a few fans would have been slightly worried about what the day would bring.

We set off on the 111mile trip down the A1, M1 and M62 to Salford at 10:30am and still feeling a bit groggy from the previous evenings antics, we really weren’t looking forward to what was certainly going to be a tough match. The journey was both dragging and cramped, it’s certainly not pleasant having to fit into a small Micra with 4 other people for what was going to be a 2 hour trip on a very warm day. We touched down in Salford at about 12:30pm and began the hunt for a parking space. How do you go about finding somewhere to park in an area of greater Manchester that is a hot spot for car crime? Luckily we managed to find a good parking spot just outside Salfords Moor Lane Stadium. Upon first sight of the ground it looked like a very typical old fashioned non-league ground, a perimeter of concrete walls separated the outside world from the delights of moor lane. We arrived at the turnstiles, paid our £7 admission, purchased a programme for only £1.50 (Bargain!) and immediately set off for the club bar. The bar was pretty bog standard to be honest, limited selection of lagers and the usual soft drinks etc. The grub hut was pretty standard aswell, serving the usual Burgers, Pie & peas, soft drinks, tea and all the rest you’d expect from a traditional football menu.

Moor Lane is made of 2 stands on each side and areas of hard standing behind each goal. The main stand situated behind the dugouts was a big old concrete seated area, built in with the old fashioned benches instead of chairs and directly opposite that was a smaller metal shed. As a whole, Moor Lane can hold up to 1400.

 

With both teams looking to bounce back from disappointing defeats they lined up as follows:

Salford (9^th before the match) – O’Boyle, Aston, Browne, Swift, Gorman, Walters, Hodgkinson, Gill, Bond, Bancroft, Mota

Darlington (6^th before the match) – Bell, Pilatos, Galbraith, Hunter, White, Edwards, Moore, Scott, Dowson, P.Robinson, Thompson

Darlington had made a few changes to the squad that was humiliated midweek, Pilatos replaced J.Robinson in the team and Hunter was put into central defence to partner experienced defender Alan White, Leon Scott had also been re-installed ahead of Jonny Davis and Paul Robinson came into to replace the injured Amar Purewal. Unfortunately for new signing Nathan Fisher, his international clearance hadn't come through in time for the match.

Onto the match!

Both teams started bright, getting in early chances that were easily dealt with in a half that offered no real test for either keeper. Steven Thompson, who was particullaly looking dangerous for Darlo got in a chance in the first minute, his shot just going wide of the goal. An early chance for Salford fell to Aaron Swift who from about 20yrds from goal, hit a sweet left footed volley that brought out a cracking save from Mark Bell, which led to a scrap for the ball in Darlingtons box before it was eventually scrambled away. Another chance for Salford was when the ball was picked up outside the box by the attacker who went on a solo run into Darlos box, going past one defender after another before eventually, just yards from goal a last ditch tackle saved Darlo from going 1-0 down. Both teams were shutting each other out well, limiting each team to just minor chances in a very even and tight 1^st half in which Darlo just shaded on possession. A couple of positives to come out of the opening half was that Darlo looked a lot more lively and organised after Tuesday nights debacle, also was the promising performance of young Bruno Pilatos who was making his 1^st league start for Darlo.

Into the 2^nd half and Darlo immediately stamped their authority on the game by going 1-0 up in the opening minutes. A neat pass by Pilatos is met by Moore who takes on the fullback and hits a low ball into the box for Dowson to wrong foot the the keeper with a trademark David Dowson back heel to put the visitors 1-0 up, from then on it was all one way. Darlo had really come out all guns blazing, getting in some really good chances, particularly from Steven Thompson. The tricky midfielder was casuing havoc for the Salford defence,  getting in a right footed shot from 25yrds out that just went wide of the keepers near post. Not long later Thompson had another good chance, cutting inside from the left and shooting straight at the keeper. Thompsons hardwork was soon rewarded in the 71st minute when he picked up the ball just outside the box and with Salfords defenders not closing down quick enough, he unleashed a ferocious right footed shot which left O’Boyle in the Salford net with no chance. Darlo were truly dominating the game, Leon Scott also got in a powerful left footed strike that gave the keeper a bit of work to do. The back four for Darlo were really earning their wages, not giving Salford a sniff at goal all second half apart from one moment late on, a cross was whipped into the box and found an unmarked Salford player who had the chance to pull his team back in the game……..however, he snapped at the chance and ended up putting the ball out for a Darlo throw in. It so easily could have been more than 2-0 but that is how it finished, a performance that put the smile back on the fans and in particular Martin Gray, the resul put Darlo up to 3^rd in the table after a tough midweek.

Man of the Match for me had to be Bruno Pilatos, on his first league start for the club he looked so composed and dealt with what little he had to do with ease, also getting up and joining the attack from time to time.

