Kickoff: 14:00 Saturday 25 November 2017
Competition: TWR Wearside League
Weather: very cold, clear, dry, light breeze
LOCATION REPORT
SatNav: DL1 1LJ
Staff: gateman, kiosk attendant + leisure centre staff
Parking: large onsite car park, 60+ spaces plus overflow capacity
Public transport: bus #3B (Northwood Park -Darlington circular)
More information: Club website, Twitter
Entry: £3
Refreshments: "The Shack" pitchside kiosk + teas/snacks in leisure centre
Toilets: in leisure centre
Stands/Terraces: viewing area along one side of fenced 4G compound
Programmes: none
Floodlights: yes, 4 per flank
MATCH REPORT
Approx crowd: 8 rising to 30+ paying (plus several watching for free through the fencing!)
Full-time [h/t] score (colours):
2 [1] Darlington Reserves FC (white/black)
1 [0] Hebburn Town Reserves (yellow/black stripes)
Bookings: 2x Hebburn, bad tackles
Sent Off: 0
NORVENMUNKI's COMMENTS
The signs from Hundens Lane are not obvious to passing drivers, but if you look for Bourne Avenue then you should be fine.
The Eastbourne Sports Complex is an impressive multisport facility, boasting a fully equipped indoor leisure centre, outdoor track and field facilities, climbing and fitness features, kids' play and community assets. Opened in 1999, by then-PM Tony Blair no less, it is showing a few signs of ageing but is still busy.
Nowadays, it's become surrounded by a housing estate, currently in mid-construction, and the deep chug of dumper trucks and JCBs is a constant background noise.
Arriving with some time to spare, I wander around and take some photos. It's cold today, so I grab a coffee from the leisure centre receptionist, taking all her till change from breaking into a twenty.
As the players emerge, I go outside into the cold wind. I have double gloves, but for now single should suffice. As if to make me feel colder, all the Hebburn boys are defiantly short-sleeved, with only four Darlo players wearing long either.
The fenced off 4G pitch is clean and springy, with all the tiny black bits bouncing up with the impact of each bootstep. There's an internal area on one side only, split into three sections. I make for the middle one.
I'm happy to pay my three pounds, but others just watch for free through the fencing.
The locals are very friendly people. I speak at length to John, the gateman, a Darlington superfan, currently working in Coventry and seemingly an expert on the A1 and M1.
I learn that the referee, busy directing events in a clear Scottish accent, has travelled over from Carlisle. John has some views about the higher expenses costs involved in such arrangements, which seem valid in principle but I expect there aren't enough referees locally to always be able to avoid this.
A senior gentleman, apparently an ex headmaster, arrives armed with notebook. John tells me he's an ex referee, who used to officiate when he was playing back in the day, but now he's a 'referee assessor', as his jacket badge proudly claims. I remember seeing him in Wolviston recently.
A hazy sun lingers over the rooftops, partly blurred by fuzzy white clouds but still in one's eyes as one looks south. A row of twenty-odd tall leafless poplars is waving in the breeze. For now, the wind is perfectly box-to-box rather than cross-field, so hopefully it won't disrupt the play too much.
The players are ready. Handshakes. The game starts.
The immediate action is busy and committed, with lots of talk from the benches and amongst colleagues.
It's an even game early on. Darlo could be said to be generally on top but Hebburn have their own moments of attack.
The ball is cleared over the perimeter barrier, hitting the elderly ref assessor, who struggles to kick it back over! He sees the funny side of it.
Darlington are strong in defence, flowing with options but just needing that 'killer' pass. Hebburn are more organised than last I saw them, steadier and with more crisp passing.
There are lots of youths on both sides, except notably for the two senior Darlo centre-backs. I hope this will make for a more balanced experience level.
We're 20 minutes in. A long Hebburn ball creates a one-on-one opportunity for the striker, but the Darlo keeper saves bravely and his defender rushes back to clear the rebound off the line and around the post.
Darlo respond. Their right-winger is barged over, earning a free kick, which they can't capitalise on.
Subsequently, there's good possession from Hebburn but they too just can't make it count.
Then the breakthrough: Darlo 1-0. A nice floated pass from the centre sails over the Hebburn defence, the Darlo right-sided midfielder turns his man and delivers a peach of a cross to the far post, where his left-sided teammate heads home, unmarked. A lovely goal.
As play resumes, the Hebburn coaches implore that they need to be strong.
Still, not too strong... as the Hebburn right-half earns himself a yellow card for a very clumsy, somewhat dangerous, tackle. The Darlo bench plead for a red!
