Boldon CA v Gateshead Leam Rangers

Venue: Boldon Colliery Welfare Ground, Cotswold Lane, Boldon Colliery, NE35 9AL
Kickoff: 14:00 Saturday 13 January 2018
Competition: TWR Shipowners Charity Cup - Round 2
Weather: very cold, clear, dry, breezy, 2°

LOCATION REPORT

SatNav: NE35 9AL
Staff: several (gate kiosk, snack bar)
Parking: on site car park 40+ spaces, shared with adjacent cricket club (plus large overflow at The Shack)
Public transport: various buses, including #9 [Murton-Sunderland-Boldon(Asda)-Hebburn] or #50 [Durham-Washington-Boldon(Asda)-South Shields]

Entry: £2.50

Refreshments: teas and snacks in pitchside kiosk
Toilets: in The Villa (pitchside changing block)
Stands/Terraces: seating both sides (office chairs, decking benches) plus metal lean-on barrier

Programmes: no
Floodlights: yes, 3 per flank

MATCH REPORT

Approx crowd: 30+ (good mix of gender and generation - plus two dogs)

Full-time [h/t] score (colours):
1 [0] Boldon CA FC (white/black)
1 [0] Gateshead Leam Rangers (yellow/green)
{Leam Rangers win 4-2 on penalties}

Bookings: 1 each, bad tackles
Sent Off: 0

NORVENMUNKI's COMMENTS

Arriving in Boldon, at the cinema and leisure park, I grab some cash from the atm at Asda and consult the map for my destination. It turns out that 'Colliery Welfare' facilities are easy to find: they're next door! Boldon CA's ground is next to the 'famous' Jarrow Roofing ground, a notable fixture of the North East amateur football scene (but still somewhere ahead in my Quest!).

Not knowing the state of parking here, I leave my car at The Shack, a prominent local pub. As it happens, there's actually a small car park next to the entry gate of the pitch, along a short access road.
The gate is currently being renovated, seemingly to accommodate turnstiles which seems delightfully proud and optimistic. Everyone is very friendly. The guy in the plastic gatehouse shares a joke, and the ladies in the wonderful little snack-bar make a mean hot chocolate and don't chunner when I clean them out of change.

Inside, it's attractively unkempt and characterful: with tatty netting behind both goals (one to protect from the main road and the other from the back gardens of a row of nearby houses), roped-off fencing, builders junk and rusty groundskeeper tools. It's exactly the kind of venue that I adore; unpretentious but aspirational.
Players abandon their warm-up and head for 'The Villa', the changing and admin block.
There are numerous places to sit and rest, permanent benches and scattered seats. The snack-bar has what is essentially a covered patio, with a tower of stacked-up plastic chairs probably inherited from an office clearance, all a faded red-pink, possibly from being stored outside in all weathers.
On the opposite side of the pitch - the dug-out side - there's a long covered structure with a corrugated roof and new partly-fitted benches made out of decking boards. It's half-finished, just like my own diy. I hole up here, it feels appropriate.

A family of three generations walks by, visiting supporters. The infant says a lovely Hiya! I respond, we all chuckle. It's very sweet.
From here, you can see the cricket pitch adjacent, separated by some short fencing. I expect that balls sail over that fencing often, from either side; I certainly wouldn't want to be in the way if they came in this direction.
My hot chocolate has cooled enough by now to be drinkable.
"The pitch is heavy," says the friendly club man. He's right, it'll cut up a lot if they dive in to tackles, and if they play on the ground it'll affect the style of passing.

The players are led out by the three officials, with the young referee looking a fraction of the age of his assistants.
I'm not exactly skinny myself, but let me note there are a few tight-fitting shirts out there today, if you get my drift?
Handshakes over, the games starts.
Today, it's a cup match. I wonder, if it goes to penalties, will I be warm enough to cope?

Both teams are keen to establish supremacy from the kick-off. An early offside for Leam is followed by a heavy Boldon tackle. The Leam freekick is cleared, then comes back in, and goes wide. It's well defended.
Leam are the ones showing more attacking intent. I have seen previously in recent matches that they have a few good ball players but, as I recall, they can also be dangerously hot-headed.
The ball is hoofed out over the kiosk and into the car park; a new ball needed.
The older referee assistant on my flank burps loudly. Genteel!

The Boldon keeper goes down. There's a long delay, but the customary magic sponge appears to do the trick. Another Leam attack is driven into the side netting.
The Boldon coach shouts encouragement. His lads respond, with two nice through-balls, which Leam clear in a bit of a panic; they're much calmer in midfield and up front.
The home side earn a corner, which the visitors' keeper bravely leaps and palms away.
After a good tackle by the Boldon left-back, he strides forward purposefully until he's crunched by the Leam #8 with a stupid blatant shoulder barge. The man in yellow gets a card of similar colour.
The resultant free-kick is launched towards the edge of the Leam area, flicked on and tipped wide. From the corner, a hopeful shot bounces off the crossbar and over.

Inevitably, there's another yellow card, this time for a Boldon midfielder. It's thigh on thigh. The Leam bench scream their displeasure, but it was more clumsy than nasty. The visitors' free-kick is wasted.
Then, it's straight down the other end. Despite a heavy Leam tackle, the referee allows the home side to play on; although it comes to nothing, the play is not pulled back.
Leam respond. Determined play on the right wing forces a corner. The ball soars in to a crowded penalty box and, after a mêlée, is driven in to the back of the Boldon net.
However, the scorer was judged offside. Leam are unhappy. A stranded defender was "lying on the line" laments a visiting fan beside me to the referee's assistant. Personally, I think it probably was offside, from the position that I am viewing from. If only we had VAR ? (Coincidentally, this week is the very first time it's been used officially in England!)
Everyone's tempers are hot now, which is typical of Leam from my experience. Rival players clash. The referee calls them both over, but there are no cards just warnings.
The game is full of strong intent. Another ball is cleared out over the wire fencing into the cricket pitch, as predicted earlier.