With impressive 3 points in the bag we all set off for home back up the M62 and reflected on what (in my opinion) was our best performance of the season. The whole team had put in a real shift, in particular Dowson, Hunter, Pilatos, Edwards and Thompson. Up next for Darlo is at home against Ossett Albion on Wednesday night. Highlights for the match (if any) can be found on http://www.darlington1883.co.uk/ when eventually uploaded.  

 

Crook Town AFC vs Durham City AFC 25/9/13 – A night that descended into Chaos

As a keen lover of non-league football I’ll always grasp at the chance of attending a good local game, so when one of my mates texted me earlier in the afternoon about going to Crook town vs Durham City in the Ebac Northern League Division 1, there was only ever going to be one answer! So the three of us set off on the short drive to Crook, just 20 miles up the road, in anticipation of what we thought was going to be a decent match and it didn't disappoint!

We arrived in Crook at about 7pm and immediately made our way to the Sir Tom Cowie Millfield Stadium, we were certainly in for a wet night! I’d never been to Crooks ground before so was really looking forward to being able to tick this one off the list and from where we’d parked, just across the road from the ground, it looked like a really exciting prospect.

I don’t know what it is but just seeing those bright floodlights towering over the pitch really gets you going!

We arrived to just a single turnstile open, which is more than enough really and paid our £6 admission into the ground, the cheap admission being another reason why I prefer non-league to the dizzy heights (and prices) of top end football. Going through the turnstile you’re immediately greeted by a grass verge and a path leading up to the ground, the club bar is located just to the left of the turnstile and although we didn’t have time for a quick pint, I did have a nosey in and it seemed like a really cosy and welcoming place.

The Sir Tom Cowie Millfield Stadium is built up of 2 main stands running along one side of the pitch (one large covered terrace and a rather tight and small seated stand) and an area of terracing behind one of the goals, as a whole the ground can hold around about 1500.

Tonight’s match pitted together Crook Town, who were in 14^th place, against a mid-table Durham City outfit who were 10^th. As the match got under way we took our seats, or shall I say benches? In the small stand behind the dugout, both sides had early chances in a first 20 minutes in which Crook just shaded up until the 26^th minute.

 

Josh Gray picked up the ball half way inside Crooks area of the field, weaved his way past 2-3 defenders and slotted home past Crooks keeper. From then on Durham dominated the 1^st half, getting in some good chances against a Crook defence who always looked scared to put a tackle in.

Into the 2^nd half Crook came out all guns blazing and it soon paid off in the 49^th minute, a corner floated into the box was met by Kyle Davis who powered in a header into the top far corner of the goal, it was nothing less than what Crook deserved after starting the half on top. However immediately from the restart Durham went up the pitch and with a low shot across the floor, hit the post.

From then on it was end to end football until the 60^th minute. More slack defending from the Crook defence allowed Durham to just pass the ball about in the box before the ball was laid off to Scott Fenwick, who fired home into the bottom corner at the backpost past a stranded keeper.  After that it was back to normality, end to end football before things really got bizarre!

Crook had just conceded a free kick on the side-line and obviously the offending Crook player was disappointed with the decision, then came one of the most comical refereeing decisions I have ever witnessed!

The offending player then picked up the ball and threw it ‘to’ the Durham player so he could take the freekick, the referee then, somehow believing that the player had threw the ball at his opponent, turned around and issued the Crook player with his second yellow card of the game. A decision which left the Crook management and players both baffled & furious, even some of the Durham players protested his innocence.

To be honest what the ref had just done didn’t surprise me, he’d be shocking all night, constantly getting decisions wrong and handing out yellow cards like there was no tomorrow. It was truly a refereeing performance that would even put the infamous Trevor Kettle to shame.  

The match got back underway and then things immediately took another turn for the worse, another incident in which I did not see resulted in a straight red card for yet another one of Crooks players, then things got even more comical!

With Crook 2-1 down and now down to nine men  with 20 minutes still to go, the floodlights decided to fail, coincidentally. This left Durham’s match personal and fans, understandably, both suspicious and suspecting of foul play and with tempers on both sides flaring, a heated argument between 2 fans resulted in one of them throwing a punch at the other.

The match had truly descended into chaos!

Whether or not foul play had something to do with the floodlight failure we’ll never know, although in my opinion is was probably just one of those things. 

 

  

10 minutes had passed and with no sign of the floodlights coming back on, the referee decided to abandon the match with 20 minutes still to play and then no sooner after the crook players & referee had left the pitch, some of the floodlights which had gone off then started to come back on again. But the ref had already made his mind up and he left to a barrage of abuse from some of the travelling Durham fans.

As we set off for home we all reflected on what had been, although ruined by the ref, as a neutral a thoroughly entertaining match, well worth £6!