A while later, a Darlo striker is momentarily incapacitated as he gets 4G bits in his eye. It actually looks quite discomforting. The referee stops the game for while as the player regains his vision, then restarts with a drop ball.
The attacks by Hebburn step up, and the Darlo keeper dives low to his right to palm away a good effort. Soon after, following some head tennis in the Darlo box, their defender hits it awkwardly and it almost sneaks under his own bar, but the keeper comes to the rescue again.
It's classic end to end stuff.
As we near the break, the Hebburn right-back is the second man to earn a yellow card with a clumsy tackle. The resultant Darlo free kick is wasted as it drifts across the pitch, but the pressure is still on and a corner is forced, but nothing comes of it.
Then late pressure from Hebburn, down their left, as the striker drops his shoulder and expertly ghosts away from his marker, producing a shot from the left that's gratefully smothered before any oncoming Hebburn boot can pounce on the rebound.
Half time. 1-0. Game evenly poised.
The teams mass on the pitch, rather than retreating to the faraway changing rooms.
I write up a few notes, my fingers growing ever-increasingly numb. Annoyingly, I hit more and more dud keys, so every note takes longer to compose before putting my gloves back on!
There are some people who've have gone to sit in their cars for a few minutes to warm up. I grab a coffee from 'The Shack'. It's the same girl from reception: she must be freezing! They are offering hot dogs and hot food, but I settle for just a hot drink. I need the heat on my fingers!
The game resumes.
A heavy Darlo tackle draws cries from the away bench. The Hebburn left-winger is down in a heap, and the game stops whilst the physio comes on. There's no card.
Hebburn are on top, showing better possession and use of the ball to both their flanks. Darlo are defending calmly, but Hebburn are timing interceptions better. A long shot from 20-odd yards out fires straight at the Darlo keeper.
Hebburn bring on a substitute, some fresh legs to keep the pace up. The Hebburn coach is very vocal: they're "not picking up second balls", he laments.
There's a first Darlington substitute on the hour mark.
A Hebburn throw-in on the right begins a nice close passing move, ending with a huge pass to the far post which the left-sided midfielder takes beautifully on his thigh and rifles a shot just past the far post. A very nice passage of play, Hebburn are stepping it up.
The momentum is interrupted by another Darlo sub, a defender. Perhaps a sure sign that Hebburn are indeed cranking it up?
Still, Darlington can always threaten on the counter-attack. The Hebburn defence is organised and their keeper sweeps up regularly. It's not pretty but it's effective.
Another Hebburn free-kick on the left is headed partly clear, but it falls back to a Hebburn midfielder who wastes it with a floated attempt from the edge of the area.
They maintain the pressure. A cross into the box invites a point-blank shot from eight yards out, which at first is parried away spectacularly by the Darlington keeper but rebounds to a Hebburn striker who blasts home.
1-1. Game on.
Hebburn are definitely on top now. There's another deep cross, headed over the bar from five yards out! Then, falling loose at the back, a rare Darlo attack goes wide. You couldn't call it right now. Both sides are creative in midfield, with strong tackling in defence.
A final Darlo substitute. One last chance to find the key to unlock the visitors' stubborn defence.
On 85 minutes, a flayling Hebburn striker's tackle breaks the frantic flow. There was no malice, just a typical forward's tackle. The Darlo free kick derives no reward.
The sun has dropped beyond the house roofs. My fingers are well and truly frozen now, I can't write much and will have to remember more stuff!
I bend to recover my empty coffee cup to put it in the bin, and my lower back is very stiff. I'm getting old!
Now Hebburn go forward, sending in another deep cross. The onrushing midfielder crashes into the keeper's chest, both men brave into the challenge.
Can Darlo respond with some late drama? A deep cross from their own right side finds a left-half at the far post, who side-foots home.
2-1. Somewhat against the run of play, but a nice goal for sure. Classic counter attack. The Darlo bench leap in joy. Hebburn are gutted. Ninety seconds left to play.
There's time for one last Hebburn attempt, but Darlington mop up.
The whistle goes: 2-1.
The home side warms down on the pitch for a few minutes. Full of encouraging conversations, the seniors are bigging-up the juniors with clichés about it "never being over til the end" and the rewards of "keeping the faith".
Meanwhile Hebburn trudge off, no doubt cursing the bitter injustice of football. These boys should nonetheless take heart from dogged determination and no shortage of attacking creativity. They just need to score when they get on top. A single goal defeat is so close and still so far.
One thing that is not so far is my car. I shall go any thaw out a little until my body is fit to drive home.
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