Chance!
A Boldon defender switches off momentarily and the quick-thinking Leam striker is clean through, but the home keeper turns it onto the joint of post and bar. Close!
Still, the ball is still active, and another shot rifles in from the same side, this time going wide. For all their increasing courage up front, Boldon need to stay alert at the back.
The elder referee assistant burps again.

In the final moments of the first half, there's a Boldon attack. An assertive run by their left-back takes him to the to edge of the away area, despite a couple of strong tackles. He pulls the ball to the right, from where a deep cross is clawed from the air by the mighty Leam keeper. He's too tall to be beaten by anything relying on height.

It's half-time. We're goalless. The players trudge off to The Villa. I go and grab another hot chocolate!
Some Leam fans are still chunnering about the disallowed goal. I still agree it was offside but a guy who arrived late claims he had a better angle as he came through the gate and it was on. Of course, it's immaterial now: it was chalked-off, forget it.
A little Jack Russell scampers around excitedly, whilst well-behavedly staying off the pitch.
It's getting gloomy now. The huge floodlights would make a big difference, but they are unlikely to be switched on for an afternoon game.

The teams are back out. The game restarts. Who will show the composure needed to break this stalemate?
Almost immediately, the tackles fly in, much as before. There's verbal and sledging galore.
A Boldon sub is warming up along our touchline. A home supporter asks him if he's a new signing, and they get introduced. I realise it's January, and I suppose they have a transfer window at every level of the game.

There's a wayward goalie clearance from Boldon, but Leam can't make it pay. They're evenly matched now. A Boldon attack forces a corner, from which there's nothing doing but the Leam defence are nevertheless screaming at each other.
Play switches to the other end, where a long-range Leam shot goes into the side netting.
A Leam player goes down with a head injury. After a few minutes of treatment, he goes off. The players argue over who will restart with the dropped ball. Then finally, a Boldon lad taps it to the Leam keeper, to all-round claps. So why the arguing? Some lads have no composure.

Both sides push for a breakthrough. A hurried clearance again from the Boldon keeper, this time to his midfielders.
Now, for the first time, I realise that the referee is wearing black like the Boldon strip. From the back, they look almost identical. In the gloomy afternoon half-light, that just seems a bit wrong.

Curiously, in a far-off housing estate, an ice-cream van tinkles. Who on earth wants ice-cream in this weather?

Back on the pitch, there's yet another a free-kick to Leam. Before it's taken, there's time for the first substitute: it's been a long time coming. Boldon swap their centre-forward for the fresh legs of the new signing from earlier.
As the game resumes with the planned free-kick, there's confusion as Leam meanwhile also bring on a substitute of their own and the referee's assistant gets the referee's attention with his flag.
With both subs on now, the kick is retaken but nothing happens.
Then, the game stops again as two Boldon players crash into each other. One is especially winded. After a minute or so, both are up and hobbling gingerly.
The game restarts with a drop ball. Within seconds, the winded man is back on and defending bravely as he takes a mighty ball to the stomach! That's a tough fella.

We're approaching the final quarter of an hour. A long range Leam effort is easily taken by the home keeper. He quickly punts it forward, but the Boldon newbie is caught offside.
There's another sub for both sides.
The Leam keeper restarts with a long kick that falls invitingly to a team-mate on the edge of the Boldon box. He turns and rifles a shot goalward, which the keeper touches onto the foot of the post, but it crawls along the line and over.
0-1.
The away bench go crazy. They rush on to the pitch and leap around like they've won the Cup itself! #Celebrations!

Boldon have to push up now. A clever passing move creates a chance for an instant equaliser, but the Leam keeper sweeps up. The home side commit men forward, leaving defence holes to be exploited. The lively Leam #10 wriggles into space and let's fly right-footed from the left but it sails wide.
Boldon come again. The Leam keeper wastes time retrieving a ball from beneath the back netting. Nobody is impressed, and the referee adds time on to compensate.
Boldon are still pushing. A corner comes in, causing another mêlée in the box. As it comes out, the home centre-back, who's come up to support, let's rip with a shot along the floor, that skids through the crowd, off the right post, along the line and in. Just like earlier goal!

1-1. Game on. The home side are emboldened. :-)

Leam try to push up for a late winner. A corner is won but wasted.
Then a throw-in causes controversy. The Leam thrower clearly has both feet on the pitch, so the linesman flags and the referee demands a retake. The Leam bench scream in complaint, even though it happened right in front of them. The referee is not happy with such raucous dissent. The game begins but just for one minute.

Final whistle. It's penalties. Apparently, at the goal at the 'houses' end. As the takers prepare, the two keepers share a fist pump. The referee changes ends, and we all traipse to the cold end!

First up, Boldon.
Miss! Saved! 0-0.
Leam score. 0-1.
1-1.
1-2.
Boldon hit the post. 1-2.
Leam score. 1-3.
Boldon score. 2-3.
Leam taker steps up for the decisive spotkick. He scores. 2-4. Leam win!

The Leam team and bench are absolutely delighted. They whoop and holler in major celebrations. This really means a lot to them!
Game over.
In the gloom, I go back via the loo in The Villa. The Leam lads are singing next door - maybe a bit over-enthusiastically? - but it's been a hard-won victory and the stress is clearly being vocally relieved. They march on to the next round.
Boldon can think about next year, and next week's league match.